Why is my dog losing weight and experiencing hair loss or skin issues?

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! Poor Jaes! Causing for hair falling out are: skin infection from yeast or bacteria, ringworm (fungal infection), fleas or mites. There are 2 types of mites: Scabies (infectious mite) and demodex (non-contagious mite. There may be other causes in India that I am not aware of. Causes of being underweight: intestinal parasites, malabsorption or maldisestion disorders, pancreatic insufficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, or an intestinal foreign body. You can try Nexgard or Bravecto for fleas and demodex. And a medicated shampoo to see if it will clear a yeast or bacterial skin infection. But I think that Jaes needs Veterinary care to properly help her. I hope this helps and good luck! http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27307

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Part of her not gaining weight could be due to an intestinal malabsorption issue. Your veterinarian could consider further advanced diagnostics like an abdominal ultrasound and a GI panel to check for something like that. I do suspect that her skin issues are possibly due to allergies and that probably plays a role in her quality of life. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

I’m so sorry to hear about Sargeant. Though your question focuses on the skin, I must insert that weight loss in any dog - but an older dog particularly- is very concerning. Liver, kidney, and heart disease, as well as cancer are the things I would want to rule out first. If you have not yet run a basic blood panel on Sargeant, I would highly encourage it. In terms of the skin, underlying allergies can cause repeated skin infections and hair loss. If Sargeant is itchy, talk to your vet about possibly pursuing allergy treatments. A trial treatment for mites is also a good idea. Finally ringworm, auto-immune disease, and others are possibilities. Best of luck to you and Sargeant!

Hello. I am sorry that Aria isn't feeling well. Weight loss and hair loss are a concern for a dog, especially at 2 years of age. Many things can cause this including metabolic diseases, viruses, parasites, bacterial infection, and also gastric causes. I would suggest having Aria seen by a vet. They will check her skin for fleas and also check her for worms. They may want to do bloodwork as well. Good luck with her!

With the weight loss as well as the skin condition I would recommend a blood test to rule out internal diseases such as liver disease as well as a skin scrape and possible biopsy in order to fully investigate the underlying cause and to guide the most appropriate treatment

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. I think I just answered a question about Aysha! The tail tip doesn't worry me, a lot of dogs get the hairless area. My own dog has it. The other picture of the moth eaten appearance to her fur is not normal. A lot of skin conditions looks the same unfortunately. The hair loss could be form a skin infection (bacteria or yeast), from demodex (a non contagious mite) or ring worm. Also I know we were discussing her being over weight and a low thyroid. A low thyroid can predispose dogs to skin infections. Also food allergies can also. I think you have a few reasons to see your Vet now! Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures, it appears that Kalo may have a severe skin infection (bacteria, fungus or parasites). If this began right when you started the shampooing, I would recommend discontinuing the shampoo. Whatever the cause, this is something that I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.