Hair loss

[Natalie]

One of my boys has recently started losing hair on his stomach and chest area. I noticed over the past week or two that his hair had started thinning in this area. He has no bumps or redness, but does seem to be licking his paws a few times a day. He eats Eagle Pack Holistic Select chicken meal and rice, and has for about a year. He is about 1 1/2 now. I read that this could be environmental or seasonal and I bathe him weekly already. Can food allergies start after they have been on the same food that long? Any thoughts? Thank you

[Tatiana]

Check out the description of the food: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?pro... It gets only a 3-star rating and has practically zero healthy protein, but a lot of filler, including tomato pummice and other ingredients that commonly make dogs itchy... It's got chicken meal, not real chicken, + refined chicken fat as it's 1st and 4th ingredients along with rice and more rice, which really aren't essential to a dog's diet.

None of us can really tell you what's ailing him... Only a veterinarian can examine and diagnose your dog... What we can tell you is that allergies of any kind can manifest themselves between the ages of 6 months and up to 4 years... Whether it's a contact, environmental or food-related allergy, however, is for you and your veterinarian to determine...

It's the end of the summer season and don't know where you live exactly, but Frenchies typically "blow" their coat two times a year and their fall / winter coats start to come in and it tends to be more obvious in pieds because of their fareness... If your dog doesn't have allergies, doesn't have redness or bumps (i.e. a pyodermal or follicular infection), he may just be shedding dander...

Paw-licking is unwanted behavior that many dogs enjoy... There're normal grooming needs that dogs perform on themselves... There's boredom or tedium that can sometimes be redirected by enticing them with a chew bone or large-sized hoof and engaging your dog in more exercise (longer walks) and tiring them out... There's Obsessive-Compulssiveness that could be a mild side-effect of a neurological disorder... And then there are infections (i.e. yeast or other bacterial that you would probably be able to see or smell) or discomfort (dry paw pads, splinters, glass pieces, etc.) and dogs will lick themselves relentlessly if they are unable to remove the item that's embedded and undetectable to the naked eye... Dogs do lick themselves... You need to determine how much is too much licking and then try and figure out the problem (if there even is one)... Do you wipe his paws when he comes indoors? You could try anti-bacterial wipes or spraying a 50-50 solution of distilled vinegar and filtered water (and drying the dog's paws thoroughly).

[Trish]

The 'meal' version of the protein source, is actually better than the meat listed as a whole. Meal is the meat source with the water removed. If the meat sources as a whole are listed as one of the first ingredients, once the water is removed, they would be more accurately placed further down on the list since the ingredients are listed by weights and amounts.

Your dog could be displaying food or environmental allergies.. my Louie has allergies, and he doesn't usually get itchy because of his allergies, just gets bumps and has some red skin. Seems odd that your Frenchie is just losing hair in some places and that there aren't bumps or any redness.. maybe he is just shedding like Tatiana said but I wouldn't think that the shedding would be in a localized area like that. My Boston Terrier tends to get thin hair on some parts of her body like behind her ears and on the side of her head.. not sure why.

It is possible for a dog to become allergic to their food after a prolonged period of time though, a lot of people suggest switching up protein sources. I'm a little more limited to what I can change, since Louie has to eat a fish based kibble due to his allergies, but we supplement his diet with canned food, and we switch back and forth between rabbit, duck, venison, and buffalo.

[Leroy Brown]

My lil guy has started shedding a ton also! but he is not balding anywhere. Unfortunately i haven't been able to get him on a consistent brand of food. He has been so stubborn about what he likes. We started on Science Diet, switched to Nutro, and went to Pedigree, then Eukanuba... he seems to love them the first day, then after that he ignores his food bowl! Back to the shedding, im hoping this is his phase of "Blowing his coat" because hair will come out when i pull on it, and sheds immensely. Is this normal? I mean he still has a healthy looking coat of hair, hes just losing so much.

[Trish]

Excessive shedding can also be caused by a poor diet. All of the foods you mentioned are all pretty low quality. Check out the 5 and 6 star foods on www.dogfoodanalysis.com .. one of my Frenchies has food allergies, and my Boston has a sensitive stomach, and I haven't been able to keep them on any of the 6 star foods successfully without causing tummy upsets, and what they're eating right now, only ranks a 4 star, but only because it has a low meat content, and I supplement their diet with very high quality canned food (Instinct 95% Rabbit, Duck, and/or Venison).. so they really basically are getting what a 5 star food ranks since I add the canned food to them. I also supplement their diet with fish oil, coconut oil, and vitamin c, and I really think the combination of those 3 things have really cut down on the shedding, in addition to them getting a high quality diet, because my dogs hardly shed at all, no matter what time of the year it is.

[Natalie]

I recently switched my boys to Orijen and they seem to like that. They get a little more gas with it, but nothing big. I had called my doctor and he said fall allergies are really bad this year, even for dogs that normally do not have allergies. I heard this from other frenchie owners also.