Hair loss and raw spots on my cocker spaniel

Question
I have a cocker spaniel who is about 10 years old, Recently she has developed raw, hairless patches across most of her back and sides. The vet has given us numerous shampoos, topical sprays, and cortizone injections we have had urine test and blood work done. Nothing seems to work. She is not scratching and it does not appear to bother her. Just very unsitely. What can I do to ensure her hair grows back?  

Answer

Hi Connie,

There are several things that can cause the kind of hair loss your dog is experiencing. It would be helpful if your vet did a skin scraping test, if that hasn't already been done. Depending on what the underlying condition is, hair may or may not grow back. First, you need to have your dog diagnosed so you can properly treat her, and to have a prognosis as to whether her hair will grow back. Right now, you've only treated the symptoms, nothing has seemed to work because you're basically "hunting and pecking" for answers.

If your vet is having trouble diagnosing your dog, then it's time to have a veterinary dermatologist examine her. If your regular vet can't give you a referral, you can locate a veterinary dermatologist here: https://www.acvd.org (click on "find a dermatologist" from the menu on the left).

Best of luck,

Patti