Why is my old dog's fur dying and falling out in white chunks?

It may be due to true skin problems like allergy or skin infection. However, if she doesn't show excessive skin itchiness or redness she may have hormonal problems (diabetes, underactive thyroid gland, overactive adrenal gland etc). You shoud get her checked by your vets. They are likely to recommend skin testing and blood test to find out what is going on.

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.

At Punkin's age, I'd want to rule out a couple of things. First, I'd want to make sure there are no fleas present, as they really "like" to hang out in the area you describe. Typically dogs are itchy with fleas, but I'd want to check even though Punkin doesn't seem to be itchy. If there aren't any parasites causing the hair loss, I would then definitely want to look for hormonal diseases, like hypothyroidism and Cushing's which commonly cause hair loss in older dogs. Make an appointment with your vet to get this sorted out.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to us concerning your pets hair loss. Yes, hypothyroidism can be a cause of an older dogs hair loss. The clinical signs of hypothyroidism are no itchy hair loss, panting, constantly seeking out vents or shady places because the heat bothers them, etc. but this condition usually begins between the ages of two and five but there are some situations in which happens at an older age. There are many other diseases that can also cause hair loss so it is in your best interest To take him to a veterinarian to have a full physical examination performed. The vet will be able to run tests such as blood work up, thyroid testing, skin scraping, etc. to be able to make a diagnosis and put him on the correct treatment. I hope this information has helped. Have a great day.

It would certainly help to have Kaylee examined by your veterinarian asap. Since she has a history of hypothyoidism her thyroxin levels will need to be checked. If the levels are not correct, ie her medication needs to be adjusted, there is a possibility that the hair loss and itching are caused by that. She may also have been infected with mites, so her skin needs to be examined. The lumps on her mammary glands will also need to be examined as they could be tumors indeed. About half of the mammary tumors in dogs are benign the other half is either mixed or malign. So your veterinarian will need to take some tissue to determine the type of tumor. Please schedule an exam with your veterinarian soon.

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!

Smokey could definitely be experiencing some changes to his coat due to growth. I would certainly suspect this particularly if he is not having any sort of itchiness. Thyroid disease is common in dogs, but very uncommon in younger pups. I don't believe I have ever seen a hypothyroid dog under the age of 6 or 7 years. Sunbleaching can happen but it wouldn't cause actual loss of hair. Hair loss in absence of itching is typically due to something like you have described, an endocrine condition, or some sort of immune mediated condition. As long as the hair loss hasn't been spreading considerably and there are no other clinical signs of illness, I would continue to monitor the situation carefully for a few more days before going to the vet. If there is itchiness associated with the problem, Smokey will likely require some therapy in the form of both topical and systemic drugs. Hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.