My dog has dry, itchy, flaky skin and is losing hair. What's wrong?

Question

Hi! I have a 4-year old female black shih tzu with a seemingly severe skin condition. Her skin is extremely dry, itchy, and it flakes off due to her excessive scratching. Her hair also seemed to have stopped growing, and there are uneven patches (her face and legs have normal hair thickness and the rest of her body hair have thinned that her skin is quite visible). What could be her condition? I'm getting really worried. Thank you. Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | unspayed | 12 lbs

Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA · Accepted Answer

What you describe can be caused any many different problems. Mites, seborrhea sicca, environmental allergies, food hypersensitivity, and thyroid disease are all on my list of possible causes. I usually start with testing and trial therapy for mites, medicated shampoos, Fish oil supplements, and sometimes antihistamines. I would highly encourage you to have her seen by a veterinarian to help formulate a plan to figure out the underlying problem and get her back to normal. Best of luck I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

My dog has dry, itchy, flaky skin and is losing hair. What's wrong?

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