The 5 Best Dog Shampoos For Hair Loss
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While it is normal for a dog to shed their hair, sometimes if they are shedding too much, this can be a cause for concern.
We, as owners, have the responsibility to take note of this carefully and make our judgment on whether or not this is something to be checked up on.
If you notice that there are bald spots on your pet, this could mean something much worse than just simple shedding.
Compare Best Dog Shampoos For Hair Loss
OVERALL BEST  1. TropiClean Hypo-Allergenic Gentle Coconut Puppy & Kitten Shampoo | RUNNER UP  2. HyLyt Hypoallergenic Shampoo with Essential Fatty Acids for Dogs & Cats | BEST AFFORDABLE  3. Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic Medicated Dog Shampoo | ||
Lifestage Puppy, Kitten, Adult, Senior | Lifestage Adult | Lifestage Adult | Lifestage Adult | Lifestage Adult |
Feature Hypoallergenic, Cruelty-Free, Oatmeal | Feature Hypoallergenic, Soap-Free | Feature Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic | Feature Oatmeal | Feature Medicated, Oatmeal |
Best Rated Dog Shampoo For Hair Loss Reviewed
Just like humans do, dogs will lose hair as they age. This isn’t referring to just typical shedding, but actual hair loss.
We as owners shouldn’t just brush this off as a normal occurrence, but instead do what we can to prevent it from happening.
In the end, who in the world wants to see themselves or their loved ones lose their precious hair?
Therefore, take a look at some of the products below to help prevent the problem from growing.
TropiClean Hypo-Allergenic Gentle Coconut Puppy & Kitten Shampoo
Product Info
- Lifestage: Puppy, Kitten, Adult, Senior
- Feature: Hypoallergenic, Cruelty-Free, Oatmeal
- Contains Vitamin C to strengthen immunity
- Great for mange wounds, infections of hair follicles, and rashes
- Provides pet with relief in irritated area
- Some have said the delivery was a bit late
It contains natural oils and focuses on treating mange wounds, as well as killing them altogether.
It relieves itchiness that dogs feel, also treating infected areas. Moreover, it uses a 100% blend of therapeutic grade of anti-mange oils.
HyLyt Hypoallergenic Shampoo with Essential Fatty Acids for Dogs & Cats
Product Info
- Lifestage: Adult
- Feature: Hypoallergenic, Soap-Free
- This shampoo smells wonderful
- It is helping my dog’s itching
- It hasn’t totally stopped the scratching yet
- Really works at treating folliculitis
- A few people claim it was not as effective as it claimed
It is specially formulated with natural oils, plant extracts, and antifungal properties. Moreover, the antibacterial material also deeply penetrates into any blemishes.
Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic Medicated Dog Shampoo
Product Info
- Lifestage: Adult
- Feature: Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic
- This shampoo seems to work fairly well on a lot of dogs
- No itching problem, huge difference
- Smells awesome
- Even though it is made in S. Korea, some say that the packaging came in Chinese
- The packaging is not in English
With its proprietary formula, the shampoo helps to soothe the skin while also preventing the dog from scratching away. It is tested and developed by vets in South Korean university.
Zesty Paws Dog Shampoo with Oatmeal & Aloe Vera
Product Info
- Lifestage: Adult
- Feature: Oatmeal
- No masking dyes
- There are no drying alcohols
- Contains no parabens
- Easy to rinse out completely
- Very drying shampoo
- Some say it didn’t work well
Not only does it aim to promote skin health, it keeps the fur shiny, while also relieving any itchiness that the pet may have. The shampoo is also said to eliminate odors.
Rx 4 Pet Cat And Dog Shampoo
Product Info
- Lifestage: Adult
- Feature: Medicated, Oatmeal
- Itchiness disappears with a lot of pets
- Within a first couple of washes, users claim dog’s hair began to grow back
- Smells good
- Rinses off easily
- A few people claim that the shampoo made their dog itch more
- The bottle was open upon arrival
It is so good that it works for both cats and dogs, and helps to eliminate dog dander, or at least keep it at a minimum.
The shampoo works for dogs of all sizes and is also a great product for treating hair loss, according to vets.
Causes Of Dog Hair Loss
Dogs lose their hair for several reasons so before you go about passing off hair loss as a natural occurrence, take note of what your pet is experiencing. In order to do that, you need to be wary of a few factors that might influence hair loss.
Hair Loss and Stress
Stress is one of the most common cases and exists throughout all the causes listed. Experiencing stress can do a lot of harm, from physical to mental harm.
- Trauma: If a dog goes through something traumatic, whether a big incident or even something psychologically heavy, this causes them to lose their hair quickly. This often comes in the form of the dog constantly licking away at their own fur, which results in the damaging of their hair follicles.
- Post-clipping alopecia: This is a minor form of post-traumatic stress disorder in dogs after being clipped, except it is expressed in the form of lack of hair growth. This does not mean they will never grow hair again, but the stress they experience prevents the hair from growing back quickly.
- Pressure sores: This is mostly seen in older or heavier dogs, but it is essentially when, through slippage, their body ends up hitting hard surfaces frequently and turn hardens the skin (calluses). When this occurs, the continuous pressure placed on the specific part of their skin causes the hair to either damage or simply fall out from the thickening.
Hair Loss and Infection
This may be no different from allergic reactions, as any infection in and on your dog’s body results in the weakness of hair follicles, which in turn leads to a large hair loss.
- Allergies: If your hound is eating something that is not meant to be digested or fit for their body, it may form allergic reactions and one of these could be losing hair. This isn’t only something that comes from eating. Allergies can also come from using a bad shampoo product or brush.
- Mange: Mange occurs when there are fleas, mites, or other parasites around your dog’s body, causing a loss of hair. It creates a scaliness on your dog’s skin and causes excessive itchiness, consequently leading to hair loss.
- Hives: Similar to mange or an infection of some sort, dogs that are bit by some sort of plant or insect may develop rashes or hives, which results in hair loss.
Biology and Hair Loss
There are a few things that go on through your dog’s body that may greatly affect hair loss.
- Hormonal Imbalance: If your pup has thyroid problems or some sort of adrenal gland deficiency, this results in an imbalance of their hormones, consequently resulting in the loss of hair. One of the common conditions that dogs experience when overproducing the hormone cortisol is Cushing’s disease.
- Genetics: Just as some humans are more prone to hair loss than others due to their genetics, dogs are the same way. Whether it be on their outer ear, chest, thighs or neck, dogs such as Dachshunds, Greyhounds, or Chihuahuas are some of the breeds that experience hair loss more frequently.
Severe Cases Of Bald Spots
As evident from the list above, there are plenty of causes that can explain why your dog may suddenly be losing so much hair. Of course, all of the notes above are situations we should be concerned about.
Although they are things that can be treated, there are also cases when our dog experiences some of the factors below, which require more attention.
- Behavioral changes: Your dog acts differently than it normally does, whether it is walking around, panting heavily, or seeming a bit uncoordinated.
- A strange odor: Compared to usual, your dog smells a bit badly, and there is a strange odor coming from it.
- Constant itching: If your pup is scratching away at different parts of its body, this leads to further hair loss.
- Infected skin: The problem may be quite severe if your dog’s bald spots look infected or are extremely red.
Any of the accompanying factors above are signals of bigger issues that you should concerned about. If you notice any of them occurring, you should consequently take your pet to the vet.
Ways To Treat Hair Loss
Rather than feel helpless in the situation, we as owners can ensure our dog’s hair loss occurs at a minimum. To do so, besides checking with the vet, we can do the following:
- Change their diet. This is one of the most common reasons why our dog may be experiencing hair loss: they do not eat the right food. Even if it is not severe, minor forms of allergies such as wheat, corn, soy, or even the wrong beef/chicken can cause problems. Thus, make sure we feed them the right food that is imperative to hair growth.
- Provide hormonal supplements. Since hormonal imbalance is one of the main causes of hair loss, feeding your dog some form of supplement that helps to prevent hormonal changes can greatly help to bring their hair back.
- Apply the right shampoo. Whether it’s shampoo to treat itchiness or actually formulated products that treat hair loss, the best thing we can rely on is to apply the right shampoo to your dog’s coat.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that dogs also lose hair, regardless of shedding. However, much like weight loss, hair loss is something that you can lessen with diet and good grooming practices. So some of the aforementioned dog shampoos could aid in preventing this.
