Doggie Bald Patches

[jedimaster91]

I'm starting to notice a few places on my Beagle where she is missing some hair. A few weeks ago, she had a perfectly round, slightly swollen spot on the underside of one of her ears. She didn't seem bothered by it, so we cleaned it daily, the swelling eventually disappeared, and now we're waiting for the hair to grow back. My best guess is that she got stung by a bee or something. That spot seems to be fine now.

This morning, I noticed a couple tiny spots--one on each ear--and another spot behind one of her front elbows. Again, these are not large areas of hair loss, but little, tiny spots where the hair has gone missing.

She's eating and playing fine, potty habits seem normal, and she doesn't seem to be scratching anymore than usual. Is this something I should be concerned about? I'd like to avoid the vet if possible since the flood took out my place of employment and I don't know when I'll be going back to work. Again, my best guess is bug bites, but the K9 Anvantix she's on should be preventing that. Any thoughts?

[Red_Dazes]

I don't know if dogs can get the dreaded "blackheads" like my ferrets do, but I'd recommend daily soap and water scrubs on the areas that are losing hair. If after a week they get worse or don't start growing back you might need to take puppy to the vet and get her checked for mange. It's very treatable, but if you let it go too long it can be miserable for the dog.