Why is my Border Collie suddenly losing hair? What could it be?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to us concerning your pets hair loss. Yes, hypothyroidism can be a cause of an older dogs hair loss. The clinical signs of hypothyroidism are no itchy hair loss, panting, constantly seeking out vents or shady places because the heat bothers them, etc. but this condition usually begins between the ages of two and five but there are some situations in which happens at an older age. There are many other diseases that can also cause hair loss so it is in your best interest To take him to a veterinarian to have a full physical examination performed. The vet will be able to run tests such as blood work up, thyroid testing, skin scraping, etc. to be able to make a diagnosis and put him on the correct treatment. I hope this information has helped. Have a great day.

Hair loss can have a variety of causes. One of the first things to determine is whether he is scratching himself in that area or not. Dogs often scratch themselves at night when we are sleeping so it is harder to see. If he is scratching, the hair loss could be due to parasites such as fleas or mites, a bacterial infection, yeast overgrowth, or skin allergies. If he does not seem to be itchy, hair loss can be caused by hormonal changes or certain endocrine diseases. These are just some of the possibilities. In order to determine what is most likely, I recommend taking him to your local veterinarian for a thorough exam and an initial skin test if needed to determine the cause.

Hair loss and increased appetite are common causes of an endocrine disorder called Cushings disease. This is a common problem in older dogs and they usually are drinking more water then normal as well. I would highly encourage you to consider having Diamon evaluated by a veterinarian soon. They may recommend blood work to help determine the diagnosis. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

It may be due to true skin problems like allergy or skin infection. However, if she doesn't show excessive skin itchiness or redness she may have hormonal problems (diabetes, underactive thyroid gland, overactive adrenal gland etc). You shoud get her checked by your vets. They are likely to recommend skin testing and blood test to find out what is going on.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend a vet visit for Toby to assess the cause of his hairloss. Hairloss can be from allergies, parasites, endocrine disorders or breed related alopecia. Depending on what the veterinarian finds during Toby's exam they may recommend diagnostic testing to look for a primary skin disorder or bloodwork to check for endocrine (such as thyroid or adrenal gland) abnormalities. I hope this helps.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Doodles! There can be many reasons for hair loss: bacterial or yeast skin infection, Demodex mites, endocrine disorders (low thyroid, cushings), alopecia x and there is a hair loss condition linked to intact make dogs. I would have him seen for blood work that includes thyroid testing and a skin scraping. Putting dogs on Nexgard or Bravecto can also rule out demodex. I wish you the best

One of the things that Cushing's disease affects is the normal metabolism of hair follicles. Normally hair follicles "turn over" or produce hair quickly enough that we don't see areas of hair loss even though dogs (and us) lose hair daily. When a dog has Cushing's disease, the hair follicles are not regrowing hair as quickly as possible. (And often they do not shed the hairs normally.) Cushing's disease also affects their immune system, so it is more likely that dogs will get overgrowth of normal yeast and bacteria that can invade the hair follicles and cause the hair to fall out. So, what I would suspect occurred is that Buttercup had an area of hair where the hair follicles had a yeast or bacterial overgowth that invaded the hair follicles. Instead of shedding normally, those hairs stayed in place and allowed the bacterial/yeast overgrowth to spread until the hairs were mechanically removed with a brush. And since her hair follicles were not regrowing hair normally, the area is now bald. If there is any crusting, itching or redness that develops, I would certainly have your vet examine Buttercup. Otherwise, i would recommend regular bathing and brushing to remove dead undercoat and prevent future skin problems. It will take time, but fur should regrow in that area as long as the skin there is healthy. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.