My poor yorkipoo is balding on one side. What could be causing this?

[Irie Pirate]

She's 5 years old, spayed, a little overweight, and has allergies.

She had fleas at one point but that's taken care of.

Please help, I'm worried about her and I plan on making an appointment first thing Monday. Until then, I'd like some ideas as to what could be causing this, and if other yorkipoo owners have experienced the same thing.

Here's a pic of her: http://twitter.com/Irie_Pirate/status/27...10/photo/1
She is eating, drinking, and eliminating perfectly fine, and I've always been feeding her the same brand of food, and this just now happened.

For the extremely rude answerer, I for one, did NOT purchase the dog, it was a gift from a family friend. And I don't care what breed she is, she is my baby and I love her dearly and I'm concerned for her health. She has a loving family. Take your pitbull and SWERVE.

[Mandee The Midget]

You have a poorly bred mutt with allergies and that is the problem. There is no such breed as 'yorkipoo'. It is a Yorkshire Terrier x Poodle mix from a scumbag breeder end of. Congratulations on supporting puppy mills and backyard breeders with the purchase of a "designer" mutt.

[oppiol mom]

It could be from allergies and scratching or it could even be Alopecia. Your vet should be able to tell you.

[Katie]

An allergy to something without a doubt!

[Laurie]

Could be food allergies. Find a food without any wheat, corn or soy. I feed mine Nutro for small dogs mixed with canned Wellness Core. I adopted her and she had thin hair. Now it is becoming fuller and healthier looking after only a month..
Another thing to look at is if she is rubbing herself up against something. Is she in a kennel and trying to get out? This could cause the balding. The vet can do some skin tests to see if she has a dermatitis. Let them know if she is chewing or licking the area excessively. Do not over bathe her as this can cause skin problems too. I just asked about the proper shampoo for my Yorkie mix that I adopted a month ago. I will not give her baths often because she is a house dog and will just need her daily brushing.

[MadDestroyer734]

There is no such breed as "yorkipoo". You have a Yorkshire Terrier x Poodle. Hopefully you got that particular mutt from a shelter and not a BYB or mill.

You said it yourself that the dog has allergies. Dogs with allergies loose fur. That was kind of a no-brainer if you ask me. Stop feeding her whatever you are feeding her and start on a diet of cooked meat and vegetables (or raw, depends on you). Slowly introduce new things to the diet to find out what is causing the allergy, then remove the allergen all together. Once the allergen is removed the hair should start to grow back.

Also shorten her walks. It is an allergy season so the allergen could be environmental. Maybe your vet will give the dog an allergy shot. Once the shot is administered the hair should grow back on its own after a while.


Alopecia is another possibility but allergies seem like it is more of a probability since the dog has known allergies

[♥*Ria*♥]

first of all i want to say there is a lot of rude people here ...your puppy is a living soul!t hat's all i have to say...as for the rude ones go to HELL

[shawn]

You already know that your dog has allergies, so that could be what is going on once again. Also, at her age and being a little overweight, she could have a thyroid problem. This can cause skin issues in dogs. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a thyroid test done on her.

Alopecia just means hair loss, so don't get concerned over people here who are tellling you it could be that. If she's losing her hair of course it is!

Your dog's allergies could be seasonal, from something she's inhaling -- could be food --- could be contact allergy, or could be a combination of those.

I would find an experience vet with a compassionate staff. He/she will give your dog something to control the itching (we use temaril p or medrol most of the time) and if the skin is actually infected, antibiotics such as cephalexin will be used for possibly even 30 days. Your vet can perform a skin cytology to diagnose the issue regarding infection. Some vets will just do this by sight.

Our docs recommend Science Diet Sensitive Skin food first. If that doesn't help, they can move into prescription diets, such as d/d or z/d ultra (see the Hills Science Diet Website.) Adding omega 3 fatty acid supplement couldn't hurt anything, and may help.

Beware of medicated shampoos. Some actually rough up the layers of the skin, inviting infection. A good oatmeal shampoo without perfumes, etc, (for dogs) would be a good choice. You have to make sure your dog is thoroughly dried.

For inhalent allergies, you just manage them with whatever meds work -- trying to avoid heavy steroid use. Benedryl works sometimes, but not often. The meds I mentioned earlier DO work.

There is allergy testing for dogs. A blood sample is sent to the lab, and the results will give you all the sensitivities found. Some people will give allergy injections to their dogs. I believe they work in about 1/3 of the cases.
Food allergies are not diagnosed with blood testing. The solution there is to go with a food, such as z/d ultra, which the body cannot recognize and react to. Your dog is small, so it wouldn't be too terribly expensive to just keep her on it, provided your vet agrees. The food is made in a sterile environment -- nothing like foods being sold anywhere else.

SO your dog may have allergy to fleas, to foods, to something in the air, or something she's touching. Allergies cannot be cured, but managed. You need to find a good vet who'll work with you. Ours will allow refills without exams after they are sure their recommendations are being followed faithfully. Flea and food allergies are easiest to deal with.

I hope this helps you. I have been a vet tech and have owned a lab that was allergic to most everything.