Why Could My Dog Be Losing Fur?
Monday, November 30th, 2009 at
2:50 am
He has an allergy to fleas but we use flea medication and he has a flea collar, but he bites and licks himself and he has bald spots. It’s more than just regular shedding. The vet said he had an allergy to fleas and he was given cortisone shots and steroids. He takes medicine but even still what could be causing it? We’ve tried oatmeal baths. We also heard about corn oil in the food and tea tree oil on his coat but haven’t tried anything like that yet. Would that help?
Filed under: Flea Allergies In Dogs
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Why do fleas touch him in the first place? if you have proper flea preventative then your dogs shouldnt have fleas, therefore the licking and balding would not result from fleas. BTW flea collars do nothing.
What are you feedin him?
It could be other bugs biting depending on the flea med you are using.(mosquitoes, gnats etc) Flea collars are worthless & can be toxic. Your dog probably has other allergies. Corn oil won’t be anything & tea tree can be toxic to certain pets – you don’t know which ones til the reaction happens but I wouldn’t be using on a dog with skin issues. Oatmeal baths are only helpful if your dog has dry skin which usually with allergies & most skin infections the areas are moist & need to be kept clean & dry which oatmeal does the opposite. The most helpful thing you can do for dog is do a skin patch test(not serum) to find exactly what dog is allergic & use a dermatologist vet. They have far more expertise in dealing with allergies & skin problems.
It may be mange. Mange isn’t as horrible as you may have heard. It’s spread through birthing, so your dog’s mother had it, too. Not all dogs who have it have symptoms but symptoms can appear at any point in the dog’s lifespan.
My girl had to be treated for mange when she was about 2yrs old. There is an initial scrape test, then special baths at the vet office. Then you will apply a topical cream and oral antibiotics.
After these steps, my girl never had another outbreak! I would just make an appointment for sometime in the next 2-3 days and get your answer. If it’s mange, it’s very manageable.
My vet told me if he is scratching under his arms it’s a food allergy. and below his waist it’s probably fleas. It only takes one flea bite to start him itching. He could have dry skin in this case put some vegetable oil or bacon grease on his food about one tablespoon everyday and use head and shoulders shampoo. My dog starts itching every fall when we close up the house because of the cold. I add alittle more oil to his food and use a dandruff shampoo to help his skin.
I have a black shiba inu and I remember she used to blow her coat like crazy. Wow her tail was practically bald. Nothign was wrong and it grew back. I guess it was just the hot weather. Look up on the net about dogs blowing their coats. ***Maybe thats whats wrong here with your dog???????