Hair loss

[reddobe]

Our dog Red seems to be having a bit hair loss problem. Nothing too serious but bad enough that we have taken notice. We haven't switched foods or anything that obvious.

It's been hot and humid and we're told this could have something to do with it.

Anyone else seen this before, or have some advice to share?

[BlastFromthePast]

I have a cat that has a hair loss problem. It's allergies... he's actually allergic to flea bites, believe it or not. And his hair falls out in patches because of it, especially on his belly, around his ears, and around his tail.

Maybe Red has allergies too..

[sally]

You will some good assistance from this website listed below regarding the hair loss problem for your dog in a clear manner,
http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/shedding_hair_loss_in_dogs_and_cats.htm?gclid=CISZ qYO65JQCFQdWegodCirzQw
http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dhairloss.html
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1593&articleid=421
http://www.nzymes.com/articles/dog_skin_hair_problems.htm
http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/diseasesall/a/itching.htm
http://www.wise4living.com/hfhair-loss/dog.htm

[liowkc]

Doberman requires daily grooming. Provide a daily rub down with turkish toweling. This will remove surplus hairs.

[Alicia S]

Doberman requires daily grooming. Provide a daily rub down with turkish toweling. This will remove surplus hairs.

OK, you've got our attention> Now what the heck is that?

[FancyFace]

Our dog Red seems to be having a bit hair loss problem. Nothing too serious but bad enough that we have taken notice. We haven't switched foods or anything that obvious.

It's been hot and humid and we're told this could have something to do with it.

Anyone else seen this before, or have some advice to share?

Have you taken Red to the veterinarian or at least phoned them about this? Surely it isn't mange, but I know that causes hair loss.

[Rich S]

Doberman requires daily grooming. Provide a daily rub down with turkish toweling. This will remove surplus hairs.

This sounds like something you would pay a lot of money for at a fancy spa.

[aden]

The hair loss is mainly due to deficiency for the doggy and it seems that it does not have proper vitamins for its survival . Hair loss can also happen when a dog gets infected by some germs and when it is not given a proper vaccine at its childhood....Pollution in the atmosphere may also be a cause for this.......

[aden]

Hairloss that occurs on the top of the dog and forms a triangle of
hairloss, with the widest part of the triangle at the base of the tail and
the point somewhere between the base of the tail and the shoulder blades,
is usually due to flea bite or mosquito bite hypersensitivity.... so we should prevents dogs from flies and insects ....

[roses]

I think that there is a chance that your dog has a condition known as "seasonal alopecia", which is hair loss on the flanks that usually starts in the spring and ends in June or July. It has been recognized in several breeds, including miniature poodles. This condition is not very common but it seems to fit the symptoms.

[abrahamk]

There are many diseases and conditions which can cause a dog to lose hair. Some of these may be considered normal, others can indicate a serious disease is present. Most of the conditions which result in hair loss are included in the table below, though some of them may be rare...

[abrahamk]

For your further eference you can read these books.......
Birchard, SJ; Sherding, RG (eds.) Saunders Manual of Small Animal Practice. W.B. Saunders Co. Philadelphia, PA; 1994.
Greene, CE (ed.) Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat. W.B. Saunders Co. Philadelphia, PA; 1998.
Griffin, C; Kwochka, K; Macdonald, J. Current Veterinary Dermatology. Mosby Publications. Linn, MO; 1993.
McKeever, PJ; Harvey, RG. Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat. Iowa State University Press. Ames, Iowa; 1998.

[abrahamk]

Allergic contact dermatitis: Same as contact dermatitis, but rash may spread beyond area of contact. Requires repeated or continuous exposure to allergen (such as wearing a flea collar).
Canine atopy: Severe itching that occurs in young dogs and begins in late summer and fall. Caused by seasonal pollens. Occurs in mixed breeds as well as purebreds.Common.
Chiggers: Itching and severe skin irritation between toes, and around the ears and mouth. Look for barely visible red, yellow or orange chiggers.
Contact dermatitis: Red, itchy bumps and inflamed skin at the site of contact with chemical, detergent, paint or other irritant. Affects feet and hairless parts of the body.
Damp hay itch (Pelodera): Red pimplelike bumps on skin. Severe itching. Occurs in dogs bedded on damp hay and similar grass.
Flea allergy dermatitis: Red, itchy pimplelike bumps over the base of the tail, back of rear legs and inner thighs. Scratching continues after fleas have been killed.
Fleas: Itching and scratching along the back, around the tail and hindquarters. Look for fleas, or black and white gritty specks in hair (flea feces and eggs).
Fly-bite dermatitis: Painful bites at tips of erect ears and bent surfaces of floppy ears. Bites become scabbed, crusty-black and bleed easily.
Grubs: Inch-long fly larvae that form cystlike lumps beneath the skin with a hole in the center for the insect to breathe. Often found beneath chin or along abdomen.
Lice: Two-millimeter-long insects, or white grains of "sand" (nits) attached to hair. Not common. Found in dogs with matted coats. May have bare spots where hair has been rubbed off.
Lick granuloma (acral pruritic dermatitis): Red, shiny skin ulcer caused by continuous licking at wrist or ankle. Usually seen occuring in large, short-coated breeds.(See Intructions for Yeast Problems)
Maggots: Soft-bodied, legless fly larvae found in damp matted fur.
Scabies (Sarcoptic mange): Intense itching. Small red spots that look like insect bites on the skin of the ears, elbows and hocks. Typical crusty ear tips.
Ticks: Large insects attached to skin. May swell up to size of pea. Found beneath ear flaps and where hair is thin.

[sally]

Find the best in hair loss products for thinning hair and healthy hair growth. Search a wide selection from hair loss shampoo to vitamins for hair growth to FDA approved solutions like Minoxidil and Rogaine.

[tomc]

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Use Minoxidil only ONCE per day! - Use significantly less Minoxidil by allowing for a more effective penetration process.


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This is the only FDA Approved product proven to Regrow Hair!
Minoxidil only works at the dermal papilla level, not on the scalp, so if it can't penetrate it can't work.

[abrahamk]

Almost all allergic conditions respond to corticosteroids, so it is odd
that the problems seemed to get worse after the injection. However, there
are times when a secondary bacterial infection is present and a cortisone
injection makes the situation a lot worse, instead of better. This may be
what happened in your beagle's case.

[abrahamk]

The following sections serve as an introduction to skin diseases in dogs, and suggest where to look to find the cause of a problem.
The ITCHY SKIN DISEASES in the first section are characterized by constant scratching, biting at the skin and rubbing up against objects to relieve the itch.

The next two sections list diseases characterized by HORMONE-RELATED AND OTHER DISESES WITH HAIR LOSS with few if any other symptoms. Hair loss can mean impaired growth of new hair, in which case it usually involves specific areas or the entire coat. Or you may see patches of hair loss on various parts of the body. In general, hair loss caused by hormonal diseases is symmetric (the same on both sides of the body), while that caused by parasites and other causes is asymmetric.

[abrahamk]

The next section lists SKIN DISEASES WITH PUS DRAINAGE in which the predominant sign is skin infection - pyoderma. Pyoderma is characterized by pus, infected sores, scabs, ulcerations, papules, pustules, furuncles, boils and skin abscesses. The skin infection is often secondary to some other skin disease, particularly an itchy skin disease that causes the dog to attack his own skin.

The section after that lists AUTOIMMUNE and IMMUNE-MEDIATED SKIN DISEASES, characterized by blebs. Blebs, also called vesicles, are blisters that contain clear fluid. Large ones are called bullae. All tend to progress through rubbing, biting and scratching, eventually producing skin erosions, ulcers and crusts. Look for these changes to appear first on the face, nose, muzzle and ears.
During the course of grooming, playing with or handling your dog, you may discover a lump or bump on or beneath the skin. To learn what it may be, see the last section on LUMPS AND BUMP OR BENEATH THE SKIN.

[tomc]

Are you feeding a quality food that does not contain corn, soy, wheat, by-products and has at least two named meat ingredients, preferably in meal form in the first four ingredients? I recently changed from a quality feed to a grainless feed (Taste of the Wild, Wetlands formula) and within 3 weeks all of mine had a noticeable shine to their coats. Their coats were fine before though. It could also be a heath condition like hypothyroidism, especially if he is overweight. I myself have hypothyroidism and have always been very slim so not all have weight gain.

[Tombo]

i have never herd of dobermans having hair loss prooblems. This is very new to me. Have to taken your doby to the vet?

[jelly8bean]

My Red girl has a very thin coat.. It just is the way she is. She is a rescue and I think was a puppy mill dog :( I have tried the supplements, improving food (which lead to a fat dobie :-o ) etc. Now I just live with it.. When I first got her the vet recommended a medicated shampoo which promptly broke her out in itchy red spots all over. So now when she gets a bath I use the oatmeal shampoo.

[Tombo]

That really sucks for you and your doby :( it hurts me to know that. I hope she can get out of it some day :)

[jelly8bean]

She is 7 now, and doing fine.. just a little on the sparse side in her coat. Likely why she is such a great snuggler in the winter :) My red is the dobie on the right in the profile picture. My new blue girl has a very thick coat and lots of guard hairs. I was thinking that with her color she would be skin/coat problems but no.. she is great. She is on the left.

[apollo]

When I was training We use to feed our dogs cod liver oil (they also come in pills) with there food. For humans it has been clinically proven to " have a positive effect on the heart, bones, brains, as well as help nourish the skin, hair and nails " depending on which one you buy it might smell like fish really bad or not so much but the dogs we gave it to didn't have fishy breath from it and the had beatiful coats even the older ones. I have not done this yet but will when he is around 1yr.

[Kenny R]

Cod liver oil? Interesting, I'll have to give that a try.

[luvmydobie]

My dobie was just diagnosed w/ a slightly low thyroid, which is common in dobies. It causes him to lose a lot of hair. After a TON of research, I bought him some organic, cold-pressed coconut oil from the health food store. It is already helping w/ his coat and energy level. I also feed a corn, wheat, & soy-free diet.

You may want to have a blood workup done to eliminate thyroid issues?!?! Especially b/c it is common in our breed...jmo.

Good luck & keep us posted! ;)

ETA: I forgot to mention that he is also on a Rx from the vet!