Ask Me Help Desk - Losing fur

So my Great Dane/English Mastiff mix is losing her hair in certain spots mostly on her hips.She does chew on those spots more than any other spots. I feed her Blue Wildnerss dog food,she has no fleas, I don't bath her much maybe once every two weeks. But my problem is, is that she has moist flaky skin (starting from the center of her back)the is on her spin and it goes all the way to her tail and I don't know what's going on.I have tried changing laundry detergent and not use body sprays etc. Does anyone know what this is or how I can clear her up so her hair Will start to grow back.

Thank you

p.s.
If I knew how to post pictures I would

Are you positive she doesn't have fleas? What you describe sounds like it, and where the fur is gone is where she can reach. Scabies/mange would be crusty. What do you do for flea treatment? And is there a reason you bathe her every two weeks? That is a LOT. And what soap do you use to bathe her? Where do you live, and how much is she outdoors?

A bath once every two weeks is too much. They should be bathed once a month.. others will argue that they should be bathed every 6-8wks. Every time you wash your dog, you are washing away the natural oils on the skin that protects it from the outside world.

What kind of shampoo are you using? Anything HARTZ brand is pretty bad for your dog.. Try bathing in a good quality oatmeal shampoo. You can either speak with a groomer or speak with your vet on what type of oatmeal shampoo you should use.

How old is your dog? Mange really doesn't effect a specific age group, but it is more common in younger puppies.

Food allergies will cause a dog to itch the hair off. Even though Blue Buffalo is a good brand, your dog still may be allergic to one of the ingredients in the food. You could try and so some self diagnostics and change to an hypoallergenic food with one of the more higher quality brands.. just know that food allergies take a long time.. 6wks or more.. and during this trial period, the dog cannot have anything outside of the dog food.

Environmental allergies could be another reason he is itching himself hairless. Even though its winter, that doesn't mean that there aren't seasonal allergies.. especially if you live in a warmer climate. I know here in Colorado, the dog and I are both itchy.

You can try over the counter medicines such as Benedryl. Its 1mg per 1lb of body weight.. Benedryl typically comes in 25mg tablets.. so if your dog weighs 50lbs, he'd get two tablets 2-3 times a day. With the Benedryl, you want to be certain that there are no decongestants in it, just Diphenhydramine. If the Benedryl doesn't seem to do anything, than its time to go to the vet.

To protect his body from self mutilation due to his itchies, put him in a big shirt.

You can also start feeding a fish oil supplement to help his skin maintain some type of healthy condition. Speak with your vet on the proper dosage for your dogs weight.

Skin can be very difficult to treat and diagnose. I hope you are in it for the long run and are prepared for big vet bills. I would almost suggest that whatever your vet prescribes doesn't work, that you head to the pet dermatologist. Nothing against general practice vets, but most vets are not that great in treating skin problems aggressively enough to make a difference.

I hope I helped out by giving you some information. Please keep us informed on what your fur baby is doing :)

Thanks for answering I made an app with the vet to figure out what is going on. My dog is 4yrs old and I bath her every two weeks is because we go out hiking and we tend to get really muddy:-P but I do use oatmeal base shampoo on her. I have switched her food numerous times and still can't figure it out...

Quote:

Originally Posted by joypulv

Are you positive she doesn't have fleas? What you describe sounds like it, and where the fur is gone is where she can reach. Scabies/mange would be crusty. What do you do for flea treatment? And is there a reason you bathe her every two weeks? That is a LOT. And what soap do you use to bathe her? Where do you live, and how much is she outdoors?

I don't see any fleas but can she still have them? And can her food be to high in protein for her? Its 36% protein in blue wildnerss dog food.

If you are feeding a high protein diet and the dog is not active, it'll get fat.. not lose its hair due to itching.

If you have a dog that is really active (Hiking, biking, jogging, etc) than the dog is using that protein for energy and needs it in order to maintain.

I still wouldn't recommend washing her every two weeks despite the fact that she is muddy. Maybe just wash her down with plain water and no soap? Or you could even look into a waterless shampoo.. waterless shampoos aren't as harsh on the skin and help keep dirty pets fresh in-between baths.

There is a type of flea that causes pets to itch.. but they are typically on the edges of ears and around the eyes. They are called Sticktight fleas. These fleas are very small.. they look like specks and will bury their heads into the skin of the pets, so its hard to see them moving around sometimes. That could be a possibility since you do take your dog out.

I hope you figure out what is wrong with your girl.. I'm sure she feels pretty miserable.