My dog is shedding heavily and has thinning hair. Should I worry?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Most dogs and cats are shedding this time of year.To know if it is appropriate is based on breed: does this breed shed? And if there are spots of missing fur or an uneven hair coat. If the coat still looks good and there are not patches of missing fur and Coby isn't scratching, it is likely normal. I wish you the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not likely to be an infection. This amount of weight loss is quite serious and it could be due to many reasons such as gastrointestinal disease, inflammatory disease, pancreatitis, parasites, cancer, among other possibilities. This warrants a veterinary evaluation as soon as possible for further assessment. Further diagnostics may include abdominal imaging and blood work. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lily Cruz! Is Lily scratching? I would have her seen by your Vet. The most common causes of excessive shedding and areas of balding are: demodex (non-contagious mite), ring worm and a skin infection. Demodex can be easily treated with one of the oral flea/tick preventatives (Nexgard, Simparica or Bravecto). Skin infections are treat with antibiotics or anti-fungals if it is yeast. Ring worm can be a bit more complicated. I do not think it is normal shedding because she shouldn't have areas that are thin or balding. I wish you the best!

Well, it certainly could just be the temperature change, but here is what I would look for. If she is itchy, any bald spots or scabs, any redness or odor to the skin. Any hair loss around the head. If you see any of these signs then I would definitely recommend an examination by a veterinarian. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Excess shedding can be from low thyroid levels, hormonal imbalances, allergies or yes environmental. I do recommend a blood panel including thyroid, and if she’s not spayed you may want to get that done to settle down her hormonal swings. That will also prevent uterine infections and lower the risk of mammary cancer too. In addition I recommend a fatty acid skin oral supplement which will help the hairs live longer thus reducing the shedding amount. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kira.

Shedding fur, even seemingly large amounts, is completely normal for most dogs. If your dog has never shed like this in the past, or if she is losing so much fur she is having bald patches, then I would be concerned. Poor hair growth and cost condition can be due to poor nutrition/diet or an underlying medical condition like hypothyroidism. If you feel like the amount Soska is shedding is abnormal I would recommend a visit to your veterinarian to have her examined and possibly to have blood work performed. In the meantime you can supplement her diet with some fish oil (specifically omega 3 fatty acids) and see if that helps her coat. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Hello. If your veterinarian has not checked Moka's thyroid levels, then yes this needs to be looked at. Otherwise, this is a good fatty acid supplement, but it can take 6-8 weeks to see results after a supplement is started. If this does not work, she may need some additional testing. You can ask your veterinarian if there are any veterinary dermatologist specialists in your country. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.