Why is my senior dog losing hair and has pink skin on its back?

Hair loss can have a variety of causes. One of the first things to determine is whether he is scratching himself in that area or not. Dogs often scratch themselves at night when we are sleeping so it is harder to see. If he is scratching, the hair loss could be due to parasites such as fleas or mites, a bacterial infection, yeast overgrowth, or skin allergies. If he does not seem to be itchy, hair loss can be caused by hormonal changes or certain endocrine diseases. These are just some of the possibilities. In order to determine what is most likely, I recommend taking him to your local veterinarian for a thorough exam and an initial skin test if needed to determine the cause.

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.

If there are bald spots left behind when you pull the fur out it is possible that Autumn has a skin infection, allergies, or a hormonal disease like hypothyroidism. If there are no bald spots this could simply be excessive shedding and not related to any medical problem. I wouldn't expect this to occur secondary to cancer unless she also had significant hair loss and skin lesions. If her skin does not look normal or she is itchy I would recommend having your vet examine her.

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.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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

There is a good chance that this is just a hot spot and allergies. Mange usually starts with hair loss on the feet or around the eyes, but not always. It could also be secondary to fleas. I would try some Benadryl twice a day (see link below) and also a cone collar to prevent him from chewing. If you can get in touch with the owner, I would talk to them about this and see if they want you to take him to the vet. The vet may be able to get him on a stronger allergy medicine, determine the cause and start antibiotics if needed. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/#!