Thin or scarce hair - Page 1

Has anyone ever had a dog with thin or scarce hair on their feet legs and somewhat underbody?  It is absolutely not any type of mange.  Also, there is very little if any itching.

 Please provide more information. How old is the dog? There are many reasons why a dog may be loosing hair.

He turned 1 in March.  He lived with a trainer from late May to late Sept last year to receive basic obedience, very little tracking, and housetraining (non-existent).  OK, due to circumstances with the trainer he was there too long.  Basically I got the bad end of the deal on the training.  What I'm saying from this is that I worry he was crated way too much and might not grow his hair back????

The time that he has lived with us, he has been in a floor heated shed that is concrete and has a Kuranda bed (nylon).  I have wondered if he has a nylon allergy, but if he did, I would think he would be losing his hair all over as he lays on his side sleeping all the time.

I have switched food several times to try to correct the problem, no luck.  He is currently on Royal Canin and one can of either tuna in oil or salmon.

When he is outside, he is on dirt and grass, as we are trying to start a new lawn.

Can you post a photo or send me one privately? It may be that this is just hair loss from wear on surfaces assuming he is not chewing.   At his age, it is unlikely he has a thyroid or other medical issue causing hair loss. First things first. Get him something other than concrete to lie on, especially if it is rough. If he will chew and eat something soft, then of course, that is out. I doubt he has an allergy to nylon. The Royal Canine is fine and I feed it to more than 30 dogs. I would minimize the amount of tuna or salmon so he does not get a lot of mercury that is in most fish. Have you seen him chewing his legs? Boredom will cause a lot of such behaviors. 

One other suggestion: Make sure his stool is parasite free. Submit a stool sample and then deworm, even if none are found in the sample, and then check a sample again. One of the simple reasons for poor coats is parasites.

are you sure its not Demodex?  Did you do a skin scrapping?  Demodex doesnt itch like other types of Mange... Also does he lick his feet/legs at all?  Maybe Sebaceous Adenitis ?  Or a food allergy?

Start with giving him a bath, with say maybe oatmeal shampoo,

then, STOP changing his diet, keep feeding him what he is eating
right now, it sounds perfect.

Time will tell, have patience,and good luck!

i agree with Hodie.  I  would stop feeding him canned fish, it's not good for him especially in the quantites you are feeding.  Instead, supplement with salmon oil and vit E.