My dog's tail base is losing hair, why isn't it growing back?

Question

My dog has lost hair on the rump and base of the tail. On the rump, there were reddish patches where the dog would scratch, now they are no longer reddish but black and crusty. Hair has started growing back on the rump, I changed my flea treatment regime and this seems to have helped. I am also batching the dog on a regular basis with an antiseptic added to the water. I still have problems with the tail base though. THERE SEEM TO BE NO ACTION AT ALL IN AS FAR AS HAIR REGGROWTH IS CONCERED. Pet's info: Dog | Boerboel | Male | unneutered | 138 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly 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. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The hair is expected to grow back when the allergies and infections resolve. 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!

My dog's tail base is losing hair, why isn't it growing back?

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