Bilateral symmetric hair loss in 7 week old puppy

by Sarah Patrick
(Columbia, SC)

I am adopting a female cockapoo puppy from a reputable breeder. This week at her 7 wk check-up, the breeder asked the vet to examine some skin patches that had lost hair in the last 1-2 weeks.

The spots are on both ankles and the sides of both knees. The spots are bilateral and symmetric – the only difference is the left knee spot is slightly larger than the right knee spot.

The spots do not itch, flake or ooze. They are not red and do not appear to be bothersome to the puppy. There is simply just the absence of hair.

None of the other puppies in the litter, or the parents, have these kinds of symptoms. The breeder has not seen this before in any of her previous litters. Other than the hair loss, the puppy is normal and healthy.

The vet performed a skin scraping to test for mites/mange and also tested for ringworm. Both tests were negative. A small skin biopsy was taken from one of the spots, but the results won’t be back for a week.

The breeder’s vet said their best guess was that it was sort of benign pattern baldness, although that is not typically seen in cocker spaniels/poodles or in puppies this young.

I have to make a tough decision regarding whether to purchase this puppy. I am worried that this could be a symptom of something more severe. Any idea as to what could be causing the hair loss in such a young puppy?

If nothing abnormal is found in the skin biopsy results, can I assume that the problem is not severe? Are there any other tests or questions that I should request/ask of the breeder?

I’d also like to know if there is any way to tell if the condition is permanent – i.e. how long before new hair growth should be evident.

Thank you for any light you can shed on this puzzling situation!