Losing/Thinning Hair

[haunani]

I've noticed lately that Deoji is losing hair on his back. You can see it really easily when he's walking in front of you. It's obviously thinner than the rest of it. He also has moderate dandruff in the area, too. No sores, no pimple looking things, it's not tender and he's not biting/scratching at it. I have some tea tree oil shampoo coming and we'll see if that helps.

Now for his stats, since I know you'll ask...
3 1/2 month old Doberman, Black/Rust
Eating Nutro Ultra currently (will be switching to Natural Balance Ultra Premium soon)
He gets yogurt, pumpkin, the occassional egg (with shell) and sometimes pieces of fruit or veggies mixed in with his dinner feeding.

Any ideas on what may help him out?

[Dax]

Doesn't sound too serious yet. I would take a measurement so that you can confirm if it's getting larger. (small magic marker in the centre as a reference). If it continues I would get the vet to take a look at it including a skin scraping.

[weezyNollie]

If the area is hair loss due to itching, could be an allergic reaction.

Otherwise, could be a fungal infection.

[Meisti]

Someone else had a similar question. In humans, healthy hair is associated with Vitamins B5 and B6. You could supplement Deoji's food with oats, barley, or wheat germ (or any other form rich in Vit B).

[2ndchance]

sounds like allergies, or the start of a hot spot.

[haunani]

Thanks guys. The food we're switching him to has no corn (the source of so many allergies) and contains oatmeal and barley near the top of the list of ingredients.

I'll give him a few days with the tea tree oil baths and the new feed and see how he does. If it persists or worsens, it's off to the vet we go.

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

Originally Posted by haunani

Thanks guys. The food we're switching him to has no corn (the source of so many allergies) and contains oatmeal and barley near the top of the list of ingredients.

I'll give him a few days with the tea tree oil baths and the new feed and see how he does. If it persists or worsens, it's off to the vet we go.

The major offenders for dog's allergies are corn, wheat, barley, soy and dairy. Barley is corn's evil twin. There is a thread with a list of "clean" foods on the forum. If you're interested and can't find it, let me know.

[haunani]

I found it, thanks!!

After a quick search, I found a place I can get the Canidae from, with shipping, for $46.06. (I found prices all the way up to $75.62 )

I'm pretty happy with that!

[Dobified]

Keep an eye on that. Rudy started loosing hair when he was about 1 but I probably didn't notice till it was really noticable. He turned lethargic, his skin turned flakey and his coat was thin and lack luster. He didn't want to play and run all he wanted to do was sleep and when I took him out with Jenna for a walk he walked while she ran. He was almost 2. He ballooned to 97 pounds, not right for a show size Dobe. His normal weight should have been 75-80 pounds.

Turns out after testing he is Hypo-Thyroid. he is now on meds two times a day for the rest of his life. The vet said it was the worst case he has ever seen, he had virtually no Thyroid activity. The vet said if we had not caught it when we did he would have started to suffer permanent damage.

So be careful and keep you eye out for any of the other symptoms I just described.

[haunani]

Thank you, I definitely will.