Alopecia (hair loss, baldness, baldness)

Alopecia (alopecia - baldness, baldness) - this term refers to a disorder of hair growth/coat, as well as hair and hair loss. Causes of hair loss can be different: disorder, suppression of hair follicles, nutritional disorders of the scalp, irritation and damage to the scalp, parasitic diseases, immune system disorders, endocrinological diseases.

Causes of hair loss (alopecia) in cats and dogs

The most common alopecias are usually due to:

Thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism)

Adrenal gland disorders (hypercorticism)

Sex hormone disorder

Bacterial or fungal skin lesions (staphylococcus, malassezia, etc.)

Parasitic diseases (fleas, demodecosis, sarcoptosis, etc.)

Secondary immunodeficiency

Use of drugs (teratogenic effect)

Congenital defects (follicular dysplasia, hypotrichosis)

Secondary hair loss with active itching (for various reasons, the animal scratches, chews the hair).

Types of alopecia

Conditionally, types of alopecia by the degree of affected areas can be divided into two:

Focal (Regional, spotting) - when one or more hairless areas appear on the animal's body. They can be symmetrical and non-symmetrical. Such alopecia are observed in hormonal disorders, follicular dysplasia, lichen planus, localised forms of demodectosis, at the onset of bacterial and fungal infections, etc. Depending on the cause and intensity of the disease, such alopecia may increasingly spread over the body, merging into larger bald areas.

Diffuse (diffuse) - uniform hair loss, thinning of the hair on certain parts of the body, or on the whole body (alopecia X, generalised form of demodecosis, etc.).

Diagnosis of the causes of hair loss (alopecia, baldness)

To accurately diagnose the cause of alopecia are made:

clinical examination of the animal,

scrapings (parasitic diseases, demodecosis, etc.)

skin smears (for fungal and bacterial infection)

blood tests (clinical, biochemical)

blood tests for hormones (thyroid, genital, adrenal)

skin biopsy

There is a breed predisposition in different breeds of dogs to different alopecias. For example, in Pomeranian Spitzes, Dobermans, Dachshunds, and some other breeds.

Treatment for alopecia is prescribed by a veterinarian depending on the identified cause of hair loss.