Why is my dog losing his hair? | Reasons to lose hair in dogs?

If your dog is losing a lot of hair and doing it in an odd way, you should worry right away because this is likely a sign of disease or infection.

When alopecia is very bad, a veterinarian is needed to do a thorough checkup and figure out the right treatment.

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Knowing how to recognize normal hair loss from abnormal alopecia

Before you worry about your dog’s hair falling out, make sure it’s not something that happens all the time. Know that a hair follicle’s life cycle is set in a woman.

For example, a dog may go through a seasonal moult in the spring and fall. This will allow the hair to grow back and change with the season.

A lot of hair loss is also caused by hormones. During mating season, the fur can sometimes change, which is why alopecia happens. Another thing is that some breeds, especially those with a thick undercoat, are more likely to lose their hair. This is true of the Husky, the Labrador, and the Akita Inu.

On the other hand, there are times when the loss is out of the ordinary and needs to be handled quickly. This is the case when there are too many hairs falling out and the scalp is dry, dull, and flaky.

You should also be worried if the hair falls out in patches, the animal scratches all the time, and the skin is red and itchy.

What are the main causes of hair loss?

Diet is one of the main reasons why dogs get alopecia. The animal may have skin problems because it can’t handle certain foods or doesn’t get enough protein.

One of the main reasons for this pathology is also a lack of something. For keratin to be made, there must be enough amino acids. If there aren’t enough amino acids, hair problems will happen.

Stress and anxiety are another reason that vets often give. When an animal is under constant stress, its hair follicles often fall out in large patches.

This can happen along with other signs of a lot of stress, like licking and scratching yourself over and over again.

Also, there’s a good chance that the animal has parasites like ticks, fleas, or ringworm. A parasitic disease like leishmaniasis, which can cause large skin sores, should also not be ruled out. People also think that genetic diseases could be a factor.

One of them is diluted alopecia of the limbs, which is a disease that is present at birth. The animal can also get diseases that affect its hormones, like hypothyroidism.

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How to fight against hair loss?

If you don’t want to make your pet’s fur weak, feed them high-quality foods that are full of minerals and nutrients.

Choose kibbles that are high-quality and have a lot of fish-based proteins. If you can’t find any, don’t be afraid to add brewer’s yeast or salmon oil as natural supplements.

If nothing you do helps, go to your vet to have them look at it and figure out what’s wrong.