by Laura Magureanu

Created on: December 23, 2009

Dogs lose their coat on a daily basis, but in more serious cases, you may even notice bald patches on the dog’s skin, a condition known as alopecia. It is important to learn how to treat hair loss in order to prevent such things, as well as asking a vet if the hair loss is caused by more severe illnesses that may affect your pet. Here are the main guidelines on how to treat hair loss in dogs:

1. Visit your vet. In order to treat hair loss in dogs effectively, you need first to identify the cause. For that, you have to take your pet to the vet and ask for a thorough inspection before finding out about the best methods of treatment.

2. When the hair loss in dogs is caused by dermatitis, often the dog tends to scratch intensively in some areas. In order to ease your dog’s suffering, use some topical ointment, and, if the areas in question get inflamed, you can even use a specialized shot to reduce the inflammation.

3. In case of food allergies accompanied by hair loss, you will need to supervise closely what your dog is eating. You may find out that you need to change the dog’s diet entirely, while, sometimes, you will just need to take out the exact ingredient that caused the food allergy in the first place.

4. Sometimes your dog may experience hair loss as a result of depression or boredom. If you think that is the case for your pet, talk to the vet, and ask for their opinion on the matter. Dogs can feel stress or boredom in the same way as humans do, and they may experience hair loss as a result. Your vet can recommend the best toys for your dog, and maybe you should spend a little more time with it, and play with your companion.

5. Bacteria and yeast can also be responsible for hair loss in dogs. Special shampoos and creams are designed to help relieve your friend’s suffering.

6. Hair loss can also be the result of a genetic disorder, but only the vet can tell if that is the cause. Medication is usually prescribed.

7. Because hair loss can be associated with other illnesses, like Cushing’s syndrome, or telogenic defluxion, the said illnesses must be treated, along with hair loss treatment.

There are many things that you can do in order to treat hair loss in dogs. Keep in mind that you must always talk to your vet about the problem, as underlying diseases may be the culprit. Also, the vet is the right person to teach you how to treat hair loss in dogs.

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