Danes hair loss

Question
My 10 month old Blue female started shedding in small spots on her backbone. The spots have increased to her neck, back and a couple on her legs in a matter of days. There are no signs of dry skin or redness. This loss does not seem to bother her at all but hasn't slowed and I am starting to get concerned...I plan on contacting her vet but was wondering if you had any thoughts. Reading about mange and starting to get concerned.

Answer
Hello Hayley and thanks for your question.

You definately want to have her evaluated by her vet and you may want to look into the possibility of getting her thyroid and adrenal glands tested. Some medical conditions related to these glands can cause this type of hairloss, so to be safe, if the vet doesn't think it's some type of parasite (mites, lice, or fungus) then a full thyroid panel and adrenal testing would be in order. These conditions are treated with medications (for the most part) that a dog would take for the remainder of their life (usually).

It doesn't sound like a mange problem to me because it is starting along the back ridge and spreading from there, so I wouldn't worry about that.

You might find some information on hypothyroidism or Addisons on this site www.merckvetmanual.com