Why does my senior dachshund have recurring skin issues and hair loss?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that Rocky is dealing with a skin infection or a endocrine disease such as hypothyroidism or cushing's disease. Because the condition is not that severe, I would recommend starting with the below recommended products to see if these help. If there is no improvement after 4 weeks of using these products, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Rocky so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. The below products can all be found online quite easily. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Douxo PS Calm mousse and apply once daily until resolved 3. Krillex shed free chews 4. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to affected area twice daily until resolved 5. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent

At his age I would consider an endocrine problem such as Cushings disease or s low thyroid. These can cause hair loss and skin infections. Your vet can do a skin scraping to check for parasites and lab work to check for the endocrine problems. If there are raw spots now you can apply some cortisone cream until you can get him treated

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A lot of times older cats have harder times grooming themselves, whether it be from arthritis, obesity, or underlying medical problems. I think it is important to be sure she isn't suffering from fleas, ringworm, mites or a skin infection. Since she is almost 15 years old I recommend having some blood work done. Be sure she isn't pulling her own hair out which can be a sign of allergies or behavioral issues. I think scheduling an exam with your Vet is the best thing since this is a new medical problem. If all things check out normal then you can try an Omega 3 fish oil supplement to see if that improves her coat. I hope this helps and I wish Lilabit the best!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From the photo there does not appear to be any bald spots, however, it is not a very close up view. Honestly, unless there are bald spots and/or she is scratching the area I would not be too concerned. If the problem persists though (like for a few months) then you should take her to your vet for an exam. Some reasons there could be changes in the hair coat: 1. Diet - the special diet she is eating may be causing some nutrient imbalance. You should talk to your vet about putting her on a supplement for her coat (like fish oils) as this may help. 2. Skin Allergies - even if she has never had any symptoms of allergies before, they can develop over time. If this was the case though, I would expect hair loss and/or scratching, redness of the skin, etc. If you are not seeing any of that then this is not as likely to be the problem. 3. Fleas - again, I would expect hair loss and scratching. If you are not noticing that, then this is also not very likely to be the problem. 4. Stress - even if you don't think your cat is stressed, she could be. Try to see if you could think of anything that could be causing stress like visiting family, stray cats hanging around outside, you got a new pet, new furniture, etc.... 5. Thyroid disease- either a low or high thyroid can cause problems with the hair coat. Your vet can do a blood test to check for this. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

If he seems to be losing weight, I would make sure her thyroid level was tested. If so, the skin could be due to an allergy or other skin condition. Thyroid level being high can cause skin and hair changes so I would first get this level checked out. As for the skin, you can use Douxo PS calm shampoo and mousse, both of which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello. It is very difficult to diagnose a skin problem just by looking at it, & certainly harder by a picture. If this is similar to what your other cat has, then I might be suspicious of a mange mite called Demodex gatoi. I would first talk to your vet about treating both cats ( & any others in the house ) with Bravecto, just to rule this out ( it is also great for fleas). For EG, some cats will respond nicely to occasional steroid injections. You can also do a hypoallergenic diet trial to rule out a food allergy. Antihistamines sometimes will control symptoms, especially Certirizine ( your veterinarian can recommend a dose ), & some cats are being treated with a relatively new medication for allergies in dogs called Apoquel. So, once your veterinarian has confirmed what the skin lesions are, treatment can be started. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies though it could certainly be something else and it is hard to know without an exam. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Fish oil works great for dry skin and you may get this online or at your local pet store. 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!