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My diabetic dachshund has hair loss and vision issues. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Male | unneutered | 18 lbs

Hi there, I have a dachshund. He is genetically diabetic and is currently on diabetes control medicine. He is shedding his hair as you can see in the pictures. Could you suggest any medication grow his hair back? Also, he has got a cataract in his both eyes because of diabetes. After the first attempt of lens changing surgery, he is still not able to see. Our vet says that the cornea of his one eye has been disrupted. Can you guide me about that too?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 6th, 2017

I am sorry to hear about your dachsund! It looks like his hairloss is primarily around his ears/pinnae? and his trunk? It is possible your dachsund suffers from pattern baldness, which can cause this pattern of hair loss in this dog breed. There aren't proven treatments but anecdotal use of some medications such as pentoxifylline and melatonin are reported. I would discuss with your vet whether they feel these are appropriate to try with your dog given his medical history/current medications. As far as the cornea goes, are you certain they didn't say his retina instead of his cornea? The cornea is the surface of the eye, the retina is the back of the eye. In some dogs, if there are problems with the retina we can remove the cataract but the dog still won't be able to see because the retina is damaged already. If they are speaking about the surface of the eye, then it is hard to say without seeing his eye more clearly.

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