Im a little worried!!

Question
1)My 2 year old Staffy had a little bald patch occuring in the centre of his head id this normal?
2)my 11/2 year old dog tend to eat a bowl of dry food mixed with half a tin of tinned food in under 30 seconds and isnt gaining the correct amount of weight that she should be for her breed, is this normal?
3)When is the correct age to breed a bicth?
Please help!!!! many thanks.

Answer
Hi Emma,

Dogs can experience hair loss for a variety of reasons, ranging from parasites such as mange or ringworm, food allergy and sometimes inhalant allergies, hereditary,  hormonal disorders, and  immunity deficiencies. Some dogs have seasonal hair loss(alopecia)during the colder months and other dogs during the warmer months, this kind of hair loss is considered normal for the dogs that experience it.

If your dog is scratching at the area of hair loss, or if it's looking red, scaly or oozing, or the area seems to be getting larger, you should have your vet examine the dog now.
If it's not bothering your dog, and it's not getting bigger, keep an eye on it, and point it out to your vet, the next time you're in for an appointment.

If this is a male that you're planning on breeding, you should get the hair loss diagnosed before breeding him. You don't to pass on genetic flaws to the puppies.

Eating quickly isn't uncommon for dogs, especially when there's more than one dog in the house.  Gulping food can cause stomach and digestive system upset because the dog takes in large amounts of air with the food. You might be able to slow her eating down by feeding her in a separate room than the other dog to reduce competition for food.
Place a large object in the food dish (forcing your dog to take more time and smaller bites as she eats around the obstruction). The object you place in her bowl should be something that is too large for her to pick up in her mouth. Try a ping-pong ball for a small dog, or a baseball or softball for a larger size breed.

How much to feed varies depending on the brand and quality of food. Whatever food you're feeding her will have feeding guidelines on the package. When deciding how much to feed your dog, take into account her ideal weight or size and activity level. You didn't say how many ounces the can of food is that you're using, or what breed the dog is. At a year and a half, I would imagine that she's still an active dog. If you think she looks thin, try feeding her a little more.

For breeding, a female should be at least two years of age (but not over six years of age), and has had at least two heat seasons. Before breeding you should have your dog examined by your vet to confirm she is in excellent physical condition, suffers from no health problems, has good skin condition, and is not allergic to anything. You'll want to have your dog's vaccinations current, any boosters shots should have been given four to eight months prior to breeding. You don't want to inoculate a pregnant dog.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti