Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 10/7/2011

Question
I just realized that my 3 yr old cream coloured female pomeranian, cockapoo, maltese and shih-tzu cross, Sadie, has almost no fur on upper inside of left back leg. She is not scratching or anything and the skin looks healthy and smooth although it is not as pink as all her other skin, more beige coloured than pink. I noticed area when she was walking in front of me today and it is about 3 inches long by 1-1/2 inches wide. I bathed her with puppy shampoo for sensitive skin last weekend as we were taking her to my sister's in the city and I didn't notice any thin fur when I dried and combed her. I would appreciate knowing what this is from and if she needs help. Thank you.

Answer
She may have abraded her skin and removed some of he hairs in that area.  If the hair does not grow back, then I wold recommend a skin scraping to see if there is any evidence of mange.  It may require a skin biopsy (in a month or so) if there is no hair regrowth in that area. The biopsy will tell your vet if there is a disease in the skin causing the hair loss.