Is my 1-year-old pitbull's hair loss normal or a health concern?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It’s hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like there is a skin infection on Noheas head. An infection could cause bumps and hair loss. A common cause of skin infections in young pit bulls is mange (demodex). These are microscopic mites that don’t cause scratching. I recommend taking Nohea to a vet for a close exam of her skin. They will need to look at cells under the microscope to diagnose this. They can then get her medications to treat the infection and mites if needed. Good luck and kisses to Nohea!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Without pictures and without examining Shadow myself it is difficult to say what the problem is. If you are seeing round areas of hair loss, this could be due to ringworm, a bacterial skin infection or potentially skin parasites such as Demodex. I would have this looked at by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps!

My concern with K.D. would be a couple of things. Young pit bulls are prone to developing mange, and it often causes random spots of hair loss just like you're seeing. If he's not itchy, it's likely the demodectic variety of mange, which sometimes will resolve on its own if there's just a spot or two. However, if you're seeing multiple locations of hair loss, it's likely he'll need treatment. Sometimes these guys have secondary bacterial skin infections as well which need antibiotics. Unfortunately these things need to be prescribed by a vet, who can also scrape the skin and verify that this is in fact mange. If it's not mange it could be fleas, or possibly a nutritional deficiency, but I'd consider both of those less likely. Get him checked out so that you can get him on the proper treatment.

Even though Emmitt doesn’t seem itchy he could have an allergy, potentially to something in the environment since this is new since you’ve moved. External parasites like fleas or mites would be another possibility. I’d recommend having your vet examine Emmitt to determine what’s going on.

I would get this checked by your vet as soon as possible. It could be a number of things, from fungal or bacterial infections, to mange. Identifying it quickly can save a lot of time and trouble as some of these conditions are a challenge to clear up. Your vet will do an exam, pluck some hairs and possibly do a skin scrape, which involves scraping a dulled scalpel blade on the skin to remove hair and a little skin to examine under the microscope. Based on these tests, your vet will be better able to tell you what is going on with your puppy's skin and how to treat it.

It is not unusual for a dog to have thin hair on the belly/armpit area, and this can be more obvious in dogs with a very short hair coat such as a pug. If, however, you feel that hair is falling out on her legs this is abnormal and could be a sign of mites on the skin or an allergy. The photos are a bit hard to really tell how the skin appears. If your pup is losing hair on the legs I would recommend an examination by a vet to check for parasites and be sure we don't have an allergy that needs medication to treat. It looks like your pup also has an umbilical hernia. Most often if these are small they are not a problem but it is another reason to have a vet check your puppy and be sure this isn't one that needs surgical repair.

Poor Axle! I'm sorry to hear that he's having skin problems. There are a number of different things that can cause hair loss with itching in dogs - some common possibilities would include allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would really recommend having Axle examined by a vet to get a diagnosis first. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help determine what is causing the hair loss, and will prescribe appropriate medication to treat the problem depending on what is found. In the meantime, you could try bathing him in an aloe and oatmeal dog shampoo to help soothe his skin - this will not treat the underlying problem, but may temporarily relieve his symptoms and make him a bit more comfortable until you can see the vet.