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

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.

There are multiple possible causes for hair loss. Bacterial skin infection, skin mange, hormonal disease, genetic or from shedding. With the age of Lucy, I would recommend having her veterinarian examine her and do a skin scraping on her skin. This is a simple test thst entails using a scalpel blade to scrape the surface of the skin to see of there are skin mites present. This is a very good test to do and will not hurt Lucy. Once confirmed, the most appropriate treatment can begin. This may also be a bacterial skin infection called pyoderma, in which case an oral antibiotic and topical ointments are likely needed. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

I am sorry to hear about your puppy! We would be concerned with hair loss and rashes about potential bacterial infections of the skin, mange mites, yeast or fungal infection, or allergies with a secondary infection. I would recommend bringing Dallas in to the vet for an exam. They can test for mites and bacteria and based on their findings can prescribe the appropriate treatment which may include oral medication or medicated baths.