Why is my senior dog losing hair on one side? What should I do?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend a vet visit for Toby to assess the cause of his hairloss. Hairloss can be from allergies, parasites, endocrine disorders or breed related alopecia. Depending on what the veterinarian finds during Toby's exam they may recommend diagnostic testing to look for a primary skin disorder or bloodwork to check for endocrine (such as thyroid or adrenal gland) abnormalities. I hope this helps.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Possible causes of itching and hair loss in dogs include parasites (fleas, mites), skin infections (bacterial, fungal), or allergies (food, environmental). If she is very uncomfortable due to itching, this may explain her low appetite. I would suggest a vet visit in the morning to help determine the cause of her skin problems. They may perform a skin scraping, skin cytology, or culture. They may be able to provide medication to provide her some relief and comfort from her itching, and treat the source of the problem as well. I hope this helps, and that Sophie is feeling better soon!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to us concerning your pets hair loss. Yes, hypothyroidism can be a cause of an older dogs hair loss. The clinical signs of hypothyroidism are no itchy hair loss, panting, constantly seeking out vents or shady places because the heat bothers them, etc. but this condition usually begins between the ages of two and five but there are some situations in which happens at an older age. There are many other diseases that can also cause hair loss so it is in your best interest To take him to a veterinarian to have a full physical examination performed. The vet will be able to run tests such as blood work up, thyroid testing, skin scraping, etc. to be able to make a diagnosis and put him on the correct treatment. I hope this information has helped. Have a great day.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There can be many causes for hair loss in dogs. Mite infection, allergies, endocrine issues such as low thyroid or Cushing's disease as well as other disorders of the skin can all be causes. It is difficult to say for sure what the cause of Rocky's hair loss is without an exam and some diagnostic testing such as a skin scrape and blood work. I would suggest Rocky see his veterinarian soon so a cause for this can be nailed down.

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!

Poor Tasha. With an older patient I think it is important to focus on simple problems like fleas and parasites but not forget hair loss can be secondary to something more serious going on. I would make sure to use flea prevention every 30 days and look her over for any sign of parasites. If you do not see fleas than a vet visit would be your next step. Hair loss in older patients can be secondary to endocrine disease like hypothyroidism, cushings disease, Zinc deficiency and even bacterial/fungal issues. hope that helps

At Punkin's age, I'd want to rule out a couple of things. First, I'd want to make sure there are no fleas present, as they really "like" to hang out in the area you describe. Typically dogs are itchy with fleas, but I'd want to check even though Punkin doesn't seem to be itchy. If there aren't any parasites causing the hair loss, I would then definitely want to look for hormonal diseases, like hypothyroidism and Cushing's which commonly cause hair loss in older dogs. Make an appointment with your vet to get this sorted out.