Is my chihuahua's hair not growing back on neck and belly normal?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the hair is growing back in the area, the original problem has likely resolved. It could have been from an allergy that caused Buddy to chew the hair off of the tail. This could also be due to a skin infection, skin parasite or hormonal disease causing the hair loss. I would monitor this for now and if it does not resolve or if it worsens, I would have a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

I'm glad pickle seems to be recovered from her initial illness. Many times shaved hair doesn't always grow back at the same texture it was before or may grow in thinner. Discuss with her vet if a fish oil or fatty acid supplement may be ok to add as this may help hair growth. But don't add any supplements without checking with her vet. Some medications can also slow hair growth so that may be part of it. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

Does she normally wear a collar or scratch the area at all? If she is young with that hair loss and does not wear a collar then I would have it checked to make sure it is not the mange. If she wears a collar then it maybe irritation from that. If it does not bother her and it is regrowing then monitoring it for further changes is an acceptable answer also before trying it checked

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes I would be concerned. She may have microscopic mites (demodex) that need to be addressed. A vet will need to see her and scrape her skin to look at the mites under the microscope. If found, they can start Buzy on treatments and eventually the hair should grow back. If it isn’t mites the vet may need to do more tests to determine why she isn’t growing hair. Once a diagnosis is made the correct treatment should fix her problem. Good luck and kisses to Buzy!

From the photo, Fingal's skin appears to be quite normal. Some breeds (including chihuahuas) naturally have little to no hair on their bellies or armpit areas. As long as Fingal is acting normally and not itchy, this is not a cause for concern. :-)

She may have an endocrine disease, such as hypothyroidism (her thyroid gland isn't working right) or Cushing's disease (her adrenal glands are releasing too much cortisol). I would recommend you get her in to a vet so he or she can examine Poutchi; if the vet suspects a problem, he or she will recommend running some blood tests. I hope thats helpful for you! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It is not unusual for a dog to have thin hair on the belly/armpit area, and this can be more obvious in dogs with a very short hair coat such as a pug. If, however, you feel that hair is falling out on her legs this is abnormal and could be a sign of mites on the skin or an allergy. The photos are a bit hard to really tell how the skin appears. If your pup is losing hair on the legs I would recommend an examination by a vet to check for parasites and be sure we don't have an allergy that needs medication to treat. It looks like your pup also has an umbilical hernia. Most often if these are small they are not a problem but it is another reason to have a vet check your puppy and be sure this isn't one that needs surgical repair.