my yellow lab puppy has hair loss

Question
well i have a 5 moonth old yellow lab. she has started getting spots of hair loss on her legs and also on the side of her face and on the top pf her head. the one on top of her head covers a large area. but there is no itching in any of the areas and also its just her pink skin there is no scabs or flakes. it has started to develope a bit more now and she is getting a couple more spots of hair loss areas. she does swim everyday almost in our pool and im not sure if it could be the chlorine in the pool or if its her food. i feed her Pedigree puppy food.

Answer

Hi Illari,

There are many diseases and conditions which can cause a dog to lose hair. Some of these may be considered normal, others can indicate a serious disease is present.

Your pool's chlorinated water could make your dog sick if she drank enough of it,  and it might irritate her eyes. It's a good idea to rinse your dog thoroughly in clean water after she's been in the pool because it can dry her skin, but pool water wouldn't cause hair-loss.

Since there isn't itching, and her skin is in good condition the problem may not be a parasitic, such as mange mites. The problem might be a hormonal condition or a thyroid disorder. Your dog needs to be examined by your veterinarian to find out what exactly is going on.

Best of luck,
Patti