My puppy's hair is falling out in clumps and he's itching. Help!

I am sorry to hear about your puppy. Many different things can cause hair loss, also known as alopecia, in dogs. Parasites of the skin such as mange mites and fleas can cause this. Bacterial or yeast infections of the skin can also be a cause, as well as some genetic disorders. I would recommend an examination at a veterinarian to determine the cause of the hairloss which will help guide treatment recommendations, which may include medication to treat for mange, antibiotics or medicated shampoos.

Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear about Leo's troubles. Dogs can get itchy and lose hair for a variety of reasons. When a dog comes into the office to see me for itchy skin and hair loss, the first thing I do is make sure they don't have any mites or parasites, or a skin infection of some kind, like a bacterial infection, or even something like ringworm. It's really important to check these things as ringworm and some mites can be contagious to people. Once I make sure these things aren't an issue, I can start considering allergies (which can develop really any time throughout a dog's life), and even some metabolic diseases. Certain hormonal issues can cause hair loss, especially symmetrical hair loss. Therefore depending on the dogs age, and what I'm able to do in one visit, I may run skin tests and labwork all at once. Until you get in to see a veterinarian, the vetericyn plus products are very nice for cleaning the skin. That may help alleviate some discomfort if there is any of that as well. I hope Leo feels better very soon! Best of luck!

I would recommend taking Peanut to the vet to check for mites. They are a common cause of hair loss in puppies, and if the skin becomes infected, there can be bleeding, pus, and a foul smell. The vet will do a thorough examination and can scrape the skin to look for the mites under a microscope to determine the best course for treatment.

Poor pup! It would be best to bring him to a vet for a complete exam and to have a sample taken from the areas where there is hair loss. Allergies can definitely play a part in hair loss, however ruling out other issues such as parasites (fleas, ticks, even internal parasites), illnesses, or fungal/bacterial infections is best to do as well. If allergies are suspected, your vet can work with you to try a diet change for any food allergies, or get started on a medication to treat any environmental allergies. Until you can get to the vet, placing an Elizabethan (cone) collar or T-shirt on your pup is best to keep him from licking and scratching at the areas where there is hair loss. This can help prevent the spread of any infection or prevent a secondary infection from taking hold.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for also adding photos. Since I can’t see Prince McArthur up close I can’t for sure but it is possible he has microscopic mites. These mites are not itchy and not contagious but can cause hair loss especially in young puppies. I recommend taking him to a vet so they can look with a microscope and get him treatment if necessary. Good luck and kisses to Prince McArthur!

That is an understandable concern. It appears he has a very bad case of folliculitis, which can be caused by several things including a Demodexx mite infestation, a contact allergy, environmental allergy or flea allergy. He needs to first go on a good flea preventative (Nexgard, Bravecto, etc) and then have a skin scrape/cytology done to look for possible mites. He definitely needs a short course of antibiotics to treat for his current skin infection and then medication depending on the results of his skin scrape/cytology. The vet should be able to get him on the right track if the skin testing is done. I hope this helps and best wishes with Trump moving forward. I hope his skin problems resolve very soon.

I'm sorry to hear that Zoe is having skin problems! There are a few different things that could cause itching and hair loss with dandruff in a puppy this age. The most common possibilities would be allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would recommend having her examined by a vet as soon as you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.