Why is my dog losing hair and sleeping on his side? Should I worry?

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.

I would consider trying a flea tick prevention in pill form. They could also be used off label for mites. I would also talk to your veterinarian about apoquel or cytopoint to treat Rocky’s allergies. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The most common reason for change of skin color and itchy skin is fleas. I would recommend keeping up with a monthly flea prevention. Even if you are not seeing fleas on Rockey he could be bitten by fleas causing sensitivity of the skin. IF you are using flea prevention monthly than it is possible Rockey is having environmental allergies that need medication from a vet to resolve. I would recommend taking Rockey to a vet to make sure the skin is not infected and stronger medications are needed. hope that helps

The hair loss on Bobby's flanks is certainly quite prominent. This could be caused by endocrine/metabolic disorders like hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease, underlying allergies to food, the environment or fleas, mange, ringworm, among other conditions. Regardless, it would be best for Bobby to go to the vet for evaluation. The vet will be able to start with a physical exam, and based upon those findings and his clinical history at home (i.e. itching, lethargy, weight fluctuations, changes in drinking or urination, diet changes, lifestyle, etc.), will be able to determine the next diagnostic steps. Bobby may need to have blood testing, skin scrapes, fungal cultures, and/or skin cytology to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope that all goes well!

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 is a chance that this could be ringworm and that is usually determined based on an examination and culture. 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!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is a variety of reasons that can explain alopecia or hair loss. The causes can be differentiated by the clinical signs associated with it and the physical exam findings. If Wally is only showing some hair loss without scratching or overgrooming then it could conditions such as alopecia areata that can affect dogs and usually resolves on its own. If there is evidence of scratching and you start noticing some redness or irritation associated with it, then other conditions such as allergies are possible. If you notice him overgrooming himself in that area then it could be something like psychogenic alopecia which is more of a behavioral issue. I think that since he is not having overt clinical signs and it is mostly hair loss, I think it is possibly transient and could resolve on its own. You can monitor this closely and if it does not resolve or it worsens then have him examined by your veterinarian. Good luck!

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!