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Natural reasons for hair loss in cavapoo
Why is my cavapoo losing hair: Nutritional deficiencies
Have you been noticing your cavapoo’s hair all over the house? And your pup looks like he’s getting less fluffy?
Cavapoo in general are a low- to no-shedding breed due to the genetics it inherits from the non-shedding poodle, which is a dream come true for many dog lovers. While some cavapoo may still shed minimally (if they have inherited more of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel genes), a lot of shedding in the cavapoo can be a reason for concern.
Your cavapoo may shed somewhat significantly around the age of 5 – 6 months old, but that is just their puppy coat shedding to change into their adult coat. That type of shedding is not a reason for concern but a natural state of your pup’s growth. If and when that happens, you can simply try to increase the effort you put in your cavapoo grooming. Combing out the hair will prevent it from spreading all over your house, or getting stuck and matting your cavapoo’s coat.
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Your cavapoo may also lose hair during certain times of the year such as spring and summer, when a lot of animals naturally shed more than at other times of the year. Again, you will notice more hair if you cavapoo has inherited more of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel coat, and less if it has more of a poodle coat.
Finally, if your cavapoo is older, they may also shed more simply due to age-related coat degeneration. That is perfectly normal, and unfortunately, something that probably is going to happen to all older dogs (and sometimes older people too!)
Those are all natural reasons for your cavapoo losing more hair than you may like, and you should just accept them as necessary evil.
Here are the cases where you should worry, though.
Your cavapoo may be losing its hair due to nutritional deficiencies, lack of vitamins and minerals in their system that is probably harming other body organs and systems, and the hair loss is just one of the symptoms. Nutritional deficiencies are usually the result of a poor diet and can severely affect your cavapoo’s health.
To try and fix this issue, re-assess your cavapoo’s nutrition. You can read this article to find out about best food for cavapoo. Correct nutrition is extremely important in keeping your dog healthy overall, and their coat shiny and thick in particular.
There isn’t really a single vitamin or mineral that is likely missing from your dog’s diet, but a whole array of nutrients, which is why it’s important to look at nutrition instead of supplementing artificial vitamins/minerals.
Hormonal issues often directly affect the state and quality of your cavapoo hair. Hormonal dis-balances, for example, a dis-balance of nitrogen, may cause your dog’s hair to thin and fall out. Sometimes this happens to neutered or spayed dogs. It can also happen if a dog has thyroid issues. This is one of the reasons to take your cavapoo to the vet if you notice that they are losing a lot of hair.
You probably know a lot of people suffering from various allergies. You might have one yourself! In the modern world, dogs are just as likely to develop an allergy as humans are! It may be an allergy to a certain food you are giving your pup, or your cleaning detergents, a the dog shampoo you are using, and anything else you can think of.
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Allergy can easily cause a dog to lose hair simply because they will itch and scratch their skin more than necessary. How do you know if your cavapoo has an allergy? They might sneeze, cough and itch just like humans. If you notice your cavapoo displaying these symptoms, they are likely allergic to either their food, or something in their environment.
Time for you to do some sleuthing! Switch their food to something different and see if that helps. If it’s not food, try to see if your dog is chewing on something that may make them allergic, or is maybe regularly in contact with some chemicals in your house.
If your cavapoo has mites or fleas, it can scratch itself to the point of losing patches of hair regularly. Mites in particular cause patchy hair loss, and may be hard to see if you are not paying attention. If your cavapoo scratches itself obsessively and you notice their hair falling out in patches, take them to the vet to see what type of parasite they have and what you can do about it.
The problem could also be inside, not outside. This probably isn’t something you want to hear, but your dog may very well have worms or other intestinal parasitic infections. Worms in particular can release so many toxins in the dog’s body that the dog’s overall health may greatly suffer, including their coat.
If worms are your problem, your vet will do some tests on your dog to see what type of worms they have and prescribe a powerful dewormer to hopefully help you pup.
To move to a more pleasant topic, one simple reason your cavapoo is losing hair may be that you make them wear their dog clothes too often. Are you one of those owners that loves seeing their cavapoo wear a cute sweater in winter? That cute sweater may irritate your pup’s skin and cause increased hair loss as well.
It’s good to keep you cavapoo warm, but they are still a dog and most of the times can really regulate their body temperature without the help of clothes. While some cavapoos happily wear their sweaters or t-shirts without an issue, some more sensitive ones may develop skin and coat problems from constant friction and potentially sweating that happens when they are too warm in the clothes you put on them.
They can also be allergic to something in the clothes! If you have a habit of dressing your cavapoo, try to let them go “naked” for a while and see if that will improve their skin and coat condition.
I hope this article was helpful to you in your quest of figuring out why your cavapoo losing hair. Things like this always involve a bit (or a lot!) of sleuthing work. It’s not always easy, but I hope you will find your reason and help your cavapoo keep their beautiful coat!
If you are looking for a cavapoo to adopt, check out our articles on how to find a reputable breeder. You can find such breeders in: Reputable cavapoo breeders UK, Cavapoo breeders in Ontario, Canada, and Cavapoo breeders in Alberta, Canada. You can also adopt a puppy from Cavapoo Rescue. Don’t forget to read about Cavapoo pros and cons.