hair falling out
 

I know its been a while since i posted on here. Im sure most of you remember me with my previous threads. minnie just had her first birthday and is the most amazing pup anyone could ever ask for. her demodex has been cleared up for a few months until recently we noticed her hair shedding again n not a lil amount more like if u rub her hair falls out everywhere. right away i was like omg demodex is back and i have heard that it can occur throughout the dogs life and this time i was ready for it i just assumed i would have to have her on the medicaton a few times a year if this was going to be a regular thing. as long as she is healthy and happy i dont care ill do whatever it takes. so right away i call the vet once again and make an appointment just to clarify thats what it is. they did another skin scrapping and the whole works and... it wasnt demodex :( i was bummed cuz now i dont know what it is. some people have said sometimes when dogs go into heat they can lose there hair. also shes humping things like crazy but no bleeding or spotting yet and she just turned one. is this anything i should also be concerened with. but as for the hair loss shes not pulling it out theres no bald spots its just coming out like crazy. i give her a bath about once a month or so and when i wash her she loses sooo much im surprised theres still hair on her body. it doesnt look like it tho which is also surprising. im just baffled right now and dont know what to do next. does anyone have any suggestions or someone i can contact and talk to about this. i mean her whole life so far most of her health issues never made sence now this is something else that im just stumped on. this site was so amazingly helpful with everything so far and is the first place i turn each time. thank you all for being so kind friendly and helpful throughout this adventure. im looking forward to hearing anything anyone may have to say.

I would suggest bathing her every 2 weeks. If this is normal shedding it may help to remove it from her coat more often. She could still be going through changes in her coat too, and with her skin issues. I know with mine after two weeks I tend to see more flaking and loose hair, and they start with mild random itching leading to hair breakage. All dogs are different though, some will lose more hair than others, growth rates are different, etc. As long as you're not seeing signs of a definite medical issue, it may just be normal for her.

Is normal shedding to be extreme and how long does it last and is it something that will happen all the time or only at this stage. I mean there's literally hair everywhere it just falls off even dogs that shed don't lose hair like she is. I thought bathing her more often would dry ur skin out that why I stopped. But maybe it will speed up the process if i do it more often. Is there a certain shampoo and conditioner you recommend?and with her not being in heat yet is that anything I should be concerned about or can the two be tied together

Yorkies generally don't shed very much at all, but I recall that Minnie was not the typical Yorkie. Does she still have short hair?

We bathe Bella once a week, but she has longer hair and gets stinky more often. I understand that a short haired dog might not need bathing as often, but if you're gentle, I don't think that bathing more frequently would hurt. We use a gentle oatmeal shampoo and conditioner from Petsmart, but others might be able to recommend premium products for dogs with skin sensitivity.

Another reason for hair loss could be food allergies. What are you feeding Minnie?

If Minnie hasn't been spayed yet, is that something you are considering? If so, now might be the time, providing you do not spay her while she is in the middle of her heat--the vet will be able to tell by examining her.

If I recall, can't demodex/mange damage hair follicles? I wonder if something is going on bc of the past mange.

Otherwise, I'd have her thyroid checked too - is she having any thyroid related symptoms? Also, many/most post-mange dogs will get a widespread yeast infection bc of the mange treatment...was she tested for yeast (which involves growing out a skin culture for 10 days)?

Fur loss can also be related to Cushings, but I doubt that's the case here.

I'm thinking she may be replacing a damaged coat... hard for me to say. Did your vet look at the shed hair under a microscope or magnifying glass to see if the ends are broken, chewed or just fallen out? Medication and harsh shampoos used in treatment can cause damage to the coat as it grows. If you're not seeing any bald spots, that means the new coat is growing in behind the old. Her schedule may be off due to the treatment also.

Any shampoo would be fine, the important thing is to always follow with a conditioner, as that is what will restore the oils in the skin that get washed out in the bath. If she still seems dry afterward, next bath, leave the conditioner on her a bit longer before rinsing it out. You can also use daily or leave-in coat conditioners in between baths, and give her coat a coconut oil treatment before a bath (oil her up anywhere from a few hours before bath time, to a day or two before bath day).

I wouldn't use any special shampoos formulated to stop shedding, at least not until you figure out what's really going on with her. Maybe a Dermatologist vet specialist could be more helpful...