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My dog is scratching and losing hair. What's the cause and solution?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 5 months old | 46 lbs

My dog is scratching too much and now she's getting bald. What should I do with her? I'm from the Philippines and all I can find are grooming shops without vets.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Susan England-Foster

Veterinarian

Published on July 2nd, 2017

Poor Zelda. I would recommend trying an flea prevention every 30 days. Also you can use an over the counter anti histamine and medicated shampoo. The most common reason for itchy skin is allergies (food, fleas, environment). If Zelda does not improve or get worse i would recommend taking her to a veterinarian to make sure she does not have skin mites or an underlying endocrine disease like hypothyroidism or cushings disease.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 11th, 2018

    Itchy skin and hair loss is often due to the following things: 1) Allergies - this can happen suddenly and is usually due to an environmental (i.e pollen) cause. 2) External parasites - fleas, lice and mites can all cause intense itching. It's good to check him for fleas and get treatment if needed. 3) Over-bathing, or using the wrong product for bathing - Bathing too often can cause the skin to get dry and irritated. Dogs should normally be bathed no more than once a month with a shampoo that is labeled for dogs. If you bathe more than that, or use a shampoo or soap that is meant for people, then you could be damaging the normal protective barrier of the skin. One thing you can do for itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. I hope this helps you to identify the problem. If not, then it would be worth taking him to the vet. We can usually discover the cause quickly and provide the most effective treatment.

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