Why is my dog losing hair near his butt, even if I see no fleas?

This is a common area for a dog to itch when they have flea allergies. Unfortunately, flea baths only remove fleas on the skin at the time of the bath. They do not prevent other fleas from jumping on later. Twitchy would need a good flea preventative and may need a prescription anti-inflammatory to help with the itching. Other causes of itching in this area include fungal infection, deep pyoderma (bacterial infection), and mites. A vet will do a thorough examination and may collect a sample to be examined under a microscope. Hair loss on the feet could be caused by excessive licking or may be related to the cause of the itching around the butt.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask 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 to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics).

From the description provided, your pet may be suffering from allergies secondary to fleas, environmental allergens such as dust, pollen, grass, or even a protein source in his diet. In addition to the food trial, it is imperative to administer the flea prevention on time every month. Even one flea bite can set off a reaction that can ultimately lead to a secondary skin infection.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. 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!

Hello, sorry to hear about Sammy. Those areas are very suspicious for flea allergy dermatitis. This is an allergy to flea saliva and a single flea bite can cause an allergic reaction. It is important to know that you do not need to see fleas for Sammy to have this allergy. Sammy is likely very itchy from this and will need medications to control his itchiness and treat any secondary skin infection he could develop. You should ensure he has adequate, monthly, flea control and that other pets in the household are also protected against fleas. Make an appointment with your veterinarian and have Sammy evaluated promptly so that he can get medications for his itchiness and potentially skin infection. Hope this helps and best of luck.

This type of skin condition including itchiness 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 him 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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. First, make sure that Riley is on approriate flea control. Even if you don't see fleas on her, flea allergies can flare with only one flea bite. There are oral flea and tick products available from your veterinarian or topical products such as Vectra or Advantage are very effective against fleas. If flea control doesnt work, then I suggest a visit to the vet to find out what Riley may be allergic to that is causing her to bite and lose hair.