Why is my pug losing hair on her belly and armpits, and getting worse?

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.

The hair loss on Coco’s face is very suspicious for mites or ringworm (which humans can get as well). Less likely would be food allergies. Secondary bacterial infections are common with all these conditions. I recommend to have her see her veterinarian who may preform a skin scrape to check for mites. Treatment for mites varies. She will likely get medication for the bacterial as well. If she seems itchy, she should wear and Elizabethan collar to protect the area and try not to let her run it. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction! Please feel free to post any further questions!

Rosie should see a veterinarian for a skin scrape in order to determine if she has Demodex. This is a mange mite that is most common in young puppies and presents with hair loss, red skin and pustules like you see in the photo. There are several very successful treatment options for this. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea Charlie with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Lila with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

Those spots on Pugsy could be several things including fleas (even if you don;t see them, they could be present), allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection or endocrine disease. Because these lesions are pretty wide spread, I recommend to have him examined as soon as the vet can get him in. Until then, there are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesions once a day (not his whole body, just the lesions). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. I am not sure exactly what you are seeing on your pug, but with allergies, the skin will sometimes become more pigmented with melanin. This is similar to when we tan from the sun, but in dogs, the skin is responding to chronic irritation. In the winter, the allergens go away, so the skin heals & becomes pinker. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.