Dog hair loss and rash over belly and genital area

by | May 10, 2019 | Ask A Vet, Hair Loss, Skin Issues | 0 comments

by Jackie
(Tucson, AZ, United States)

Both pictures put together.

Both pictures put together.

My uncle’s 10 mo. old blue nose Pitbull Terrier, male has been going through this for about two or three weeks but has been coming back than fading away. It does not effect his activeness nor slows him from having a regular day but sometimes licks the redden area and scratches.

The hair loss boggles me and are a small button like patches that go from the shoulders to the length of his back, he feeds him Beneful. Never gets any table scraps and has a routine treat of dehydrated liver. All natural. Considering on changing his food but I wanted to be sure if its an allergy to the food or something else.

We bath normally and where he sleeps is cleaned daily, I have no idea what could be causing this. There isn’t any grass, no fleas, he has all his vaccines. I hope you can give me a more detail answer. If you happen to know what this is, may you suggest any sort of creams or pills that can clear it up.

Thank you.

Comments for Dog hair loss and rash over belly and genital area

May 06, 2012My Online Vet Response for: Dog hair loss and rash over belly and genital area
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman Hi Jackie,
Your 10 month old Blue nose pit bull is suffering from Puppy Pyoderma, more commonly called ‘folliculitis’. This is an inflammation of the hair follicles. It is seen in pups between the ages of 6 months to 2 years of age, when the immune system is developing and they have been exposed to too many vaccinations.

The DRY Beneful dog food will not be adequate in providing the proper moisture/nutrition to help your dog’s hair coat. Especially since you ALSO live in an arid climate. He needs to have either a canned dog food, or the best would be a RAW dog food diet. This is not a food allergy. See our page on Raw Dog Food Diets.

You may also need to add some Omega 3 fish oils to the diet, if the change to a canned or raw diet is not enough. Add about 500mg per 50 lbs body weight two times daily.

I would NOT recommend anything topical to apply to his skin… that will only attract his attention to the area to lick it off. Bathe him one to two times per week with an oatmeal shampoo or a mild baby shampoo. This will help to clean his skin and remove surface bacteria, but will not dry out his skin. Do this for 2-3 weeks. It may take 3-6 weeks after the diet change to notice a big difference in his haircoat.

If he is NOT getting better, seek the help of a holistic veterinarian to treat him with some homeopathic remedies to remove the effect of ‘vaccinosis’, and also give supplements to provide support for his immune system.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
– Dog Skin Conditions,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Skin Rashes, Marks, Spots, Lesions & Patches (including itchy skin and mange) Section,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Hair Loss Section

Aug 14, 2012Dog’s coat sign of its health?
by: Juan I came across an article that said that a dog’s coat is a sign of the dog’s health. They suggested to change the dog’s diet and also to rub olive oil on the dog’s coat to make it stronger and even make it shiny. If anyone is interested, their link can be found here – http://www.holisticlivingannex.com/2012/07/olive-oil-for-helthy-dog-coat.html

I read their articles often. They recently started a column called holistic veterinary. Perhaps you can use some of the natural remedial ideas found there?

Aug 14, 2012My Online Vet Response for: Dog hair loss and rash over belly and genital area
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman Hi Juan,
Thank you for the suggestion to check out another holistic website for animals, http://www.holisticlivingannex.com/2012/07/olive-oil-for-helthy-dog-coat.html. I was a little apprehensive with the misspelled word in the title,(helthy/should be ‘healthy’), and also that the author of the article is NOT a veterinarian.

Genevieve Tan Shu Thung, LL.B (Hons), M.D.(AM), Ph.D

I am sure that she may be very knowledgeable in law and in human medicine, and perhaps her Ph.D was in Animal Husbandry (?), but since she DID not go to a College of Veterinary Medicine and she does NOT have a DVM or VMD after her name, I am not sure how beneficial her advice would be in relation to animals. For example, she recommends rubbing olive oil into a dog’s hair coat to make it shiny. A far better oil is coconut oil, which is very digestible if it is licked off. After allowing to soak into the skin for 3-4 or even up to 8-12 hours later, you can bathe with either Dawn dish soap or Baby shampoo, to remove any residual ‘greasy’ feel.

Orally, it is far better to add Omega 3 Fish oil to a dog’s food instead of Olive Oil or Flax seed oil. Dogs seem to benefit more from an animal source of oil than from a vegetable source. (From the American Veterinary Medical Association Journal a few years back.)

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Jun 18, 2015Rocky
by: Anonymous Hi i have a 13 month old pit. For the last couple of days I’ve noticed that hes developing rash and he keeps scratching and licking. He also keeps scratching his nipples and has made them bleed. I’ve always fed him pedigree. (Healthy joints) but recently they ‘improved’ their recipe and made it ‘meatier’. Not sure if its that or if its the grass in our back yard thats been drying up because of the heat. I try to wipe him down and we bathe him at least twice a month with flea shampoo and he has no signs of fleas or ticks. I dont know what to do. I just bought some wipeys that are itching relief but im not sure what to do now. Is it contagious??
Jun 19, 2015My Online Vet Response for: Dog Hair Loss and Rash over Belly and Genital area
by: Dr Carol Jean Tillman June 18, 2015

Dear Anonymous,
At this time, I am no longer consulting for Organic Pet Digest, and advise that you locate a local holistic veterinarian to help with your dog’s skin problem. Also, if this service resumes, we only accept new questions from subscribers (the original question above was from a subscriber).

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Click here to go back to the Ask a Vet Online Library of questions.

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