Common Conditions

FOR YOUR PeT CommonConditions follicle directly include the following: include following: the directly follicle thehair affect of can conditions. Conditions that by a variety caused be can Alopecia observed. be can or baldness alopecia area, enough over alarge happens this When hindered. be can regrowth hair and occur can loss hair infection, or inflammation by or affected destroyed, damaged, are follicles hair If its turn. in itreplaced shed and is until follicle hair the held is within hair new the shed and is hair old the occurs, this toit. replace grows When hair anew until follicle ahair within it maintained is grows, Once follicle. ahair hair healthy, functioning on depends a and acycle in occurs growth Hair Alopecia? Causes What alopecia. consistent with or baldness hair thinning of to enough areas create itfor heavy if concern is should acause only be Shedding illness. not an is and some process in pets) anormal is shedding (even Shedding shedding. year-round increased with should not confused be Alopecia grow back. it can lost than more is or rate, quickly when hair normal to grow at a fails when hair occur can Alopecia loss. Alopecia Alopecia? Is What • • • Alopecia hair will grow back over time. over back grow will hair the destroyed, or damaged permanently been not has follicle hair the If treatable. are alopecia of causes Many mites. or fleas with infestations and diseases, hormonal infections, skin including Alopecia can result from a variety of medical conditions, back. grow can it than quickly more lost is hair when or rate anormal at grow to fails hair when occur loss) can (hair Alopecia • • hair follicle) hair theclog to organisms fungal and flakes/cells Demodectic mange mange Demodectic Ringworm follicle) hair the in living mites Demodex is the medical term used to describe hair hair to describe used term medical the is (a fungal infection that causes skin skin causes that infection (a fungal (caused by microscopic of an area of hair, or hair loss significant enough enough to significant loss of hair, or hair area of an The most obvious clinical sign alopeciaof isthinning Clinical the Alopecia? Are Signs of What on body. the or elsewhere ears on their baldness develop pattern can follicles), dachshunds, some as such and breeds, hair functioning abnormally born with was pet the created. are areas bald until limbs back and flanks on their condition hair groom may the this household. with the in Cats or changes stress by caused often behavior acompulsive grooming is biting. and scratching from repetitive infections wounds on their skin, and develop secondary bacterial remove hair, create their can and intense itching even moreexperience to fleas allergic are Pets that patches. bald create and out hair to their pull pets itchy cause can for out example, Fleas, its hair. pulls

• • • Thereare rarecases of congenitalalopecia (meaning which alopecia, psychogenic experience can Cats Alopecia resultcan when a pet itsdamages skin or Seborrhea follicle) hair the damage clog and cells inflammatory and bacteria, debris, skin Pyoderma infections or seborrhea can also occur) also or seborrhea can infections skin secondary of hormonal changes; because disrupted is cycle growth hair the which in disease, gland adrenal and thyroid disease Glandular or hormonal diseases diseases hormonal or Glandular follicle) thehair of clogging causes cells skin of flaking (a skin condition in which excessive excessive condition (a which in skin (a bacterial skin infection in which which in infection skin (a bacterial (such as

Common Conditions

create bald spots. Other changes on the skin may These samples can be examined under a micro- help your veterinarian determine the cause of the scope to check for mites. alopecia. These include scabs, redness of the skin, • Cytology: Using a swab, or by gently touching excessive crusting or discharge, dandruff, or wounds. the flat surface of microscope slide to the skin, In some cases, such as with thyroid disease or other samples of skin flakes and debris can be obtained glandular conditions, the skin may look relatively for examination under a microscope to determine normal except for hair thinning or hair loss. what types of inflammatory cells, skin cells, or Pets with alopecia may or may not have itching. bacteria may be present. In some cases, the hair may pull out very easily when • Bacterial culture: If the skin is infected or the pet is touched. wounds are present, your veterinarian may collect some of this material to identify specific How Is Alopecia Diagnosed? bacteria. A medical history and physical examination findings • Skin biopsy: Using local anesthesia (or possibly can provide valuable information for your veterinarian. sedation or general anesthesia) your veterinarian The medical history may include trying to determine may want to obtain a small sample of skin tissue. how long the hair loss has been going on and whether This can be submitted to a diagnostic laboratory any other signs of illness have been observed. Physical for examination of the skin cells, hair follicles, examination findings may reveal evidence of underlying and other structures within the skin. illness. For example, a dog with thyroid disease may be overweight and have a slower than normal heart If your veterinarian suspects that alopecia may be rate, or your veterinarian may find fleas or “flea dirt” caused by skin allergies, he or she may recommend (flea feces) on a pet that has a flea infestation. a test to determine what the pet may be allergic A diagnosis of alopecia means trying to identify an to. Similarly, if an illness such as thyroid disease is underlying cause. Your veterinarian may recommend suspected, blood testing or other specific diagnostic specific tests to obtain more information about the tests may be recommended. condition of your pet’s skin: How Is Alopecia Treated? • Fungal culture: If ringworm is suspected, your Treatment for alopecia should involve treating the veterinarian can pluck a few hairs from several underlying cause. Fortunately, flea infestation, mange, areas on your pet’s skin and place the hair pyoderma, and many other causes of alopecia are samples on a culture medium (a substance that treatable conditions. Medications given by mouth is used to grow microscopic organisms). This (such as antibiotics or antifungal medications), can be tested to confirm a diagnosis of ringworm. medicated shampoos, and products to control fleas • Skin scraping: If your veterinarian suspects may be recommended. demodectic mange, samples of skin associated Once the underlying problem has been addressed, with the hair follicle can be tested. This involves the hair follicles recover over time. If the hair follicles using a scalpel blade to gently scrape several have not been permanently damaged or destroyed, hairless areas of skin. Because these mites live the hair will grow back. However, if a skin infection deep inside the hair follicle, the skin scraping or other skin trauma has been severe enough to must be deep enough to cause minor bleeding damage or destroy hair follicles, areas of baldness in order to capture samples that contain mites. may remain. FOR YOUR PeT © 2011 Vetstreet Inc. Created and peer-reviewed by Vetlearn. Brought to you by Vetstreet. Vetlearn grants permission to individual veterinary clinics to print and distribute this handout for the purposes of client education. Posting on an external website without written permission from Vetlearn is a violation of copyright laws.