What causes a dog to lose hair on its tail, especially near the tip?

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. The hair is expected to grow back when the allergies and infections resolve. 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!

It is difficulty to say without seeing it; however in general hair loss on the tail can be caused by ringworm, alopecia X, Cushing's disease, or even allergies. For further info on what the cause could be, you could opt to do some skin testing (i.e. impression, biopsy) +/- bloodwork to look for underlying causes. I hope that this helps and best of luck determining the cause for Mishk's hair loss. Take care.

That lesion on Lily could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. 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 her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion once a day (not her whole body, just the lesion). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion is not improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This can be due to a skin infection or allergies. You can check him for fleas to make sure this does not need to be addressed first. You can also get a medicated shampoo to bathe him in weekly to help clean the hair and hair follicle. Adding an omega 3 fatty acid and fish oil supplement to the diet can help with shedding Your vet can check the skin for an underlying infection or a low thyroid as these will need medication to clear

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the hair thinning seems to be on the tail and the rest of his body and he is not itching, licking, or scratching the hair loss, then it may be due to an underlying endocrine disease such as Cushing's disease, diabetes, or hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). I would recommend Hugo see his veterinarian soon for this. Your veterinarian will do a physical exam and may recommend blood work to check for any underlying health conditions such as the ones mentioned above among others to help determine a cause so he can get treated most appropriately. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!

A bald spot could be caused by allergies, skin infection, mites, ringworm, etc. You could bath him with a medicated dog shampoo and see if that helps. If not, have your vet examine him to determine the cause. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, or other medications to help treat the problem. You could also add Free Form Snip Tips to his diet and see if that helps to keep his skin and coat healthy.

Great question. Hypothyroidism is very common in labradors but can easily be diagnosed with a simple blood test performed by your local veterinarian. Seasonal alopecia can also occur but typically can be eliminated with routine bathing and grooming. Since your dog is un-neutered, much of your dog's nutrition is going into energy and activity, so be sure to feed a high quality diet with plenty of fat for energy and haircoat production. Usually the better diets are highly digestible and produce low stool volume compared to cheeper diets. Bottomline, if you're worried about thyroid disease, ask your veterinarian to pull blood and rule it out, otherwise feed great diet and bath/groom as needed to control hair loss. If the coat doesn't look right, then schedule an appointment to have it examined to check for other possible causes such as parasites, allergies, or nutritional causes, Good luck and thanks. Steve Popish, DVM