Pet's facial hair won't grow back after ear meds. Is Biotin safe?

The location between the ear and the eye in cats generally has very thin fur, so it is a common area to lose hair as they get older or with any irritation. You are correct that topical products there are a bad idea. Biotin is safe since it is a water soluble B Vitamin, so it does not buld up in the tissues. I have attached a definition of water solution below. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?cdrid=560347 So, Biotin would be safe, but I have not personally found that it helps with hair growth in areas of hair loss (especially after 2 years). I wish I had a good solution for you, but you may just have to live with the hair loss. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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

Oh no. Poor guy. It sounds like the hair follicles are in permanent resting phase after the shave. The only thing you can really try here would be Melatonin. It can take up to 3 months however, to see any growth after starting this supplement. Talk to your vet about proper dosing for Lily since we legally cannot tell you that information here, but it is worth a shot. I would also bathe LIly regularly and brush the area with a soft brush often to hopefully stimulate the hair follicles to regrow. I hope that Lily gets her beautiful coat back. Best of luck moving forward. Take care! : )

Poor Cooper! You could certainly try an omega-3 fatty acid supplement such as Welactin to see if this helps. But, it isn't normal for it to take so long for hair to grow back, so I would be concerned that he may have a thyroid problem or some other underlying medical condition causing problems with his hair growth. When you can, it would be a good idea to have him examined by a vet - he/she can do some basic blood work to check his thyroid function as well as liver, kidneys, etc. If there is a problem, it's usually very treatable with medication once a diagnosis is made, and would be very helpful in getting his hair to grow back in.

I am afraid I will need a bit more information from you such as what nature the wound was, where it was, how it was treated, was the dog seen by a vet and which medications did the vet proscribe. I need to know where the hair loss is, and whether it is symmetrical and what the skin in the hairless area looks like. And it would help if you could formulate a question. Please resubmit a question with the above information and I will try to do my best helping you. Thank you, Andrea Brodie, DVM

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bubba! How old is Bubba? A lot of skin conditions can look the same. But from your photos I think either a skin infection from yeast or bacteria, ring worm or demodex (non-contagious mite). If he is older I recommend having blood work done, some systemic illnesses can manifest in the skin. If he has a skin infection then medicated shampoo and antibiotics or antifungals are needed. If demedex is suspected, especially if he is young, than your Vet will perform a skin scrape to look for the mite under the microscope. Thankfully demodex is very easy to treat these days with the new oral flea and tick medications (Nexgard and Bravecto). Ring worm is diagnosed with a cultured and is treated with either lyme sulfur dips or oral antifungals. I think it is best to make an appointment with your Vet when they open on Monday and start medications based on your Vet's diagnosis. I hope this helps and I wish you and Bubba the best!

Hello, sorry to hear about Trinx. If he is having a slow hair regrowth, then it may take him longer to regrow his hair. If you do shave him, depending on which medications he had, then his hair may not regrow or take a long time to regrow. I hope this helps and best of luck.