Ideas on why my dog is losing hair

Hi vets! I have a 2 year old intact Akita/alaskan malamute who is normally a very fluffy boy but as of around August started having his hair thin out, which at first looked like normal shedding (as you may know these kinds of dogs never stop losing hair😅) but now it’s very clear it’s not normal shedding and he’s gotten a lot more spots than are thinning to the point of almost bald. I’m going to take him to the vet just waiting for an appointment but I have to bring him to my parents house who have 3 dogs themselves so I’m just seeing if any vets could give me an idea on what’s possibly going on so I know if he’s possibly contagious to my parents dogs or not. Thank you in advance.

Hello - there are some infectious forms of hair loss for example, when secondary to fleas and mites.  These both tend to be very itchy.  Other such reason could include fungal disease or demodex, which can take hold as a sign of stress, secondary to some other bodily disease.   Hair loss can also form secondary to hypothyroidism (tends to accompany a massive 'slowing down'), lymphoma or even simple pain, if trauma-related.  We would always reccommend showing such a case to your vet as soon as possible and they may be able to clarify how safe you are in letting this particular patient mingle.

Hello - there are multiple causes of hair loss in dogs.  These can include parasites, for example fleas or mites (secondary to scratching).  Other itchy hair-loss can occur secondary to allergy.  Demodex mites and ringworm on the other hand, do not itch but can also cause hair-loss, often in dogs that have juat suffered an insult to their immune system.  Other non itchy possibilities include hormonal changes, lymphoma and potentially even some drugs.  We wpuld always reccommend showing such a case to your vets in order that they are properly assessed and hopefully to pinpoint a diagnosis.

I was just searching for it and here it is. My Lab has the same issue and the vet says he has hypothyroidism  and have heart disease. I was heartbroken.