The American Beagler Forum

I have a 9 week old puppy that is is losing some hair. He has been penned above ground since he was born. Yesterday I noticed some small patches of hair were gone, mainly on the top of his head and on his shoulders. He shares a kennel with a litermate who shows no signs of this. He still eats good and is very playful. My first thought was fleas, so I gave him a bath in dish soap. Today it appears to have worsened. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Sam

Make sure his coat is prefectly clean and dry. Lots of pups get poop in their coat and, if left in, the hair will shed in that spot. Change the bedding often, or better still, use no bedding (assuming the climate is warm). The occasional wash is a good idea but don't bath him too often, rinse him thoroughly, and towel dry him. A little exposure to sunlight is good for a dog that is housed in a very shaddy area most of the time. I would not be too concerned about mange at his age unless he has been exposed to a high concentration of mites. Good luck!

Thanks Chuck. I doesn't seem to be any worse today. The pups are very clean. They are on wire so any poop or pee goes right thru. The areas where he is losing it doesn't appear to be irratated at all. No flakes either.

Sam

The problem may be demodex, and the pup might have a faulty immune systems, then the underlying problem might actually be in their diet. Look for scabs.

Havn't noticed any scabs yet. Gave him a bath in a sulphor based shampoo. Hopefully it will go away. Trying to stay away from the vet visit. One good thing is its not getting worse. Appears to be new hair coming in.
Sam

I have 2 12 wk old littermates that look as you have described. Being that it is on the head and front shoulders, I assumed it is where they fight/play and are chewing on each other ALL of the time. I have never seen 2 pups go at it continuously like these 2 do!

I have thought about that too. They are extremely rough. The only thing is, only one is losing hair. Are both of yours losing hair?

They are kind of back of back and forth. I think it depends on who happens to be winning for the week. Now that they are 12 wks, it isn't nearly as bad.