Why is my poodle's hair dark, brittle, and falling out? What tests?

Hi and thanks for your request. Fungal infections and allergies are possible as well and should be put in differential diagnosis in this case. More skin tests (like hair plugs) and specific tests for allergies should be ideally performed. Once these differentials are ruled out, alopecia related to endocrine diseases (hypothyroidism and sexual hormones related one) should be considered as well and tested.

Poor girl. I would highly recommend having her tested for demodexx mites, hypothyroidism, and a fungal infection. Either of these can cause these symptoms, but they can also all be treated with relatively good success. Best of luck to you at the vet. Best wishes and take care.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That color indicates saliva staining so she has been chewing at it. This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Other possibilities such as mange need to also be considered and a physical examination and basic diagnostics should help sort that out. 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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Doodles! There can be many reasons for hair loss: bacterial or yeast skin infection, Demodex mites, endocrine disorders (low thyroid, cushings), alopecia x and there is a hair loss condition linked to intact make dogs. I would have him seen for blood work that includes thyroid testing and a skin scraping. Putting dogs on Nexgard or Bravecto can also rule out demodex. I wish you the best

She may have an endocrine disease, such as hypothyroidism (her thyroid gland isn't working right) or Cushing's disease (her adrenal glands are releasing too much cortisol). I would recommend you get her in to a vet so he or she can examine Poutchi; if the vet suspects a problem, he or she will recommend running some blood tests. I hope thats helpful for you! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Dogs can experience changes in the color and consistency of the hair coat for a huge number of reasons. It is important to determine if Trey is itchy, losing hair, and developing redness or scaling of his skin, as these can all raise or lower suspicions of some conditions. Possible causes include hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, mange, bacterial and/or fungal skin infections, sebaceous adenitis, nutritional changes, or many other conditions. While this is certainly not an emergency, I recommend discussing Trey's coat changes with his veterinarian, as he may need some diagnostic testing to get to the bottom of the situation. I hope that all goes well!