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Why is my puppy's shoulder bald, oily, and skin thick with dandruff?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Female | unspayed | 10 lbs

My puppy had a bald patch on her shoulder and it's covered in dandruff. Feels oily to the touch and the skin also seems thicker than the rest.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 19th, 2017

Hello and thank you for your post! A patch of hair loss could indicate multiple things. I am assuming that she is quite Young since you are calling her a puppy. If she is very young, she might have a patch of hair loss due to skin mites called Demodex. This patch could also be infectious, bacterial or fungal. I would suggest getting her seen by her veterinarian to have diagnostic tests performed to see what the primary cause of this patch of hair loss is. Your veterinarian will likely scrape the skin in that affected area as an initial test. Depending on the cause, that will be able to prescribe the most appropriate treatments for this. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other concerns that you may have. I am also available via text or phone consultation.

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