If your four-legged – canine companion is shedding hair, it is completely normal and there is nothing to worry about. If, however, he is shedding an excessive amount of hair in bunches that result in bald spots on your dog, also known as alopecia, then you may need to get this checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
If you are asking yourself why your dog is shedding its hair more than normal, or if breeds of dogs do this anyway, keep reading. This article will dive into a few common causes for this and some suggestions on how to help your dog keep his hair.
Allergies
In a similar way that humans suffer from allergies, so do dogs and theirs also come from certain types of foods, environmental triggers such as pollen, molds, and from parasites like mites or fleas.
It makes it worse when dogs start to itch their fleabites to the extent that they start to lose hair in patches. This itching leads to redness and sometimes infection. It does not need to be a bunch of fleas or ticks that affect the dog but it can be as small as one tick that starts the process.
It seems that some dogs are more prone to others when it comes to allergies. There are a few ways to treat this, some of the options are: topical creams you can apply on the dog’s skin where it’s red or getting an internal medication at the vet, allergy shots also provided by the vet.
Another common reason for allergies can come from the food you are giving your dog, if a dog is allergic to a certain food, it will be necessary to change his diet immediately.A lot of unnatural ingredients in dog food cause a lot of issues in dogs, that’s why we always advise pet owners to give your dogs as close to organic and natural foods as possible and you can read holistapets article
recommending a more natural diet as opposed to feeding your pet with artificial fillers and minute amounts of actual food ingredients in them.
Genetics
Yes, this too – genetics also plays a part in this issue.
Hairless dogs such as the Mexican hairless (Xoloitzcuintle) or Chinese crested do not have normal dog hair like what we are used to seeing, theirs is more of a sleek coat with extremely short hair that looks like skin and they are prone to baldness. Other species of dogs include American Hairless Terrier, Italian Grey Hounds, Dachshunds, and Whippets.
Sometimes it is not an issue but a normal thing for them to go through seasonal shedding, usually after they turn 1 year old.
Most pet owners learn to live with this but it is always a good idea to make sure your vet checks for all possible causes before ruling it out as a seasonal shedding.
Cushing’s Disease
Another reason for those bald patches on your dog could be due to Cushing’s disease/syndrome or hyperadrenocorticism, which is caused by the cortisol hormone in access. This is something that dogs over the age of 6 years old can suffer from.
If you’re wondering why your dog has been eating or drinking excessively and going to the toilet a lot or panting unstoppably this could be it, because these are the symptoms linked to this disease. Sometimes they get a pot-belly too. You can find tons of information on this online, for example https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/treating-cushings-disease-dogs.
Treating this requires a vet’s help where they either prescribe medication or surgery.
If you are looking for a home remedy for the interim, one of the recommendations is to use CBD oil. By adding some of this to the dog’s food or as a tincture on his tongue, it can aid in reducing inflammation because of the GLA- Gamma-linolenic acid that helps regulate the endocrine system of your dog, helping him with his hair loss.
An infestation of Ringworm, Bacteria or Mites
Occasionally, something as irritating as a fungal or bacterial infection can occur in dogs and resulting in hair loss. Issues such as ringworms have been known to do this and if you notice your dog losing hair in an irregular pattern and has inflammation around those areas, the chances are that ringworms are the cause. How to tell if it may be ringworms is if you see circular or irregular hair loss, inflammation, and dry infected patches on the dog’s skin.
Other similar problems can arise with fungus or pests like mange mites, and bacterial infection, and all of these may ultimately result in balding spots on your dog.
The hair loss usually occurs around the eyes, ears, mouth, and other patches on the body, while mites have a slightly different tale, which includes thickened or oily, itching that turns red and inflammation.
All the above issues can be contagious and should be treated as soon as possible. If it’s ringworms, the treatment is usually a topical anti-fungal medication. However, if it does get bad quickly, then an oral antifungal medication may be a better solution. Mites can also be treated using both topical or oral medication and antibiotics can treat any bacterial infections in the dog. Find out more about the symptoms here.
Point to note is that dogs and cats do not necessarily suffer from the same issues and the treatment options can be different as well.
There are tons of other home remedies that you can find online, however getting your vets opinion before trying any of them is a good idea.
