Why is my female dog losing her fur in cycles and never had a heat?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Rosie! Since Rosie is older I would have her examined by a Vet. There are some endocrine conditions like hypothyroidism (low thyroid) and cushings disease that can change the hair coat. Also underlying metabolic conditions can affect the health of the fur and since you mentioned that she appears thin, I think full blood work (with a thyroid and urine) is what Rosie needs. I hope this helps and I wish Rosie the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. She may have mastitis which could explain the discharge from her nipples. That is something your veterinarian can evaluate. 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 may be due to true skin problems like allergy or skin infection. However, if she doesn't show excessive skin itchiness or redness she may have hormonal problems (diabetes, underactive thyroid gland, overactive adrenal gland etc). You shoud get her checked by your vets. They are likely to recommend skin testing and blood test to find out what is going on.

Lesions that are getting worse could indicate skin mites which could get worse with her hormone changes. Sometimes changes in the hair coat can be due to her hormones. I recommend to have Rosie examined by the veterinarian who can test for mites easily. I hope this helps.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Rose with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

Poor Pan! Hair loss and color changes to the skin can be due to a number of things. It would be best to have her examined by your vet to rule out any immediate issues such as a vaginal infection or irritation that could be causing problems. Bloodwork can also check for issues such as metabolic disease that may cause symptoms as well. Parasites, skin issues, and other skin-related problems may also cause similar symptoms.

Hi, there are a number of different causes for hair loss in dogs. First of all dogs shed hair normally as part fo the normal hair cycle. However, if you notice areas on your dog’s fur where fur is missing, then it could be secondary to a skin condition. There are 2 categories of skin diseases, those that cause itchiness and those that don’t cause itchiness. In the first one, dogs can have skin parasites such as fleas or mites, in the second one the hair loss can be secondary to a metabolic condition such hypothyroidism for example.