Going bald?

5PotatoChips

New member
Coulson has developed a bald spot on his side. He's never had a thick coat and it's always been thinner towards his stomach, but now he's just losing his hair in one particular spot. And it keeps growing. The skin looks healthy and normal, he's just losing his hair. It looks like he was shaved and the hair is just starting to come back. Only the reverse is happening. I attached two pictures below. You can see it when he walks now. It's very odd. Any thoughts? (I know the one picture kinda looks like his skin is red- it's not. It was just the light.)
 

5PotatoChips

New member
He is approximately nine years old, (he was a rescue so we don't have an exact age for sure.) No meds, other than the usual flea/tick and heartworm stuff. He's been on the same preventives since we got him three years ago and he's never had a problem. We did have a full thyroid panel done on him about eight months after we got him and everything was normal. Of course that was three years ago... His weight, appetite, energy has all been normal.
 

Bailey Boy

New member
I was thinking thyroid too. Does he scratch the area? Is it an area that he uses to get up and down? Tootsie started getting thin on her chest from sleeping and rolling so much on her stomach.
 

wrknnwf

Active member
Is he neutered?
My question. too. It could be alopecia due to wacky hormone levels. My folks had a Poodle that they didn't neuter until he lost nearly all his hair. Turned out he was monorchid (only had one testicle). Vet figured hormones. So they neutered him. Hair grew back and then suddenly all fell out again. Skin got really dry and went from pink to gray/black in places. Poor guy looked awful, but lived a normal, happy, healthy life until he was 17.

Anyway, alopecia can be caused by a number of things, some serious, so best have the vet look.
 

5PotatoChips

New member
He was neutered when he came into the shelter. Oh, dear. I was really hoping this was something just kind of weird and not an indication of something serious. We have a bad track record medical wise. Coulson does fight chronic ear infections and he is currently on a topical one for his ears. But I don't see why that would cause baldness on his lower side. He does scratch there periodically, but nothing excessive. I will look into the alopecia and I'm guessing a vet appointment is in our near future. Are there any other symptoms of alopecia? He really seems normal otherwise...
 

Angela

Super Moderator
I had one that went almost all bald, but it was hormonal alopecia and when he was neutered it all came back in. So, as your guy is neutered it's not that type. Maybe a vet appointment will be necessary.
 

wrknnwf

Active member
My husband had a strange case of alopecia. I woke up one morning, rolled over and noticed a perfectly round bald spot on the side of his head. Shocked the crap out of me. It persisted for months, then the hair simply grew back and it never happened again. I did NOT have him neutered. LOL. He never went to a doctor to find out what caused it.

With our Poodle, once we had him neutered, it all came back and then disappeared again. The vet still thought hormones. And at that point there was nothing else to do. We called him bald and de-balled. He was a great dog and we were reminded that looks aren't everything.

Mange is the number one cause of bald patches in dogs, but there's also Cushing's disease, certain steroids, and a host of other things. Or it could be as simple as baldness due to pressure point. Or it could be that he's genetically programmed, like in male pattern baldness. It's really something your vet should look into. Don't worry, just get him an appointment.
 

5PotatoChips

New member
He has an appointment for Friday with our vet. The patch seems to be growing at an alarming rate. We'll see what the vet thinks. Thank you for all the suggestions!
 

5PotatoChips

New member
Good news on Coulson! It turns out he has a very mild skin infection. (Ok, not great for him, but good considering what some of the other choices were.) We are using a medicated shampoo for a few days and if that doesn't work we'll switch to oral antibiotics. He's been very good for his little "spa treatments!"
 

wrknnwf

Active member
Terrific! Now aren't you glad you saw the vet? So much better than worrying, even if it's not the answer you want. It's hard to confront the unknown.

So...sending healing thoughts. Hope this clears up fast!
 

lmfoltyn

New member
The unknown is also the worst...you think the most awful things imaginable...so good news really...something that can be taken care of...
 
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