Canine Alopecia: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | Probiotic MicroMed

Hair loss, either partial or complete, can be caused by many health issues, and if itching is present this should be investigated first.  Most dogs develop the hair loss (acquired alopecia) as opposed to congenital alopecia where the dog is born with hair loss, both of which can be inflammatory or not.  Causes could be from a traumatic event, a burn or more rare - poisoning, from thallium, mercury or iodine. Other inflammatory causes may be bacterial, fungal or from mites, or if allergies are present this may also cause this condition.  There is usually another condition present that is being masked by the alopecia hence why testing is important.

SYMPTOMS:

Complete or partial loss of hair from any part of the body outside of the normal seasonal, shedding of the coat.  

CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT:

Testing for underlying hormonal or metabolic issues, and protein deficiency should always be performed by a veterinarian if at all possible.  Many dogs will lose hair due to stress, poor nutrition or health issues such as microbial dysbiosis. 

MicroMed Note: Alopecia is a sign of a system out of balance.  If we determine where this imbalance originates it is likely to have begun in the gut, through a process of microbial dysbiosis, leading to inflammation, low immunity and possibly this in turn leading to a Leaky Gut, also known as Intestinal Permeability.  This is where the gut becomes too permeable and substances that should not gain access to the bloodstream do so, and this in turn sets up an accumulating immune reaction.  Re-establishment of microbial balance is necessary, to help reduce inflammation, strengthen immunity and restore equilibrium.  Studies show that microbial balance can now positively affect whole body health - or disease - so re-establishing the microbial balance where it is often missing is an important step.   The gut and microbiome of the skin are one of the most important foundations of good health, alongside a species appropriate diet.  Often we do not realise the microbiome has been disrupted until an implicating condition develops.