Alopecia - thinning, thinning or complete loss of hair on the dog's body. There are many types of pathology and causes that cause it. In addition to reducing the aesthetic perception of an animal with alopecia, pathology can lead to serious health problems or be a symptom of systemic diseases. When should I immediately go to a veterinary clinic, and when hair loss is a natural process?
Content
- Классификация видов алопеции 1. Classification of alopecia
- Причины появления патологии 2. Causes of pathology
- Симптомы появления патологии 3. Symptoms of the appearance of pathology
- Методы диагностики при алопеции 4. Diagnostic methods for alopecia
- Лечение облысения у собак 5. Treatment of baldness in dogs
Classification of Alopecia
There are several types of classification of alopecia in dogs:
- by origin (inflammatory and non-inflammatory);
- localization (multifocal, symmetrically bilateral, local);
- on time of manifestation (congenital and acquired).
The difficulty of establishing the type of alopecia arises from the lack of a unified classification system, the multiplicity of causes and symptoms of the disease.
The causes of the pathology
All the variety of causes of alopecia can be reduced to two groups. Alopecia occurs on the basis of the following reasons:
- hormonal;
- non-hormonal.
These groups have their own characteristic signs - with hormonal dysfunction, the formation of symmetrically located lesions is noted. In the case of non-hormonal alopecia, the lesions are located chaotically. An allergic reaction to the introduction of drugs or at the site of the introduction of an infectious agent manifests itself as a single focus. For non-hormonal causes of baldness in dogs include:
- allergic reactions (food, drug, pollinosis, contact, to the bites of blood-sucking parasites);
- bacterial and fungal infections;
- parasitic diseases;
- inflammation of the glands of the skin;
- depigmentation of the skin (vitiligo);
- zinc deficiency.
Allergies are common in dogs. It can be carried out when changing food, the introduction of certain drugs. Often an allergic reaction is accompanied by a strong infection with fleas (flea dermatitis). There are also seasonal factors for the development of allergic dermatitis and, as a result, alopecia. For example, hair loss may be a reaction to pollen. 
Fungal infections often occur in dogs with deep skin folds. So, in Shar-Pei, English bulldogs, the cause of hair loss under the arms, in the folds of the skin, on the back side of the ear is a yeast fungus that appears in highly hydrated places.
Parasitic infections such as scabies caused by various types of subcutaneous mites (sarcoptosis and demodicosis) can also cause pet baldness. Representatives of the Shar Pei and Bull Terrier breed are especially susceptible to them. Wool during a parasitic infection falls small foci, which with the progression of the disease grow, occupying significant areas of the skin. Pyoderma joins alopecia. The situation is complicated by severe itching, in which the dog licks and combs the skin, increasing hair loss.
Hair loss is also observed with black acanthosis - pigment-papillary dystrophy of the skin. Another type of keratosis - stifled callosity, is also the cause of baldness in dogs. For hormonal reasons include:
- excess cortisol (Cushing's syndrome);
- growth hormone imbalance;
- excess or lack of estrogen;
- thyroid hormone deficiency (hypothyroidism).
Natural causes of hair loss include:
- seasonal moult, and in some breeds it passes so abundantly that “bald spots” become noticeable throughout the body (Pomeranian spitz);
- hormonal imbalance during pregnancy and after childbirth or during estrus;
- stress.
Depending on the causes of hair loss in a dog, the symptoms vary greatly, making it difficult to diagnose the pathology. There is a so-called Alopecia X - idiopathic pathology, in which the causes of baldness cannot be identified. Separately isolated focal alopecia, accompanied by complete hair loss on a clearly limited focus. The causes of focal alopecia have not been identified to date. But it is suspected that a cellular and humoral response to a follicular antigen leads to an anomaly.
Symptoms of the appearance of pathology
There are no common symptoms for alopecia, each type of baldness is accompanied by its own set of manifestations. For example, itching and redness of the skin at the site of hair loss are inherent in demodecosis, allergies. With folliculitis, erythema, flea dermatitis or food allergies, papules filled with serous fluid are formed on the skin. Opening up, they form ulcers.
When folliculitis in the area of the hair follicle an abscess is formed, which can transform into purulent fusion of the skin area. These types of alopecia are accompanied by:
- inflammation;
- redness of the skin;
- fever;
- hair loss;
- violation of the structure and integrity of the skin;
- itching.
Hormonal causes of alopecia, as a rule, do not cause symptoms. Hyperpigmentation of the skin is sometimes noted. For example, alopecia during pregnancy or hypothyroidism begins suddenly and is manifested only by hair loss. The same picture is observed in the presence of the alopecia pattern in dogs - a hereditary anomaly in which the puppy is born with a normal scalp, and after a while it starts to go bald. Since there are many reasons, and the characteristic symptoms are absent, the diagnosis can only be determined during the differential diagnosis.
Diagnostic methods for alopecia
The main diagnostic methods for alopecia are:
- biochemical analyzes of skin scraping;
- microscopic examination of scraping skin and lost hair;
- phototrichogram;
- biopsy;
- Wood's glow lamp;
- bacteriological and mycological cultures of skin scraping.
If hormonal causes of alopecia are suspected, blood is taken for analysis of hormone levels. A blood test is prescribed to establish the activity of T-and B-lymphocytes (with nesting alopecia), protein concentration involved in the synthesis of iron (ferritin), the presence of antigens. 
To exclude an allergic reaction to endogenous parasites, examine the feces - coprogram, the analysis for worms eggs. Sometimes instrumental examination may be required, for example, in the event of hypothyroidism being suspected, an ultrasound of the thyroid gland is performed.
Differential diagnostics is a costly study, as many expensive tests are performed, but without them it is difficult to establish the cause of baldness in a dog, and, therefore, it is impossible to develop an adequate treatment regimen.
Treatment of Baldness in Dogs
Treatment strategy depends on the cause of baldness. If the reason is an imbalance of hormones, then hormone therapy is carried out:
- Levothyroxine with hypothyroidism;
- Mitotan, Trilostan in Cushing's disease.
When hypoestrogenism recommended castration or sterilization. For the parasitic cause of alopecia, ivermictine injections, special shampoos against subcutaneous mites, microfilariae, fungi containing selenium sulfide, chlorhexidine or miconazole are prescribed. Areas of hair loss treated with a solution of Phosmet. Also, in case of extensive damage, Melarzomin dihydrochloride and prednisone are administered to eliminate allergies.
In order to restore hair, after treatment, the following drugs are prescribed for the cause of the pathology:
- Melatonin;
- Mitotane;
- Trilostan;
- Methyltestosterone;
- Lizodren.
In the treatment of idiopathic alopecia in veterinary medicine, complex therapy with the use of drugs Prednisolone, Anipril, Ketoconazole, Leuprolide and Cimetidine is often used. They are combined as prescribed by a doctor.
If the prescribed treatment after several months does not bring results, then the strategy is revised and a new treatment regimen is applied.