My dachshund's hair is thinning. Could it be a chicken food allergy?

Hair loss can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Pixie seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the hair loss as soon as you can. The vet may want to look at a sample from the areas of hair loss (taken by a procedure known as a skin scraping) and examined under the microscope to determine what kind(s) of infection may be present and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for using our consultation service. dogs that are his age and breed can sometimes get conditions or diseases that can cause all of the dermatological symptoms you are experiencing. Some of the possibilities include shedding, food allergies, breed specific pattern baldness, flea bite dermatitis, ringworm, etc. In order to find out exactly what is going on, you need to have your local veterinarian do a complete physical examination as soon as possible before this gets worse. Your vet will want to do some testing such as a skin scrape, ringworm culture, bloodwork, etc. so that they can make a correct diagnosis. Although this certainly could be considered shedding, it is fairly unlikely because there are patches missing in different places. Therefore, this is most likely a condition or disease that needs to be diagnosed by a veterinarian. I hope I have provided you with the answer you needed. Have a great day.

Poor gizmo! There are many possible reasons for scratching including food sensitivities, environmental allergies and parasites or infections. A full check up and allergy blood tests would be recommended, a hydrolyzed diet trial with royal canin anallergenic would be required to investigate fully any food related issues if no other causes are found

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If he is itchy at all then it could be due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

It's very possible there is a food allergy, such as chicken, if you notice a reaction after he eats it. A food trial with your vet may be a good idea so that you can gradually reintroduce ingredients under direct supervision and note which cause a response. Checking treats and people food is also a good idea as the ingredients in those can cause reactions even if the daily diet does not. Food trials can take 6-8 weeks to see results, so you may need to have Buddy on a limited diet for a while to see if anything helps. Another option would be to seek out an allergy specialist that could test Buddy, or try out alternative allergy treatments to the steroid shot to see if anything has positive results for him.

Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose and treat, for the pet, the pet owner, and the veterinarian! It is the most common cause for itching in dogs. Medications like Apoquel can eliminate the itch due to allergies, though it won't work if there is a secondary bacterial or yeast infection. Food allergies won't be treated simply by a better diet, they need to be strictly on a prescription hypoallergenic diet without other dog or human treats, and even then it can take 3-6 weeks to see positive effects. Until then, anti-itch medications, steroids, or shampoos/topical mousses can be used to minimize the itch and treat any present infection. I would recommend continuing to work with your vet to find the best solution to Toes's itch issue.

At his age I would consider an endocrine problem such as Cushings disease or s low thyroid. These can cause hair loss and skin infections. Your vet can do a skin scraping to check for parasites and lab work to check for the endocrine problems. If there are raw spots now you can apply some cortisone cream until you can get him treated