# Loss of hair on tail



## RednoseMarshall (May 7, 2014)

My 1 year old pitbull is missing chunks of hair from his tail.





Concerned about him, help??


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Could it be from chewing on the tail? Or do tbh bit it against anything they are near when they are excited (that's called happy tail) Any other hair loss under armpits or eyes or cheeks or ears?

Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

Is he intact? If so, and he's not doing it to himself, then it may be stud tail. I could certainly be wrong though.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Saint Francis said:


> Is he intact? If so, and he's not doing it to himself, then it may be stud tail. I could certainly be wrong though.


What's stud tail Francis?

Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

Saint Francis said:


> Is he intact? If so, and he's not doing it to himself, then it may be stud tail. I could certainly be wrong though.


i was going to suggest the same thing. ruling out biting, bugs, or some kind of injury. i would think so.
if the skin is scaly and kinda waxy with dark discoloration. definitely stud tail. sometimes there are small pimples too. my boy had a reoccurring case of this between 3 and 4 years old.
-soft brush to exfoliate
-mild astringent like witch hazel to keep the pores clear
-fish oil supp
his hair grew back in 2 or 3 months. he's 5 now and i haven't seen symptoms for several months.


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## RednoseMarshall (May 7, 2014)

JoKealoha said:


> i was going to suggest the same thing. ruling out biting, bugs, or some kind of injury. i would think so.
> if the skin is scaly and kinda waxy with dark discoloration. definitely stud tail. sometimes there are small pimples too. my boy had a reoccurring case of this between 3 and 4 years old.
> -soft brush to exfoliate
> -mild astringent like witch hazel to keep the pores clear
> ...


Great, I will definitely give this a try. He is neutered however. It feels very dry, not so much waxy. I don't see any bugs from what I can observe. I'll get blood work done to double check. Thanks so much for the help everyone !


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## Carriana (May 13, 2008)

ames said:


> Could it be from chewing on the tail? _*Or do tbh bit it against anything they are near when they are excited (that's called happy tail) *_ Any other hair loss under armpits or eyes or cheeks or ears?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos


Lucy is missing hair on the very tip of her tail and I think this is the reason...her tail can leave bruises!

In my search for answers I kept getting information about thyroid conditions too. I would say that if everything else leads to a dead end you may want to get him checked out at the vet to rule out a thyroid condition.


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

ames said:


> What's stud tail Francis?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos


Sorry Ames, I had very limited access to this site today.......my friend's phone, ugh. If you haven't already googled it, JoKealoha basically explained it.....over production of testosterone from the gland in the tail. This is why neutering is what a lot of vets would suggest...it's where the "stud" part comes in. Of course there are many theories on how to keep the situation at bay, and the severity of the case dictates which works best.


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

RednoseMarshall said:


> Great, I will definitely give this a try. He is neutered however. It feels very dry, not so much waxy. I don't see any bugs from what I can observe. I'll get blood work done to double check. Thanks so much for the help everyone !


hmm. like Francis mentioned, stud tail is more common in unaltered males. it's possible in neutered dogs. but rare.

let us know.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Saint Francis said:


> Sorry Ames, I had very limited access to this site today.......my friend's phone, ugh. If you haven't already googled it, JoKealoha basically explained it.....over production of testosterone from the gland in the tail. This is why neutering is what a lot of vets would suggest...it's where the "stud" part comes in. Of course there are many theories on how to keep the situation at bay, and the severity of the case dictates which works best.


I got busy and forgot to search so thanks for the reply.



JoKealoha said:


> hmm. like Francis mentioned, stud tail is more common in unaltered males. it's possible in neutered dogs. but rare.
> 
> let us know.


interesting! Thanks!


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## APBTN00b (Jul 8, 2013)

I wonder if Apollo has Stud Tail. I've noticed some hair loss on his tail also. Around midway. I thought it might have been mites, but Stud Tail sounds more likely.


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## PerfectPit (Aug 2, 2010)

My boy is neutered and he gets it at season change from winter/spring and simply grows back just 1 small spot. It doesn't bother him. Have you checked for fleas, that can cause it also.


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