Bimmer's going bald...
 

Well, we made it almost 5 weeks without something new popping up. Fortunately, this time his appetite and behavior are completely unaffected, so that's a huge relief.

I've searched this forum for topics on hair loss and the answers seem to be all over the place, so let me give you the symptoms and see if we can eliminate any of the MANY possibilities.

Symptoms:

I'm attaching a picture from my phone (pardon the quality) that shows where Bimmer has lost all of the hair on his front right paw. The front left paw is starting to thin now as is the hair on both of his front legs all the way up to under his chin. His tail has also lost all of the hair and I swear it looks like the top of his head is thinning as well. He looks so awful, but like I said before, he doesn't seem to notice and is acting 100% normal.

My wife took him to the vet yesterday and they scraped his skin to send out for testing, but that is going to take two to three weeks to get back. In the meantime, they've given us some ointment to rub on the bald spots twice a day, but Bimmer seems to be licking it off so I don't know how effective the treatment will be.

Causes:

Bimmer is an indoor dog only and has no exposure to ANY other animals. He hasn't been stressed with a recent move or anything like that either. I have recently started switching his diet over to Science Diet puppy bites hard food twice a day instead of soft food all the time. Also, I still use the same shampoo we bought when we got him, so no change there.

What do you guys think?

don't know could it be a thyroid problem or allergies. I think a nother trip to the vet is in order! Good luck!

I know that a "low thyroid" is a common problem with dogs - and this can cause hair loss - with dogs and people!!

Your pup is very cute!

Carol Jean

Hair loss in chew areas means allegies. (paws, tail but not sure about neck?)

And most pups with silky coats go through a period where it looks like they are going bald on the top of their heads. the hair is turning white and it looks awful for quite some time.

I hope the vet can give you answers soon. what is he eating? any medication lately that could have caused allergic reaction?

good luck

I would change Bimmer's diet to a better quality food.
Try a switch gradually by mixing the new with the old. I do this over a two week period instead of 5-7 days because my puppy has a sensitive stomach. There are several threads on dog foods. A few of the favorites without corn or wheat are Canidae (I tried the chicken rice formula), Nutro Natural Choice chicken, rice, and oatmeal puppy(sticking with this for now), Merrick's dry(didn't agree with my pup), Wellness. There are many others. I have a pantry full of rejects. I take them to the local shelter when I have a car full. My vet told me to keep trying until I found one that agreed with Tuck. He gets no treats just food right now.
You might consider a blood panel and an allergy test. I had a Yorkie puppy years ago with hypothyroidism, hairloss was a symptom and fatigue, plus allergies galore (food and environment). I remember someone's reply to the 'food' issue about her Yorkie being allergic to chicken and beef. I did a search and spent a day reading all threads on foods. It was a great help.
Bimmer's a cutie. Good luck!
Jessica