Why is my Labrador scratching, groaning, and losing hair excessively?

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Choco regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

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.

Hi there! There are many different skin related diseases that can cause the signs that you describe. The most common diseases include infectious skin diseases (i.e. bacterial pyoderma, dermatophytosis), or ectoparasites (i.e. Demodex, fleas, lice). From the picture you provided Ecru looks as though he may be suffering from Demodex, more commonly known as mange. To be certain of what exactly is going on with Ecru I recommend that he be seen by a veterinarian to evaluate samples of the affected areas of Ecru's skin under a microscope and get him on the appropriate medications and/or shampoos. It depends on what exactly is going on to know how long treatment will be, but I would estimate anywhere between 1 - 3 weeks of treatment. I hope this was helpful and Ecru gets better soon.

It is possible that the underlying cause may be allergic skin disease and long term management may be required with medication, specialist shampoos for yeast and bacteria which are common in itchy/damaged skin and specialist diets and supplements such as viacutan. Allergies are possible to airborne pollen even in urban areas as well as foods and dust mites etc and cannot be ruled out in any location

Hello. Hair loss in dogs can be normal (shedding) if it is being replaced by new hair growth. This is normal and will occur, and clean up can be controlled by brushing your dog's hair every day. If patches are being lost and the skin is showing, you should check for fleas/mites. A skin scraping may be necessary. If that is not the cause it could be due to infection, allergies, or other causes.

Hair loss can be related to many things but is not generally associated with any condition causing a lack of appetite. Hair loss is typically associated with skin infections, allergies or parasites. A loss of appetite can be related to many things, from illness to stress. Your best option is to have Lusib examined by the veterinarian. This will give you the answer and treatment the fastest. I hope this helps.