# Bald spots on puppy's head



## meemster (Jun 10, 2004)

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone else has this issue. My 11week puppy has a bald spot on each side of her head, just below her ears. She scratches at them a lot, which makes me think she has dry skin or something. Also, I think the scratching is making her bald more. I don't think it's mites because my mom's dog has the same bald problem. Is there anything I can do about it? Lotion her head, maybe?


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## KB (Apr 13, 2004)

*Well first make sure it isn't anything with a vet check......but Chi's tend to be thin haired on their heads. Kemo has a thin spot so much so it looks like a white blaze if he scrunches his forehead....and around the back of his ears are thin but if the scratching is present, it just may be something else... :idea1: *


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## CuddleMeChi (Apr 29, 2004)

I have a chi that gets flaky alot on her tummy. I just put lotion on it and she is fine.


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## CelesteWolffe (May 19, 2004)

Olivia's hair is very thin in the areas you describe. I think it's a smooth coat thing. I think a little lotion or hydocortizone would be fine if you think the scratching is from dry skin. I use an oatmeal-based doggy shampoo on Olivia and use people hair conditioner twice a week. That seems to control dry skin very nicely. :laughing9:


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## meemster (Jun 10, 2004)

*How often to bathe?*

Really, you use conditioner on her 2x a week? I heard that chis are supposed to be washed once a month or once every two months. Is the oatmeal bath itself moisturized?

I'm going to get some tips from the vet on Saturday, so I should have more information. Keep you posted! :wave:


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## CelesteWolffe (May 19, 2004)

*Re: How often to bathe?*



meemster said:


> Really, you use conditioner on her 2x a week? I heard that chis are supposed to be washed once a month or once every two months. Is the oatmeal bath itself moisturized?
> 
> I'm going to get some tips from the vet on Saturday, so I should have more information. Keep you posted! :wave:


Yes, I really do, she is washed twice a week. The conditioner is slicked on and immediately rinsed off. The oatmeal wash is moisterizing and it is also a flea treatment. Until recently, she has been too little to use flea spray, so the vet recommended I bathe her twice a week. I found it helps with our allergies and she doesn't get a doggy smell. I don't like using powders and colognes on her--she sneezes. But baths seem to do the trick all around. I suppose Chi's are like babies, what works well for some might not work so well for others  By all means, do whatever your vet suggests. That is always the way to go.


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## meemster (Jun 10, 2004)

*No answer yet...*

Well I took Scooter to the vet and he did a skin scraping on her for mites. That came out negative. Then they took a hair sample to see if it is ringworm, but that will take 2 weeks for the results to come back. He said he doesn't think it's ringworm b/c of the symmetrical thinning of the hair. What would be left is seasonal allergies and food allergies (which are very rare). So he said that her itching and hair loss could be during spring and summer. Great, so I have a bald-headed dog for half the year in California. Great!
:roll:


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## CelesteWolffe (May 19, 2004)

Well, glad to hear there is nothing major amiss so far. Perhaps it will stay that way with the return of the last tests. Now, you know, bald is rather sexy and very fashionable these days. Look at Patrick Stewart and Vin Diesel (sp?) Tres chic. :happy3:


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## TuckersMom (Jun 29, 2004)

The itching could be allergy. But the bald spots are probably genetic. Tucker has peach fuzz from halfway down his ears till you get to his head. It almost looks bald, but on close inspection you can see very fine hair. It's always been this way. (He's 6 months old now). Our vet said it's just genetic and is common in Chi's.


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