Why is my intact male dog's tail greasy and losing hair?

Stud tail is commonly seen in intact male cats but can also be seen in neutered males and females. It results in skin disease at the base of the tail. Symptoms and Types: Greasy (sometimes matted) hair at the base of the tail Missing hair at the base of the tail Blackheads (comedones) on the skin at the base of the tail Waxy substance on the skin and hair at the base of the tail Skin infection at the base of the tail A foul odor the condition often does not resolve although in some cases neutering your cat can solve the issue.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From your description, it sounds as though he is dealing with a condition called seborrheic dermatitis. In this condition, there is excessive sebum (the greasy stuff) that accumulates on the skin and hair, leading to inflammation / hair loss. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at him so that the most appropriate diagnostic testing and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend using a shampoo that contains Benzoyl Peroxide (such as Dermabenz) and bathe him twice weekly until this resolves. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tom. He may be experiencing a problem that is common in intact male cats. An oily secretion at the base of the tail can be a condition known as stud tail. He will need to see his veterinarian to be sure and to rule out diseases such as a flea allergy. I hope this information helps!

Poor guy. I would be concerned about his anal glands being full, or him having a superficial bacterial or yeast infection at the base of his tail. For either issue, a quick vet visit should give him a lot of relief. Even if it started as a an anal gland issue, he may have caused a superficial infection with constant licking and now need a medicated bath or even oral antibiotics. I hope that helps and that he's back to normal soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The hair is expected to grow back when the allergies and infections resolve. 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!

It is difficulty to say without seeing it; however in general hair loss on the tail can be caused by ringworm, alopecia X, Cushing's disease, or even allergies. For further info on what the cause could be, you could opt to do some skin testing (i.e. impression, biopsy) +/- bloodwork to look for underlying causes. I hope that this helps and best of luck determining the cause for Mishk's hair loss. Take care.

Hello. Thanks for contacting us about Scarlett. Biting the tail could be due to a few things. She could have an allergy which is causing her tail to itch, or she could have impacted anal glands which causes general discomfort around the tail area. Anal glands can be emptied by your vet. Hair loss in younger dogs like her is usually due to the dog biting the area as you suspect. I would have your vet check her skin and anal glands and go from there. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.