Bald Spots

by Carol Tavella
(Philadelphia, PA)

Reader Question: What Is Causing My 6 Month Old Dog To Bald?

I am fostering a rescued (from Georgia) 6 month old female sharpei-hound mix (we are guessing at age and breed). We've had her for about 2 weeks, and have other dogs in our home (our 2 adult dogs, and her litter-mate). About 5 days ago I noticed a tiny bald spot with a pink area in the center on her shoulder. It has since gotten bigger (now the size of tip of small pinky finger), reddened, and now has a black scab that is hanging off. I now noticed about 6 other tiny spots, also on her shoulders and front legs. She scratches some, but is not really bothered by them.

Attached are pictures. No other dogs show any similar symptoms.

Veterinarian Answers Reader Question Regarding Balding 6 Month Old Canine

Hi,

Several conditions could be causing your foster dog’s symptoms. Due to her age and history, I am most concerned about parasites and ringworm. To diagnose her, I would first perform a physical exam looking for obvious things like fleas and then move on to a skin scraping to look for the mites that cause demodectic and sarcoptic mange, skin cytology to rule out infections, a fecal exam for intestinal parasites, and a fungal culture to check for ringworm.

Get her in to see a veterinarian ASAP. Several of the conditions I mentioned (e.g., ringworm and sarcoptic mange) are contagious to other dogs and to people. The longer you wait, the bigger the problem you may have to deal with.

Best of luck and thanks for fostering!

Jennifer Coates, DVM