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Why is my puppy losing hair and getting bald spots on his legs?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 40 lbs

I've noticed that my puppy has thinning hair and almost bald spots on his back legs. Its going to be another week until I can afford to get him to a vet. What could this be? And is it safe to wait a week to get him to the vet?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Steve Popish, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 9th, 2017

Glad you asked! Definitely looks to be a problem. This problem could be related to any number of skin diseases including nutrition, parasites, minor skin infections, or allergies. Depending on whether this area is itchy or not, this may determine what kind of tests your veterinarian may run to narrow the problem down. In any event, waiting a week or so won't change much, but you should get an appointment on the books with your veterinarian as soon as financially possible. The sooner we find out what's causing it, the sooner we can treat it appropriately. May require medication, bathing, or anti parasite products to help out the condition. Good luck and thanks for reaching out. Steve Popish, DVM.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello, sorry to hear about Lolo. It could indicate a couple of things. If you're not feeding him a puppy food, I would worry about a potential dietary deficiency, however this could also indicate evidence of an allergy or less likely a parasite infection. Puppies can also shed their puppy coat out in change for their adult coat, but the change is not as prominent as Lolo is showing. It looks like the condition is not an emergency and as long as he is otherwise eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating normally then I would wait until you can afford to bring him into the vet. Best of luck and hope this helps!

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