Seasonal flank alopecia

[MandyG]

So, Phoebe developed a bald patch on her flank about 8 weeks ago. Long story short, and £400 later in tests, it turns out it's a condition called seasonal flank alopecia.

Apparently it's quite common in boxers, bull dogs and labradors and manifests as a patch of hair loss, usually on the flanks, which appears in spring or autumn and disappears after four or five months. It's purely a cosmetic condition - no irritation, itching, soreness etc and it doesn't spread.

Vets don't know what causes it and there's no real treatment (although sunlight and vitamin D can help).

Since she's 50% labrador, I guess it makes sense. Just wondered if any other doodles here had experienced this?

[Masil]

Hi Mandy. Our previous dog Millie (a staffie) had exactly the same thing, although our vet at the time said it was probably hormonal. It sounds identical to what you describe. It used to start around April/May and she lost quite a lot of hair on both flanks. As you say, it doesn't bother them at all. Millie had it for 3 years in a row, and then never again. Very odd.

[dexysback]

My daughters Doberman had this through the winter months ,he had bald patches all over .

[casa42]

Hi
Coco has balding spots on both her sides. The vet is monitoring them but has suggested she is just an "allergic" type dog. During the warmer months (spring-summer) Coco has issues with anal glands and very dry skin. The current thought is that these are caused by allergies, I am starting her on Piriton tablets to see if this helps. If there is no improvement I think she will need to have a blood test to check for Thyroid issues although she has no other symptoms. To be honest the vet did not seem overly concerned.