My shih tzu has hair loss on his tail. I took him to the vet and they said that it looks like a flea allergy. They gave me Temaril P two weeks ago, but I haven't notice a change. And he still lossing his hair from the tail, nowhere else. Just his tail. The first time that I notice his alopecia was 3weeks ago. What should I do? What should I expect from his medication? Can I use medicated shampoo or Oil Fish to growth it back? Thank you.

Updated On February 11th, 2017

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

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You should have noticed an improvement from the Temaril P within a few days of use. I am not sure how old your pet is, but you have to consider other causes of alopecia now, which includes demodexx mite infestation, ringworm (if the skin is also red and has a crusty ring around it, or even an endocrine disorder (Cushing's disease causes a rat tail appearance). I would revisit the vet and get a skin scrape to look for mites, fungal culture (if indicated), and if those come up negative then bloodwork to look for endocrine disorders. Fish oils are not effective at treating alopecia in pets. They are only good for treating inflammation of the skin. Nor will they cause hair re-growth. We need to find out the underlying cause and treat that directly.

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