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Is my pug's thin belly hair and leg hair loss normal or concerning?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 20 days old

My pug has very few hairs on her belly side.She seems to be losing some amount of hairs on the lower side of her front and back legs as well. Is it ok or is there something I should be really concerned about?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 12th, 2017

It is not unusual for a dog to have thin hair on the belly/armpit area, and this can be more obvious in dogs with a very short hair coat such as a pug. If, however, you feel that hair is falling out on her legs this is abnormal and could be a sign of mites on the skin or an allergy. The photos are a bit hard to really tell how the skin appears. If your pup is losing hair on the legs I would recommend an examination by a vet to check for parasites and be sure we don't have an allergy that needs medication to treat. It looks like your pup also has an umbilical hernia. Most often if these are small they are not a problem but it is another reason to have a vet check your puppy and be sure this isn't one that needs surgical repair.

3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM
Veterinarian
It is not unusual for a dog to have thin hair on the belly/armpit area, and this can be more obvious in dogs with a very short hair coat such as a pug. If, however, you feel that hair is falling out on her legs this is abnormal and could be a sign of mites on the skin or an allergy. The photos are a bit hard to really tell how the skin appears. If your pup is losing hair on the legs I would recommend an examination by a vet to check for parasites and be sure we don't have an allergy that needs medication to treat. It looks like your pup also has an umbilical hernia. Most often if these are small they are not a problem but it is another reason to have a vet check your puppy and be sure this isn't one that needs surgical repair.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on July 17th, 2016
Patches of thinning hair could be caused by a number of different things. If the underlying skin appears normal (no redness or irritation), she doesn't scratch or bite at the areas, and they've been present for a long time without getting larger then this may be normal for her - dogs can have different hair patterns just like people, and some may have areas that are a bit thinner than others. If this is a new problem, or if you see her scratching or chewing at these areas, then some possible causes would include a skin allergy, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, skin mites (mange), or fleas. If the areas are bothering her, then I would recommend having her examined by a vet - he/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to determine the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.
14Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 22nd, 2017
Hair loss can be a sign of parasites like Demodex mites, allergies, or certain endocrine (hormonal) or autoimmune diseases. I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have Wednesday examined. They may want to do a skin scrape test to look for Demodex mites, or may recommend running lab work to rule out endocrine disease.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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