What causes dog hair loss, dry skin, and white patches on their tail?

Question

I have a Lab/Pointer Mix who is a year and a half. His name is Buddy. When I resuced him in May, he had 2 patches on his back, near his shoulder blades, where he’s experienced some hair loss. Doctors say it may be scars. But recently, Buddy tail started to get a white patch and the hair on his tail became extremely dry and rough. Later, Buddy’s hair fell out where the white patch was. I started feeding him coconut oil, hoping it would put moisture in his skin and it has, but what causes this? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 4 months old | 65 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

What causes dog hair loss, dry skin, and white patches on their tail?

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