Bald spot or disease??

[Julia1119]

Ok, Winnie got groomed around Christmas time and she was really matted on her left shoulder. The groomer had to shave her down in that spot right to the skin. It hasn't grown back yet!! I took her to PETCO to get her nails trimmed, and they told me that she has a skin disease??!! I have no idea what to do....Her skin is tough to the touch....The hair just isn't growing back. A friend of mine said that her dogs hair just "fell out" and they used Tea Tree Oil shampoo on her and it grew back...Should I try that on her "bald spot"? She doesn't itch it at all, so I know it doesn't bother her! Any help would be great! Thanks, Julia and Winnie

[Shineillusion]

In the first place, no one but a vet is qualified to diagnose a skin disease. Even if I see a problem I know for sure what it is, I never state it as such. I simply point out the problem and suggest a trip to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. So the people at Pet Co were out of line to tell you that your dog is ill. That's bordering on practicing medicine without a license.

Your next step should be a visit to the vet. Using any products at home may only delay diagnosis and proper treatment. There are several metabolic diseases that can delay or prevent hair regrowth. Treating the dog at home with shampoos won't do any good if the problem is hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease. Bloodwork is needed to diagnose these.

A lot of skin diseases look the same. Yeast infections, bacterial infections, and ringworm often appear the same. Sometimes there are more than one pathogens at work. It can take smears, skin scrapings, and even biopsies to sort them out.

It's also possible your dog just isn't in a hair growth cycle at this time. Or the hair follicles may have been irritated by being clipped so close, and they need time to recover. If that's the case, you just have to wait it out. But a vet is the only one who can determine what's going on.

[puttin510]

I have heard a few people so far get rediculous advice from petco. Go to your vet like Shiny said. Its best. Could be so many things.