My dog has a bald spot with scabs. Why isn't hair growing back?

It's hard to say. It could be that you are now observing a scab and it could take several weeks to months for the hair to return fully. Keeping an eye on it and making sure Rosie doesn't scratch at it may help. However if the area doesn't appear to be improving, worsens, again, or seems to be infected or bothersome, a vet visit to rule out infections or other issues is best.

Although I can't tell for sure, the area in the picture appears to be a hotspot. A hotspot occurs when an animal scratches or chews at an area to the point of causing trauma to the skin. Often times these areas are moist and very irritated but a large scab can form after some time has passed. Given the location of the lesion, I would be concerned that Lola has been scratching at her ear. I would monitor her for shaking of the head, discharge or redness in the ears or scratching at that area. If you notice any of these signs, she may have an ear infection. Other potential causes for the lesion other than a hot spot would be trauma, mange or an auto-immune issue. If the lesion is not resolving or seems to be getting worse, I would recommend that you have Lola seen by your veterinarian. They may recommend a skin scraping or cytology to better determine what is going on.

I would recommend that Rosco be examined by a vet to determine the cause so that he can receive appropriate treatment. Possible causes of these lesion and hair loss and itching include fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), ringworm, allergies (to fleas, foods, or the environment), among others. The vet will do a thorough physical exam and discuss the recent history, and may do skin scrapings or cytology to look for parasites or infection.

What you are describing sounds like scar tissue, but I would have to see it to be sure. Scars will not grow hair, but tend to get smaller and less visible with time. Puppies will heal better than adult dogs, so the scar should be much less obvious within a couple of months. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to encourage hair growth in this area if it is a scar. It's also possible that the lump is due to a deep infection. If the lump grows, appears red, or starts to ooze fluid, then it's best to take her to the vet for an exam. I hope that helps and all is well with your pup.

It could be caused by a bacterial skin infection, ringworm, mites/parasites, or allergies. Have your vet take a look at her to determine the cause. Your vet can do a skin scrape and /or culture to help diagnose and treat. You could try to bathe her with a medicated dog shampoo and see if that helps.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This area can be either a localized demodex infection, a bacterial infection or a fungal infection (ringworm has to be considered). Thyroid disease can also be considered. If the area of hairloss and scabbing does not improve or completely resolve within 1-2 weeks, then I would recommend taking Indy to your local vet to have the skin tested. If it does not improve, then the appropriate medication (depeding on her skin test results) can be prescribed for Indy to help this resolve. Bset of luck with Indy and her skin. Take care.

It's tough to say exactly what's causing Pablo's patch of hair loss from a picture alone. I agree that I don't see any redness, scaling or signs of inflammation in the picture. Some possible causes can include scar tissue from an injury or burn, infectious conditions like mange or ringworm, a sebaceous (oil gland) cyst or histiocytoma. Pablo should be examined by his vet so that diagnostic testing can be performed. It's likely that your vet will need to take samples from this area to be evaluated under the microscope. Once the cause of this issue is diagnosed, then your vet will be able to determine the best course of treatment. This is certainly not an emergency, so if many of your local vets are currently closed or have less availability, it's not a big deal if you need to wait a few extra weeks. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Pablo!