5 Common Causes Of Hair Loss In Dogs

Dog hair loss is something very noticeable. It can turn a pretty-looking dog into a pitiful little thing. It’s important to know the cause of a dog’s hair loss so that you can find the right cure. Discover the 5 common causes of hair loss in dogs. Click “Next” to continue reading…

1. Allergies

 

Allergies are one of the most common causes in hair loss for dogs. An allergy is a immune system response when a dog comes into contact with “allergens”. This could be in the physical form such as pollen, dust mites, or fleas. It could also come from your dog eating foods that it’s allergic to.

What follows from an allergy is a sense of itchiness which makes the dog scratch or nibble the affected areas, resulting in hair loss.

2. Infections

Infections caused by fleas, mites, or ticks can be another source of dog hair loss. The most common areas where these parasites like to hang around are the places around the ears, abdomen and chest. It is easy to spot these areas as once you spread your dog’s fur, you’ll see redness or inflammation.

If you spot this, it’s best to bring your dog to a vet where the correct medication will be prescribed.

3. Cushing’s Disease

Cushing’s disease is a diease caused by long-term exposure of the dog’s body to very high levels of cortisol (a hormone). This overexposure could have been caused by excessive use of steroid drugs.

When a dog has Cushing’s disease, its skin darkens, abdomen grows bigger, and skin darkens.

4. Genetics

Some dog breeds inherit their hair losing traits from their parents. In this situation, it can be hard (and mostly impossible) to treat the baldness.

Although scientists believe that they’ve found the specific gene that causes the baldness, they are still a long way from a cure.

5. Pressure Sores

Pressure sores are caused by causes parts of the dog coming into contact with hard surfaces frequently. It is this pressure that can cause the dog’s skin to callus and crack. As a result of constant friction, dogs can lose hair in these areas.

Watch out for this in the larger, heavier dogs. They are more susceptible to pressure sores because their heavier weight causes the pressure points to have more friction with the ground.