Patch of fur missing below eye

Question
Hi Patti,
I have a Labrador retriever/Australian shepherd, male,  7 month old puppy. I recently noticed that he has a small patch of fur missing under his eye. Could that be from fleas? Or could it just be from playing with his sister (who is also 7 mos. old and a Lab/Aussie mix)? Is this a serious problem? It has been present for a little over a week. Thank you for your help Patti!

Answer
Hi Nikki,

You didn't say if your puppy has been scratching, or if the spot where there is hair loss looks red, flaky or scaly, or if you're been able to see any fleas on your dog, or have you found "flea dirt" on your dog. Fleas can cause hair-loss, if your dog has a flea bite hypersensitivity.

Parting your dog's fur, fleas might be seen scurrying along the surface of the skin. They're dark copper colored insects about the size of the head of a pin, fleas dislike light so looking for them within furry areas and on the pet's belly and inner thighs will provide your best chances of spotting them.  "Flea dirt" looks like dark specks of pepper scattered on the skin surface. If you see flea dirt, which is actually flea feces and is composed of digested blood, pick some off your dog and place on a wet paper towel. If after a few minutes the tiny specks spread out like a small blood stain... it's definitely flea dirt and your dog has fleas! Flea dirt may be your only evidence of a flea infestation but believe the evidence! If there is flea dirt there are surely fleas present.

After either ruling out or confirming fleas, without a vet exam, there's no way of knowing why your puppy has hair-loss. There are several medical condition ranging from autoimmune disorders, allergic reactions, any one of several variety of mites, or hormonal abnormalities that can cause hair-loss. So the hair-loss isn't something to be ignored.

Best of luck,
Patti