Is Massive Hair Loss in Dogs, a Sign of Illness– At the end of the hair cycle, dog hair also finishes its role and naturally sheds its hair. In addition, double-coated dogs have hair re-growth in spring and autumn, resulting in a significant amount of hair loss. All of these are normal and natural hair loss.
On the other hand, if you lose more hair than usual, it may be a sign of a disease or illness that requires care.
Is the hair loss something to worry about?
Much kind of dogs, such as Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds, that loses quite a lot of hair, both healthy and normal. A veterinarian should be consulted to accurately determine if there is a problem.
Another good way is to compare it to your dog’s normal condition. If there is a big change when compared to a week or a month ago, or in the same season of the previous year, there may be something wrong with the child.
Make sure that your hair is not healthy and shiny, and that there are no abnormalities on the skin under your hair. If it is discoloured, impressed, or scaled, skin or other illness is suspected.
Dog hair is the same as human hair and is constantly growing. At the end of the growth phase of hair, the division of capillary cells stops and the hair naturally falls off.
The amount of hair loss during natural re-growth depends on the breed, anatomy, physiology, and genetics. Body shape, physique, and hair length are not related to the amount of hair that comes off. For example, there are many dogs that have short hair but lose their hair.
End of life cycle and seasonal hair loss occur naturally in healthy dogs. In addition, dogs may lose their hair due to illness or stress. If you have clearly more hair loss than you normally would, there may be some worrisome factor involved.
Cause 1: Undernourishment
The number one cause of heavy hair loss is dietary problems. Even if your food meets the minimum quality requirements, your pet may not contain enough protein and nutrients.
If you are feeding cheap pet food that you have stocked up, you may be undernourished. Be aware that cheap foods may contain ingredients that your dog cannot easily digest (or nourish). You don’t have to give them high quality food, but it’s safer to choose good quality foods that take into account breed, age and health. In addition, poor storage may result in poor quality and may not provide the expected nutrition.
Cause 2: Care products do not match
Care products such as shampoo directly affect the skin and hair. The use of human care products is absolutely NG, but it may not be suitable for dogs. Also, if rinsed insufficiently, the ingredients may remain on the skin and cause hair loss and dermatitis.
Cause 3: Stress
Excessive hair loss is also caused by stress. When there are major changes in daily life (family growth / decrease, moving, lifestyle changes), stress can cause hair to fall out more than usual, such as after surgery or illness.
This hair loss can be eliminated or alleviated by eliminating stressors or reducing stress, but if you do not know the cause, you can expect improvement by using medicines or supplements (consult your veterinarian). ). At this time, if you find that going to a veterinary clinic is stressful, consider dealing with a veterinarian based on that.
Cause 4: Skin problems (parasites, allergies)
If you’re not only losing a lot of hair, but you’re scratching your skin too much, it could be due to parasites such as fleas and ticks, or skin irritation or secondary infections they cause.
Symptomatically and coping strategies vary depending on the type of parasite. Be sure to check with your veterinarian instead of dealing with it on your own. In addition, parasites such as fleas and mites may be brought home by the owner. Even indoor pets have the same risk of infestation and infection.
Cause 5: Hormonal imbalance, tumours, other underlying disorders
Hormonal imbalances can also cause large amounts of hair loss. Some dogs (or breeds) lose their hair excessively after childbirth, lactation, or after castration or contraception.
Hair loss on various parts of the body, hair clots, discoloration of the skin, bacterial infections, ringworm and other fungal infections, thyroid disease, Cushion’s disease, skin allergies, inflammatory bowel disease and inflammatory bowel It may be a disease, a genetic skin problem, etc.
If the skin is dark and discoloured, it may be associated with endocrine imbalances, allergies, or tumours. Report any loss of appetite, excessive fatigue, vomiting, thirst, or marked increase in urination in addition to hair loss and skin discoloration to your veterinarian.
If you have a lot of hair loss and you have other skin irritation, scars, excessive licking / scratching, loss of appetite or loss of energy for a period of time, contact a veterinary clinic. If you have a problem, you can deal with it early, and even if you don’t, you can get advice for improvement.