We recently got this question sent in from a reader of the YPN blog:

The hair on my dog’s ears is getting thinner each month.My cousins joke that the dog is going bald. Will his hair grow back?

Here’s our answer:

Your cousins might be onto something. Dogs, especially short haired dogs, can start to see their hair become thin around the ears as they grow older. But it’s not just the ears – dogs can also lose hair in many other places of the body.

If this is the case then there are a few patterns of hair loss you should be on the lookout for.

Firstly, most hair loss isn’t something on its own to be worried about. Like humans, once they go bald, it’s unlikely that the hair will grow back. That’s because the original hair follicles will have disappeared along with the hair. In some cases you can see dogs lose hair on the sides of the body, and regrow in the same spots three to four months later.

Where hair loss gets more serious is if it’s triggered by a more serious condition. One example of those is if you notice a symmetrical hair loss on the body, with bumps, blackheads, flaky, and other mild skin irritation accompanying it. This can be a sign of hypothyroidism or Cushing disease and is best treated by consulting your vet.

There are also immune-related skin diseases, which are mainly visible with patchy hair loss. This can often be seen in dogs with multiple colours in their fur only losing one colour. It’s what’s known as alopecia areata, and it can be diagnosed by doing a skin biopsy with your veterinarian, who will also help you with alleviating the symptoms.

Finally if the hair loss is itchy or smells bad, or looks inflamed and infected, then visiting a vet to check for fungal or bacterial infections and parasites, is a good idea.