Why is my 2-month-old Labrador puppy suddenly losing hair and weight?

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!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Weight loss can be a sign of intestinal worms, organ dysfunction or disease (pancreatic insufficiency, liver shunts, kidney disease, liver inflammation/infection, etc.), food allergies or poor diet, and many other conditions. Hair loss can be due to parasites (mange, fleas, etc.), hypothyroidism, allergies (food or environment), immune diseases, etc. Given that Kalu is 2 years old, I would start by getting him dewormed and also get a product that treats for fleas, ticks and mange. See if his problems resolve. If they do not, then see your vet about testing. Best of luck with Kalu!

It is very possible that Rylie has both demodex as well as underlying allergies. Demodex is a mite that we commonly see in young dogs, like Rylie. It is very easy to detect on skin scrape, so your vet should be able to readily tell you if she has it or not. Allergies can be a little more difficult to figure out, as they can be environmental, food related, or seasonal. If it is a diet related allergy, it could take 2 months of a new diet to see any improvement. Since she has a few pimples, I would be concerned that she may be developing a skin infection that requires antibiotics. I would take Rylie in to have an exam with your vet and a skin work up to see what the underlying cause of her hair loss is and what treatment she needs to be on.

It looks as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. A skin scraping and skin cytology should be performed to rule out mites and to determine the type of infection present (bacterial vs fungal). Your dog will most likely need antibiotics/antifungals longterm to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo will be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.


Ghost's skin definitely doesn't look normal. I would suspect an external parasite is the most likely cause. Fleas, scabies and demodex are all possibilities despite a negative skin scrape (sometimes you just don't get a diagnostic sample). I would recommend to put him on a product called NexGard for the next three months. This medication will take care of all three parasites. If Ghost does not respond to the treatment, then I would recommend a food trial with a hydrolyzed protein diet. It appears by the pictures that he may also have a secondary skin infection, take him into the veterinarian's office and to see if antibiotics and/or a medicated shampoo is warranted.

Losing hair to the point that you can see her skin is not normal. I would have her checked out by her vet. Parasites, ringworm or allergies may be to blame. Your vet may do a skin scrape and or cytology to find out why Ripku is losing fur.

You might try changing the diet to see if this helps. I recommend the brand Royal Canin. This diet can help a lot with hair issues. Otherwise things like parasites and thyroid issues can also affect the hair coat. I recommend having Daisy seen by a veterinarian to look for an underlying medical condition. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any further questions.