Pug: Flaky Skin And Patchy Molting

[Deelirious]

Hi all,

My 2 year old pug (we only adopted him just over a month ago) Is molting I think..?

He's got patches of fur coming out on his back near his tail and i was brushing him today and there is really flaky skin too.

Is this normal? Is this a normal ime of year to molt and do molting dogs get flaky skin?

I also took him to a groomer last week and got him bathed and brushed, this is the first time i've sent him so i'm just trying to figure out if it's normal for him to molt and hooping he hasn't had a reaction to the shampoo she used, which i'm sure he hasn't.

If this is normal any tips on a good shampoo/conditioner to help him his skin through this?

Thanks

First time pug mum

[RuralPug]

NO, it isn't normal. Heavy shedding is normal for pugs (all times of the year) but NOT what you describe.

You will need to get him vet-checked, if necessary the vet will do a skin scraping for mange mites. But many pugs have allergies, they can be topical allergies (grass, carpet etc.) food allergies (especially to grains) or toxin allergies (chemicals, fleas etc) which can cause skin and coat problems.

The site you describe (base of tail) makes me wonder if it could be an allergy to flea saliva, another very common one. You wouldn't necessarily see a single flea on him - one could have bitten him days ago, jumped off since and you would still see a reaction if he is sensitive.

Well worth a vet visit IMO.

Edited to add: I can recommend a shampoo to ease him if he is very itchy, but better to find and treat the cause first. Let us know what the vet says.

Edited September 22, 2010 by RuralPug

[sas]

Does it look like this?