# Need Help With Balding Chihuahua!!!



## lindseyv77

I have a 4 year old that is a light taupe color, almost a gray tint to her, w/ tan markings who is short haired,a female, named Chiquita and she is completely bald on her head, I mean no hair at all! She looks like Ray's father on that T.V. show, Everybody Loves Raymond, This winter she lost a lot of hair on the sides of her body, VERY thin. The only part of her body that still has thick pretty hair is the back of her neck and down to her shoulders and on her lower back to her tail, everywhere else the hair is so thin, she looks terrible! She also has dry flaky skin, and gets these tiny red bumps on her body. I took her to the vet they said probably not mange, they did a thyroid test, it was normal. I switched her food to By Nature because I thought it was maybe food allergies, but so far nothing is working. I'm also giving her Omega Fatty Acids hoping this will help, but so far it's not, it has been almost a month since trying different things. Could the vet be wrong, is it a mange or something like that? What could it be? Has anyone else experienced this or know what it might cause her to be bald and thinning out? I want her to look pretty again. Can you help me? Here are a couple of pics of her below.

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## michele

Bumping this up Anybody have any idea


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## QUIGLEY'S MOM

Poor little sweetie. Did your vet take a skin scraping and test it? Is she itching? I would not rule mange out yet. However, there are lots of things that can cause baldness in Chi's. I have had some great results with the supplement "The missing link" one of the other members on here suggested. This is not a quick fix and may take up to 60 days before seeing results with any treatment you try. 

Hope this helps. And welcome to the board. Keep us posted.


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## Brodysmom

She could have pattern baldness or alopecia. No reason, rhyme, or ... cure. If everything has come out normal, I would suggest finding a board certified canine dermatologist in your area and getting a second opinion. (Just google it, you'll find lots of listings.)

Unfortunately, alopecia is pretty common and it is hereditary, so it's likely that it was passed on from your dogs parents from sketchy breeding practices.

There are lots of chi's here with differing severities of alopecia. All the way from almost completely hairless to just some thinning. Brody has NO hair on his neck and it is sparse on his chest and underside and the inside of his back legs. I have tried a lot of different nutritional supplements but so far nothing has worked to grow hair.

The veterinary dermatologist could certainly give you an idea of what to do to help your pup though and that's what I would recommend!


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## glyndwr

Im afarid i dont know a lot about it, only my experience of it, Glyn looked like this as he was losing his hair , he went bald on his ears and head 1st then his neck and body, his tan hair is all thats left, i have him on The missing link just half a teaspoon a day and also 1 omega 3 & 6 oil capsule a day and there is regrowth appearing in different parts but nothing really to talk about, my vet said it wont come back or if it does it will just go again, as he has alopecia due to him being blue, he also had a form of acne on his ears and back but thats all gone due to the oils hes taking, hope this might give you some idea but their are people on here far more able to answer your question im sure they will be along soon, we have to take into account all our different time zones,

Alexine


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## Brodysmom

Just read your thread again. I couldn't really tell the exact color of Chiquita from your pics, but if she has a grey tint to her, then her balding could be from a condition called color dilution alopecia. This happens in the blue colors. Especially when a blue has been bred to another diluted color. They are genetically predisposed to losing the hair.

Here's a link where you can read more about this condition ....

Equinox Perm ® Kennels - Doberman and Miniature Pinscher Breeding Kennel in B.C. Canada

colour dilution alopecia

As noted in the article, they are also predisposed to skin infection such as staph, which is probably what the little red bumps are on your dog. They usually require antibiotics to clear up, but then they often reoccur.

There are several dogs here who are blue who have this disorder. Here's a thread with a dog named Harry who has CDA.

http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-pictures/51283-harry.html


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## smallbeats_m_all

yup, Brodys mom is right- thats classic color dilution alopica. My Bungee is Blue and is a baldi too  and im finding as she is getting older it is getting worse.


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## Dazy Mae

Brodysmom said:


> She could have pattern baldness or alopecia. No reason, rhyme, or ... cure. If everything has come out normal, I would suggest finding a board certified canine dermatologist in your area and getting a second opinion. (Just google it, you'll find lots of listings.)
> 
> Unfortunately, alopecia is pretty common and it is hereditary, so it's likely that it was passed on from your dogs parents from sketchy breeding practices.
> 
> There are lots of chi's here with differing severities of alopecia. All the way from almost completely hairless to just some thinning. Brody has NO hair on his neck and it is sparse on his chest and underside and the inside of his back legs. I have tried a lot of different nutritional supplements but so far nothing has worked to grow hair.
> 
> The veterinary dermatologist could certainly give you an idea of what to do to help your pup though and that's what I would recommend!




I agree with Brodysmom....she needs to see a specialist for this. Looks like alopica, but it can be other issues to. My girl had similiar problems and we found it was an immune deficiency problem compounded by severe allergies to oatmeal, fish, rice, and potatoes. We found this out of course with allergy tests. Got her on the right foods and some allergy meds. and she is doing fantastic!
Your little girl could also have multiple issues like mine did...Hope the vet can help her and she will feel lots better too
Keep us posted.


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## Lin

Brodysmom said:


> She could have pattern baldness or alopecia. No reason, rhyme, or ... cure. If everything has come out normal, I would suggest finding a board certified canine dermatologist in your area and getting a second opinion. (Just google it, you'll find lots of listings.)
> 
> Unfortunately, alopecia is pretty common and it is hereditary, so it's likely that it was passed on from your dogs parents from sketchy breeding practices.
> 
> There are lots of chi's here with differing severities of alopecia. All the way from almost completely hairless to just some thinning. Brody has NO hair on his neck and it is sparse on his chest and underside and the inside of his back legs. I have tried a lot of different nutritional supplements but so far nothing has worked to grow hair.
> 
> The veterinary dermatologist could certainly give you an idea of what to do to help your pup though and that's what I would recommend!


I gotta agree with Tracy that it looks like alopecia, specifically color mutant alopecia. One of my sisters little rescue chi's has an extreme case and he is almost completely bald. Your description of his color sounds like he might be a lavendar, and that is one of the colors the cma will show up in more frequently, and it does have to do with breeding practices.


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## lindseyv77

Thank you everyone for your replies, I attached more pics of her in the sunlight so you can see what color she is. In the house she looks more of a grayish-taupey color but in the sun she looks more a reddish-tan color, a fawn color? What do you think? 

View attachment 5489


View attachment 5490


Also she does itch and sometimes licks her feet a lot. Sometimes the red bumps are pus filled like a pimple. She has been going bald on her head since she was 2 or 3 years old but the sides of her body have gotten worse since this past summer/fall. That's when I really started to notice it. 

Someone asked if I had her tested by skin scraping from the Vet, I didn't the Vet acted like there is no way it could be Mange but all the symptoms I read are starting to make me wonder if that could be it.

I ordered some of the "Missing Link" supplement and I will try that to see if it helps, thank you for the suggestion. I have started to bath her in shampoo that is medicated for Mange just in case this is it too. And I'm looking into a better food for her that is for allergy prone dogs.

Even if I can get a little hair back on her, it would be better than nothing.


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## Cambrea

My black chi has this same thing and I'm trying to narow it down. In my search I came across a link on demodex, I can't find it or I'd link it for you  One of the things suggested was apple cider vinegar and a grain free diet. I have mine on that now while we are waiting for missing link to come in the mail.

In the pictures she definately looks like she has blue in her to me (maybe brindling?) Everyones suggestions on here are great, it seems like this issue has come up a lot in the last month or so.


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## Lin

My sisters little fella also has the bumps and takes some kind of medicine for them. Wish I knew more.


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## Brodysmom

Those little pustules are usually a staph infection. My old frenchie used to get them on her belly all the time. We had stock in cephalexin.  

I don't think that the pustules and the thinning hair are necessarily related. She could have some CDA going on and also a staph infection and allergies complicating things as well. I do think a dermatologist or at least a veterinarian who specializes in skin disorders would be your best vet for treatment options.


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## lindseyv77

*Update on Chiquita's Hair Loss...*

I wanted to update on Chiquita's hair loss problem. We went and saw another vet to get a second opinion, actually it was more like a third opinion. And this vet seemed very knowledgeable, she said that even for a chihuahua this hair loss is not normal and she said she doesn't think it's thyroid problems, which is what one vet thought, she believes it's an autoimmune disorder. The only way to really know what she has is to do a full panel blood test, this will include a autoimmune disorder test, a full thyroid test because the ones they do in the vet's office aren't detailed enough, to get a good thyroid test done it has to be sent out to a lab. So I take her back in 2 weeks to get the blood withdrawn. It will be pricy but at this point we are willing to do it to see if we can help her. 

The really bad part is that if it is an autoimmune disorder, the vet said sometimes depending on what it is, it's a possibility that it killed her hair follicles and the hair might not ever grow back.  
So of course I didn't want to hear that. I really hope that w/ meds it will grow back, but only time will tell.


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## AC/DC Fan

Best of luck and please keep us posted!


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## flippedstars

I think it sounds like you need to buy your little sweetie some sweaters and give her lil bald head a kiss  Everyone here has offered good advice andit doesn't sound like there is anything "wrong" with your little one...color dilution alopecia is sooo common  But they are still cute lil babies!


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## Deneeser

Hi,
My 4 year old Chihuahua, Mia has the same balding pattern. It started on the top of her head and has worked its way down a straight line on her back. No bumps or itching. I have had every test done to make sure she is healthy so process of elimination is Alopecia. She is a "blue" chihuahua which Alopecia is most common in blue and fawn colored chi's. I was told to make sure she doesn't get sunburned or dry skin in the balding areas but otherwise she is fine and cute as can be. I hope everything is okay with Chiquita.


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## lindseyv77

Thank you for your story Deneeser, I hope that Chiquita doesn't have something wrong w/ her. I read about how the Blue and fawn colors can lose their hair. But what worries me is that Chiquita's 1/2 sister Ginger who is 2 years old and a Dark Chocolate/White color is now starting to thin on her head the same way Chiquita did. Ginger has, so far, hair on her trunk. And I know she is not considered Blue or Fawn so that makes me wonder if it is hereditary or something is inherited.


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## sjm

SHelly is a chocolate blue color and the hair on top of her head is quite thin so it is very possible she has alopecia as well. At what age is Chiquita start losing a lot of hair?


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## lindseyv77

Chiquita started losing her hair on her head at about 2-3 years old, she is now 4 years old, but just this past fall she went thin on her body and upper part of her tail.

And Ginger is 2 now and she is starting to thin on her head too. Ginger has no other hints of color in her but dark chocolate w/ areas of white. Dark chocolate like a Hershey bar.


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## widogmom

I guess all this has me a little concerned, too - Pablo (who is black and rust with sabling) has thin hair on top of his head. No sign of skin ailment and his coat is otherwise shiny and full, except where you would expect it to be thin (pits & tummy). I thought it was just from his foster mom, and then me, kissing him on top of his head too much LOL! Now I'm wondering, though. Anybody heard of alopecia in a black & rust Chi?


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## Brodysmom

yes widogmom, the black and tans can have an alopecia pattern. Usually it is thinning on the head and in front of the ears, down the neck and the chest and belly and inside the rear legs can be sparse. Brody has this same baldness pattern. I have had some luck supplementing with the prescription strength Missing Link (which is like a vitamin powder) added to his food daily. My vet is not concerned with the alopecia, it is just 'one of those things' and not related to any skin disease. 

Alopecia is usually associated with the diluted colors (blues, chocolates, etc) but it also occurs in other colors as well. It is inherited. 

However, anytime there is hair thinning, it's a good idea to do bloodwork and check the thyroid as thyroid disorders can also cause hair/skin/coat problems.


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## widogmom

Thanks so much for the help, Brodysmom - he has no other red flags for thyroid issues, but next time we do bloodwork I will probably have them send a panel to MSU just to be sure. Meanwhile, I'll check out Missing Link.


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## lindseyv77

I supplement both my dogs w/ Missing Link, Omega Fatty Acids and Nuro for over a month now and it has made no difference in their hair loss or regrowth. They have very pretty shiny hair where there is hair but it hasn't helped their hair to grow back. Chiquita has a skin infection right now, she has had it for a month, she was on Amoxicillin which started to work but then when she was done w/ the bottle she developed more red bumps on her underside, so now she is on another kind of antibiotic, she also has dry flaky skin. 
When the Vet checked her heartbeat it was 130 which was higher than Ginger's which was 108. Chiquita is 7 lbs and Ginger is 4 lbs, so Ginger's should have been higher than Chiquita's, but wasn't, so the Vet is wondering if she is trying to fight something. Maybe it is from her skin infection. I guess when we get the blood work back we will know if it is something we can fix.


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