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Why is my dog losing hair and her bald patches getting bigger?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Goldendoodle | Female | unspayed | 6 years and 6 months old | 70 lbs

My dog is loosing a lot of her hair recently, she has bald patches on her neck and back. The one on her back is in an area that usually has very thick fur but you can see right through it now. The patch on her neck is getting bigger and is larger now than in the photo attached. What does this mean?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 16th, 2019

There are many reasons for a dog to lose hair and have bald patches. Common ones are:

* low thyroid level
* Cushing's disease
* flea allergy
* other allergy
* auto immune disorder
* bacterial or fungal infection

I strongly recommend you have Annie Mae examined by your vet to try and get to the bottom of what is causing her symptoms. We cannot diagnose over the internet.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 1st, 2018
Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, without at least seeing a photo of the hair loss it is difficult to help. Can you please post again with some photos and more information about the dog (age, breed, sex). Are there actual bald spots or is the hair just thin?

Without any of that information all I can tell you is that there are MANY reasons for dogs to have hair loss. Some of the main ones are:

1. ringworm (fungal infection)
2. bacterial infection (usually a Staph bacteria)
3. folliculitis
4. autoimmune disease (like pemphigus)
5. mange (mites)

Even with photos and additional information it will be impossible to diagnose over the internet. I strongly suggest your sister take her dog to the vet. Many times owners complain they have gone to the vet but none of the treatments are not working. Usually this is because many owners will not do the proper testing to try and figure out what is wrong, therefore vets have to guess and unfortunately, we are not always correct. Some testing may be needed like a skin scraping, a fungal culture or even a biopsy. If you sister will not have any of that done then all any of us can do is guess.

Hope this clarifies things. Best wishes.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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