Im new to the site and am here on my friends recommendation. I have a 10 month old golden Labrador who round about February started to lose what I would describe as excessive hair and his pink skin went a dark colour. He was being fed Worthingtons dry turkey and rice and we changed it to the same flavour but Harrington’s. The vet suggested salmon and potato but to be honest it’s made no difference that I can see. The dog doesn’t scratch and seems well. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Sandra
Hello, it might not be food related. It could be something else. I had a Malamute that had alopecia x. That’s not typical in labs but has the vet looked for anything else...? Run a blood profile ?
Hi thanks for replying. Vet has not as yet run bloods etc as she said wait another 3 weeks but in her experience she said bloods, skin scrape might not show a cause and could cost a needless £1000
Have a google of Jean Dodds and thyroid issues. Hair loss, coat colour etc are all classic signs of thyroid issues which are way more common than is realised in dogs. It is worth getting a blood test done, as Edp suggests, and asking for a complete thyroid profile (not just a T4) - Jean Dodds has more info on that and what to request. (Most vets won't run a comprehensive enough test.) Other things to consider are vaccine reactions, reactions to flea/tick/wormer medications: These are all pesticides or (vaccines) have ingredients which can cause auto-immune reactions. I would think about whether a vaccine or treatment with any medication preceded this by up to a few weeks before you first saw it.
