My puppy has tear stains and scraggly hair. What should I do?

You are correct that scooting can be a sign of intestinal worms, which are very common in puppies. That can easily be treated with dewormers. Tear stains can happen more often in certain breeds of puppies, and that can treated with regular cleaning of the area with a tear stain remover. Pawing at his face could be a little more concerning, and it could be a sign of allergies, but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. If he did have allergies, it could be a life longer problem, but the symptoms can typically be controlled with medication. It's up to you if you want this puppy, but keep in mind that any purebred puppy is going to come with their set of potential health issues due to inbreeding. The things you have mentioned to me are not something I would be significantly concerned about to be honest, but again it's up to you if you want this puppy. I hope this helps!

Puppies can look a little scraggly when losing their puppy coat, but it could also be there is a problem with Winter such as fleas, allergies, or mites. Without seeing him in person, I can't be certain. Have him checked out by a vet to be safe.

This is most commonly a sign of mange in a puppy this age. Many times, this actually resolves on its own, but sometimes treatment is needed to keep it from getting worse. I recommend taking Taiko to the vet sometime in the next day or two. They will be able to examine her and provide treatment if necessary. I hope that helps and Taiko gets better soon.

Patchy hair coat can be due to a number of factors, including endocrine disease (such as hypothyroidism), allergies, bacterial or fungal or parasitic infection of the skin. I would recommend an exam at your vet so they can see the hair coat and skin. They may recommend testing such as bloodwork to screen for thyroid disease, or skin cytology to check for infection.

I recommend getting this checked by your vet. It could be a small injury, it could be a form of mange, it could be an infection, there's no way to know for sure without an exam. Your vet will do an exam, probably a skin scrape of the affected area and based on these results, will be better able to tell you what is going on and what the best treatment will be.

Hello and thank you for your post! A patch of hair loss could indicate multiple things. I am assuming that she is quite Young since you are calling her a puppy. If she is very young, she might have a patch of hair loss due to skin mites called Demodex. This patch could also be infectious, bacterial or fungal. I would suggest getting her seen by her veterinarian to have diagnostic tests performed to see what the primary cause of this patch of hair loss is. Your veterinarian will likely scrape the skin in that affected area as an initial test. Depending on the cause, that will be able to prescribe the most appropriate treatments for this. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other concerns that you may have. I am also available via text or phone consultation.

Hello, There is nothing over the counter that would be helpful for this. Just keep the area clean and dry. Charger needs to see a veterinarian. I'm concerned that this loss of hair and scaly skin may be due to a parasitic skin condition. Your vet can guide you best after a physical exam. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.