What's wrong? Dog hair loss, black skin, new sores after diet change.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Skin problems can have a variety of causes, sometimes more than one. Allergies, bacterial or fungal infections, even contact with some surfaces or substances will cause itching and/or hair loss. It is important to have the problem checked by your vet to determine if there is a medical cause for your pet’s skin issues and treat accordingly. In pets of all ages, fleas, food allergies and exposure to chemical irritants such as cleaners and soaps can be a cause. Any one of these may not be enough to trigger the breakouts, depending on how sensitive your pet is, but a combination can be enough to start the itch-scratch cycle. Finding out the cause and eliminating it is the best course of action. With flea allergies, if your pet is sensitive enough, a single bite can cause them to break out scratch enough to tear their skin. Check for fleas with a flea comb. Look for fleas and/or tiny black granules, like coarse black pepper. This is flea feces, consisting of digested, dried blood. You may find tiny white particles, like salt, which are the flea eggs. Applying a good topical monthly flea treatment and aggressively treating your house and yard will help break the flea life cycle. If you use plastic bowls, this is a possible cause for hair loss, though this tends to be on the chin, where their skin touches the bowl while they eat. If you suspect this to be the culprit, try changing the bowls to glass, metal or ceramic. Food allergies are often caused by sensitivity to a protein in the food. Hill's Science Diet offers some non-prescription options for sensitive skin as well as prescription hypoallergenic foods for more severe cases. Royal Canin carries limited protein diets that may also offer some relief. Your vet can recommend a specific diet that will help. If there is no relief or not enough, consider getting your pet checked by a veterinary dermatologist and having allergy testing done.

Circular areas of hair loss could potentially be ringworm lesions which are caused by a fungal infection of the skin/hair. Your veterinarian can perform an Wood’s Lamp test (shining a black light on the lesion -some ringworm lesions will glow green under a black light) and a fungal culture to confirm and send home a topical antifungal lotion/cream if positive. Some dogs develop circular areas of hair loss after a vaccine, although that flank location is not typical for a vaccine. Other causes could potentially be mange (for which newer oral flea and tick preventatives such as NexGard, Simparica and Bravecto can be used to treat), a simple abrasion, hotspot (local area of irritation for which a topical prescription steroid/antibiotic ointment plus and e-collar can be effective). As ringworm is zoonotic (transmissible to people), I recommend scheduling an appointment with your local veterinarian as soon as possible! Good luck!

I would be worried about an staph infection on the skin or a form of the mange known as demodex or red mange. They can cause thinning hair and baldness with scales and scabs. You can bath him to help but you will need to see your regular vet to see which it is as they have very different treatments. His appetite may be decreased because he is feeling bad from the skin problem and it is making him miserable.

Smokey could definitely be experiencing some changes to his coat due to growth. I would certainly suspect this particularly if he is not having any sort of itchiness. Thyroid disease is common in dogs, but very uncommon in younger pups. I don't believe I have ever seen a hypothyroid dog under the age of 6 or 7 years. Sunbleaching can happen but it wouldn't cause actual loss of hair. Hair loss in absence of itching is typically due to something like you have described, an endocrine condition, or some sort of immune mediated condition. As long as the hair loss hasn't been spreading considerably and there are no other clinical signs of illness, I would continue to monitor the situation carefully for a few more days before going to the vet. If there is itchiness associated with the problem, Smokey will likely require some therapy in the form of both topical and systemic drugs. Hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Jack being an English Bulldog, this is possibly due to allergies if associated with itchiness or just a normal change in skin pigmentation which may be just transient. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Any lumps/bumps/sores that you notice on your dog should be checked out by your vet. They are usually one of three things: * abscess (infection) * cyst * cancer There is no way I can tell you what it is via the internet especially without examining her myself. At her age I would be very worried about a tumor.