My dog is 7 month old American Stafford mix. He has bald patches on his legs and the top of his head. He also has some scaling skin on the patches. He's not itchy and he doesn't lick his paws too often. He went to the vet and the scrape test was negative. They gave him flea and tick meds jic. The problem seems to have gotten worse over the last week. Any idea of what's causing the alopecia and how I can treat it?
Since you have already taken him to see the vet have you given the flea meds enough time to do their job?
Does he have fleas? These can be the cause of different reactions in dogs and should be eliminated first.
Did the vet mention anything about his food? Any allergies?
I have had many kinds/sizes of dogs over the years and DIY remedies can sometimes relieve pets of things like this.
Here are some things that I've used/done and most worked:
I copied the information from a vet's web site that I use when information is needed.
"Witch Hazel
The leaves, bark and twigs of witch hazel are high in tannins. Tannins are found in any natural astringent because of their ability to tighten, dry and harden tissues.
The witch hazel liquid easily purchased for just a few dollars at any drugstore is actually a steam distillation of the bark, leaves and twigs of the shrub itself.
When applied directly to the skin, witch hazel helps reduce swelling, repair broken skin and also fights bacteria.
Some wonderful things about witch hazel are that its 100 percent natural, smells fresh and doesnt stain furniture or carpets when you apply it to your dog.
Simply soak a cloth or cotton ball with witch hazel and rub it on your dogs skin. Witch hazel works awesomely for soothing itchy skin."
"Aloe Vera
Each aloe leaf contains a jelly-like substance, which rapidly regenerates damaged tissue. This plant increases the rate of healing in the cellular matrix and decreases inflammation. It also has antibiotic and coagulating agents in it.
Fresh aloe gel can be obtained by splitting the leaf. Use the hard cuticle of the leaf to apply the green tinged clear jelly thats inside the leaf to itchy areas.
It can also be used for wounds, fungal infections and insect bites. If you cut a leaf and use part of it, store the rest of it in the refrigerator. After the leaf is cut, the ingredients remain active for less than three days."
These two things work wonders on 'hot spots' so I think they may help your pup. Neither one of these is harmful if your puppy licks them off but it's best to try and distract they for a few minutes to give the stuff a chance to help.
Usually when the Vets do a scrape they are looking for mites. Be glad it isnt mites. But there are a number of things that can cause this kind of hair loss. Your dog needs to be checked by your Vet to see if it may be a yeast or bacterial infection. Certain fungus is possible. But you will need your Vet to find out. I wouldnt wait. It is likely to get worse.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My 6yr old Boston Terrier named Buzz has developed bald spots on his lower back. Also, now they are on his neck area. They are getting bigger and he is getting more as the days go by. He has had demodectic mange before, but this doesn't look like it's that.
This looks different. These spots are itchy, scaly, inflamed, and dry. I feel so bad for him. We are tight on money so I can't take him to the vet right now. Any advice or home remedies will be appreciated!
This could be a flea or food allergy. You will need to throw away any plastic feeding and water dishes for your pet. Here is some excellent way to treat your dog's skin problem;
www.angieslist.com/
You could try rubbing coconut oil on the spots. Feeding your dog whey could also help his skin.
Please give some more home remedies in that disease
my boston has this too, did you find out what it was or do anything to help it go away?
My dog has the same thing going on with her. It seemed to b tiny mites. I use medicated shampoo that fights all types of fungus and I also after she was dry I covered her in some horse muscle rub. It has actually taken alot of the redness away as well as chased the mites I believe because it. Is not coming back. At first it started in her groin area...mostly where other dogs sniff(that's how she caught it) because this specific mite can only b transferred from touching another dog. And it worked it's way up to her belly she got real red and very flaky. After her belly it moved up to her neck. Like the flakes or scabs had kind of a yellowish pussy or a seeping yellow look to them. It has taken a few applications about once a week atleast but it is seeming to work. Just thot I wud try to help.
My two adult dogs have this as well, without the bald spots and we are going to see a specialist. Infectious Disease Vet. I have struggled with them for a year. I think all three of us have parasites from something.
They are not doing well now. I have taken them to the vet and the vet knows nothing about parasites, is a recent graduate, inexperienced. They are suffering now. I have been able to remove some of the patches from their coats. It has moved over top of the original coloring/markings and the parasites have altered the grey color to deep black and a copper color as well. These parasites are in their eyes and for the past two days, they can barely open them.
I am not trained in veterinary medicine nor human medicine, but I know each of us have parasites and we need medical treatment immediately.
Yes whats the name of that shampoo you bought please
My dog is American bulldogs has same kind of this site bald spot hair fall off east when I pet him I noticed it flake hair fall off I send Groomm pet to bath him still not work I do have cat only one year old hang around together let me know which one I can use homemade
My dog was playing with another dog and she got bitten on her face (nothing serious it just created a little bald spot under her eye). I can see that a couple of hairs started to grow, but I'm not sure if it'll grow to the way it was before.
Will the hair grow back? Is there any cream or remedy that can help her with that?
I think the hair will grow back. I would leave it alone and monitor the progress.
Aww...poor baby!! How scary to have had the bite.
Unless it is infected (which it looks fine, no redness, no oozing), just leave it be. It may or may not grow back completely. We have a pup with Alopecia and he will have permanent bald spots caused by the condition. It adds to his sweet charm.
Blessings and all good wishes for your sweet gal!! Hugs!
You could try applying some vitamin E to the spot several times a day. If someone in your household takes vitamin E liquid capsules, you can puncture one with a pin/needle, and squeeze some onto the spot a few times daily. Vitamin E is great for all types of skin conditions: scratching, itching, sores, patchy areas, dandruff, etc. The hair will probably come back on it's own, but the vitamin E will help it to come in faster. *Just don't let your dog eat any capsules!
Dont be surprised if it takes a couple months to grow back. But it should grow back.
Hi Claudia. Did your dog's hair grow back in that spot? My dog has the exact same thing going on, but not from a bite, we're not sure where the bald spot came from. But it looks identical to your pup's. No blood, no oozing, just skin. And he's had it for about 2 days. I'd appreciate any info you have.
Hi,
Did you find out what this was? My dog has one too and hasn't been bitten or anything
Did your dogs grow back? Ours has one just like this, no rash or bite under it and were baffled as to what happened!
My 13 year old Boston has the same thing vet was no help said allergies. Shot didn't help. Doesn't appear to be itchy. Mostly on back and belly. Red scales that peel off. No puss no blood. Use medicated shampoo. Coconut oil has been going on for two years. No vet has helped. Any thoughts. Thank you.
I've recently been noticing this on my dog. Should I be worried cause it looks very bad. Should I take it to the vet? What should I do?
Any type of hair loss or the way this hair is looking now is not really a good sign for your dog. This could be an allergy problem, a problem with the food you are giving him, and in some cases there could be a growth under the skin that is causing this issue. I would make an appointment with your vet and have this one checked out if I were you.
I feel like I am missing something? Is it the pink spots?
Here's my rule with my fur boy. Any changes to his normal, he either goes to the vet or we do a telehealth visit.
Quick action with good vet care is always cost effective and gives pups good quality of life.
Prayers for healing! Post back what the vet says! Hugs to that sweet puppy face!
this sort of dog with flappy skin is very susceptible to hot spots and skin irritations, especiallly where the flaps meet.
A lot of it has to do with trapped moisture and bacteria that connects.
Fleas can cause these issues as well.
That is a hot spot and would need antibiotics at that point they are and infection the spreads quickly
Hey girl did your pup get better ???? My dog has the same thing and I would like some help on how to treat it email me pls: ashleyzuniga123@ymail.com
My American Bulldog suddenly has little bald spots on his back, head, and neck. He is not itchy, but I am concerned. I am currently applying EnteDerm ointment that I had at home for another pet.
I am trying to take care of this without having to visit the vet to avoid the cost.
Please help!
Your dog may have a skin condition. Any changes in your dogs skin should be checked by a vet.
Definitely as the vet. Did his food change? Does he have a tick or other bite that you can see? Does he have seasonal allergies?
Our Clarence had bald spots and we changed his diet to a chicken and grain free one and it got much better. He finally "outgrew" the allergy. It was a challenge figuring it all out we could not have done without vet guidance.
Post back with an update! Healing prayers for the pup!
There are many differnt factors why a dog can lose patches of their hair. Food is one of these factors. There are also other conditions related to a dog such as a Husky who has a rare type of skin disorder that causes the dog to lose patches of their hair. I know the tests are so expensive and many times do not tell you what is really wrong. My daugher now gives her Husky vitiams each day to help the dog from losing more hair. You can check out this website from a vet to read up on the different over the counter vitiams that might help you out. If none of these work you need to see a vet and if you have changed your dogs food lately you need to go back to the food you were feeding him before. www.1800petmeds.com/
Your dog has a lot of spots. You may end up with a bigger Vet bill by waiting. If things dont turn around in a day or 2 see your Vet. There are so many possibilities for what these could be that is unlikely you have the right medicine on hand.
Try using pure coconut oil into the infected area try a little first then apply more frequently if it starts to work..
One of our working dogs has patches of bare skin were she has lost hair. Could this be due to diet or neurotic behavior? She is a wired hair German Pointer.
By charlie brown from UK
We had a similar problem with our fox-terrier. He pulled lumps out of his fur. We then discovered what went into canned dog food and put him on a fresh-meat regime (adding vegetables for vitamins and minerals). He is now totally cured. No allergies whatever.
Hello, Please take your baby to the Veterinarian so he/she can determine what is going on. Good luck
One my dogs had issues with bald spots on her hind quarters. I started feeding her good quality food. Natural Balance is excellent, Merrick and Evangers are excellent too. Make sure the dog food does not have any byproducts, hormones, antibiotics, added salt, BHA/BHT, artificial flavors, fillers, wheat, flour, corn, soy or sugar. This is all junk and will cause your dog to have allergies, skin and health issues. Once I made the switch it wasn't long before all the bald spots were growing healthy hair. She never had the problem again.
We had a wirehair who had thyroid problems and lost patches of hair. He had to go on medication. Get him to the vet a.s.a.p
My one year maltese has two bald spots one on his left shoulder and the other on his left front leg. The one on his shoulder his vet. told me that it is a result of an injection sight. He also said that there is nothing that can be done for this problem. I'm going to get a second opinion on his diagnosis, because that does't explain or even relate to the spot on his leg, I mean I'm sure nobody gave him an injection there.
This is due to aleopecia and bald spots on body can only be cured by using anti infection tubes and stop your pet from licking on his infected area this will spread more infection moreover if you are making him bath with your shampoo so stop doing this too animals can get infection from many things like grasses, food ,park even other animals prevent it from all this all the best may ur pet get well soon
At home we have a 10 month old Doberman. Now she has 2 hairless spots (see pictures). The vet had never seen it before, but we where wondering if there's a remedy or cure. And if anyone knows what it is please advise?
I would have the vet check this next time the pup is in. These can be caused from relatively benign reasons like seasonal allergies or be something serious like a tick or skin cancer.
Having had dogs with these that go both ways, I always suggest let the vet look! Hopefully you will be like most that find out it is nothing, but important to have it checked because I know from experience they can be something that needs attention.
Prayers for healing!
This would be best checked by a Vet, This is nothing to speculate . This could be through a infection or allergy, wing worm, folliculitis, cellulitis, mange(mites) , pressure sores , and the list goes on.
Any of these could spread to cause even more problems . Check out to be sure. dogscatspets.org/
This can be a medical issue or even a food-related issue. This happened to my daughter and she had to take the dog in for a lot of tests. In the end, there was a food-related issue and they suggested changing the dog's food which helped. It took quite a bit of time for the hair to grow back. I would recommend that you take the dog to the vet and have him looked at. The vet can tell you if he should be tested for allergies or if it is just a nervous condition. Here my dog started to have issues with hair loss and I did go to the vet. He asked me to make a few changes in his diet which corrected these issues and his hair is starting to grow back now.
You did say the vet looked at these and said they had never seen them before? Did they offer any advice on what to do or did they want to check them in a few weeks? I cannot imagine a vet just letting something like this go without some sort of explanation unless they just thought it would go away on its on.
Are you saying these are hairless 'spots' (rather smooth skin) or are these raised bumpy spots?
I'm not sure that if at all possible, I think I would consider finding another vet. That may not be something you can do right now but maybe something to consider.
I know this may sound strange but if you have a Tractor Store or a large feed store in your area take your dog to one of these and ask for some advice. These places deal with pets as well as all types of farm animals and they have always had excellent suggestions for my family's pets. They have medications, shots as well as food and bedding and usually there is someone around that knows a lot about problems that vets usually deal with but are used to working with DIY people. I hope you will not rule this out.
Here is a link to a veterinarian site that offers a free consultation so this might be something to check.
ask.vetbabble.com/
