can tears cause hair loss around a dogs eyes

Question
i went on vacation, and left my Daushaund at a kenel. upon picking him up, he has black around his eyes. he is red in color, and uder his eyes was the color of his hair. Now he has black under the eyes. i asked the owner of the kennel why his appearance changed, and she is telling me, it is his pigment and normal. he did not look like this before. if he was crying while i was gone, could this cause hair loss around the eyes? and will the hair grow back? he looks like he has black eyes or eyeliner on. Best way i can describe how he looks. i went to my vets office, and the check in gorl, thought maybe he had hair loss. she said his eyes look clear and good. any ideas? the lady at the kennel was defensive when i asked her why he had black under his eyes. i am just wondering, f he had been crying, if that could cause this. he has been back home now, about 4 days, and appearance still the same.

Answer

Hi Lisa,

Dogs do not cry tears, so even if your dog was crying while at the kennel, that would not account for hair-loss around the eyes.

So, you took your dog to the veterinarian.  Besides the check-in-girl's opinion,  what did the vet think of this?   Your vet can certainly give you more information than I, or any Internet help site could.  Is your dog itching around his eyes? Did your vet do a skin scrape test, or any blood work?

If the hair-loss doesn't get better, or if your dog is itching around her eyes, or if the skin looks inflamed or broken, then it's time to go back to the vet, and have some diagnostic tests done.  There are many diseases and conditions which can cause a dog to lose hair, ranging from autoimmune disorders, hereditary, Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism), allergic reactions, and Seborrhea. Nobody online can diagnose your dog for you.

Best of luck,

Patti