My dog is shedding a lot on his chest and armpits. Should I worry?

In his armpits and on his chest this is a skin infection. I would recommend taking Thor to the veterinarian to get a course of antibiotics to heal this. I would also recommend getting a skin scraping for the hairloss on his back. This may be a skin mite like demodex. I would make sure Thor is on either Simparica, Nexguard or Bravecto. These are oral flea and tick preventions and are used off label for demodex and skin mites. These are prescription so I would discuss them with your veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor guy. I suspect this may be a demodexx mite issue. Demodexx mites live on every pets skin and are not contagious, but they can overpopulate in certain pets with a weakened immune system, causing hair loss, redness and sometimes secondary infection. I would have your vet test his skin to see if this is a mite problem. If so, it can be treated. Another possible cause is a contact dermatitis, but these areas are typically very itchy as well. Best wishes with your pet Shiro and I hope his skin clears up soon! Take care.

It might just be normal shedding but it could also be caused by a medical condition. You could bathe him with a moisturizing dog shampoo, brush him and add an omega-3 supplement (Free Form Snip Tips) and see if that helps. The black spots could just be normal pigmentation of his skin. If the excessive shedding and spots continues then he should be examined by a vet to determine if there is a problem. Your vet can do some testing to help diagnose. He could have a skin infection, mites, flea allergy, hypothyroidism, etc.

You can see this occur in some dogs and it can be completely normal but, just like anything, it can be pathologic as well. Monitor the skin very closely for redness, itching, progression of hairloss or scabbing. If these signs are seen it is more likely pathologic and he should be examined by his veterinarian. Otherwise point it out to the veterinarian at his next regularly scheduled exam. An omega-3 fatty acid can help maintain good skin and coat health. Make sure to get a supplement for dogs specifically. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

Poor Hunter! It could be he is suffering from allergies, a skin infection, mites, or even fleas causing him to lose fur in that area. Without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain, so I recommend taking him into the vet in the next couple of days. The vet can diagnose what is causing his fur loss, and can treat him for it. Best of luck, 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.