Why do cats and dogs lose their hair?

Cats and dogs are many people’s favorite pet companions, and their fur is an important part of their external appeal and personality traits. However, a common question that many pet owners face is why do pets lose their hair? Let’s find out.

Skin structure of pets

First, we need to understand the basic structure of cat and dog skin and the hair follicles. The skin is divided into three parts: the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue.

Epidermis

The epidermis is made up of several types of cells, including keratinized cells and melanocytes. It is the first line of defense used to protect the body from pathogens in the external environment, as well as to protect skin cells from sunlight.

Dermis

The dermis accounts for most of the thickness of the skin and its main role is to support and nourish the epidermis. The dermis contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, erector spinae muscles, nerves, and sebaceous glands, sweat glands, hair follicles, and other tissues that secrete glandular fluids. They allow the epidermis to defend itself against invading pathogenic microorganisms by constantly delivering nutrients to the epidermis. Among them, the sebaceous glands secrete sebum, which keeps the skin soft and supple and retains proper moisture, making the hair shiny. However, when dogs and cats are malnourished or in a state of high stress, this gland will go on strike, resulting in a dull coat that is dry and prone to breakage. During this period, we should give our cats and dogs some nutrients appropriately.

Subcutaneous tissue

Below the dermis, it belongs to the innermost layer of the skin, mainly composed of adipose tissue and muscle, and is a natural cushion. It is also a storage place for electrolytes and energy and can provide good insulation.

Hair Follicles

It has been said that they lose a lot of hair because they are hairy, and there is a corresponding basis for this statement. This is because human hair follicles are single follicles (one hair per pore) while the hair follicles of dogs and cats are composite follicles. An adult’s hair density is about 200-300 hairs/cm2, while a cat’s hair density is about 8,000-32,000 hairs/cm2, and a dog’s is about 200-9,000 hairs/cm2, and the hair density of cats and dogs is dozens to hundreds of times higher than that of humans!

Hair growth is affected by nutrition, hormones and seasonal changes. Hormones, medications, diseases and environmental stresses can also affect the health of dog and cat hair. Hair protects the skin from physical and UV damage and helps regulate body temperature.

Causes of Hair Loss in Cats and Dogs

After understanding the composition of the skin structure of cats and dogs, we can start analyzing the main reasons for their hair loss.

Seasonal Shedding

Seasonal shedding is also a common cause of hair loss in cats and dogs. During the warmer seasons, they shed more hair to adjust to the change in temperature. This usually happens in the spring and summer months, prompting them to prepare for hotter weather. This seasonal shedding is their natural response to help them stay comfortable.

Pathologic hair loss

There are many types of clinical skin diseases: fungal, bacterial, parasitic, metabolic skin diseases, etc. Especially in the summer high incidence of skin. Once discovered, you need to find out the cause of the disease as early as possible and seek medical treatment in time; you should do a good job of deworming on a daily basis.

Bathing too often

Bathing frequency is too high, or use soap-based or human bath products, will destroy the pet skin’s own PH value, resulting in fragile skin and fur tissue destruction, easy to cause bacterial infections, hair loss and other conditions.

Wrong diet or nutritional deficiencies

For example, long-term lack of vitamins and minerals can cause hair loss in pets, especially eating a single grain can lead to malnutrition. Among the various nutrients needed by cats and dogs: protein is an important part of the skin and coat of cats and dogs, so the protein that is usually eaten is critical, and whether it is of good or bad quality, balanced or not, will directly affect the state of the coat. The content of fat in food can also affect their skin, because fat can promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, the lack of which will make the hair grow poorly, dull skin without luster. Similarly vitamins A, E and B, which are all involved in the development of the kids’ coats, a deficiency can affect the quality of their skin and coat.

There are also some nutrients that ensure the skin of dogs and cats that the body can not synthesize on its own and must be ingested externally. Such as: unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin H, niacinamide and trace elements, etc. Therefore, when the dog and cat long-term intake of too low or unbalanced intake, in the hair will appear in the coat dry hair, hair fluffy, hair loss, dandruff and other symptoms.

But too much salt intake will burden the kidneys of cats and dogs and damage the hair follicles and hair. Salt is one of the contraindications in cats’ and dogs’ food.

Lack of/excessive sun exposure

The hot and humid climate of summer can easily harbor bacteria, and staying at home for long periods of time can also cause your pet to lose hair. But excessive sun exposure can also be harmful to your pet’s skin.

Excessive licking and endocrine disorders can also cause abnormal hair loss

Cats and dogs usually adjust to their very stressful moods by constantly licking their fur. However, excessive licking can cause them to develop severe hair loss. Similarly, endocrine disorders can also cause cats and dogs? hair loss, when they have an overproduction of a certain hormone in their body, or consume too many steroids, as well as over-exuberance of adrenocorticotropic hormone, they are prone to symmetrical hair loss symptoms on both sides of their back.

So by analyzing the above points, we can consider what can be done to reduce hair loss in cats and dogs.

In the absence of localized hair loss and skin abnormalities, cats and dogs can be groomed regularly, fed high-quality food and provided with adequate drinking water, a nutritious diet helps to maintain the health of cats and dogs, thereby reducing hair loss. In the case of good food, to meet the cats and dogs in the balcony to open up an open space, so that they can comfortably sunbathe, but pet owners should pay attention to live in high-rise buildings need to pay attention to close the window or seal the balcony, to avoid accidental fall; at the same time, you can prepare the hair cream, to prevent hairball disease.

If pathological hair loss occurs, please consult a doctor promptly.