Loose hair around eyes and head

[Winnie Mah]

My frenchie puppy is 5 months 11 days today.
I've started to give him barf (raw feeding) since 1 month ago
2 meals BARF and dinner kibbles (Acana Pacifica - 5 star kibbles)
and his breeder is really concern about this
He think I should not feed so much raw food, just a few grams mix in his kibbles is fine
(from what I research raw don't go well with kibbles in the same meal, it mess up his digestion)
and he think i should continue feeding Blackwood 3000 (3 or 4 star kibbles, protein 24%) as he think too much protein is bad for frenchie, excessive tears, itchy skin etc.

Yesterday he saw my puppy's latest photo and he immediately contacted me and say my puppy is probably having food allergy and I should stop raw feeding right away
His suggestion is change back to Blackwood 3000 (80grams x 3 meals per day)
I don't like the suggestion but he keep telling me how serious it is and food allergy could lead to infection and horrible condition.

So I follow what he says and he's been pooping so much (5 piles in 6hours, when I go to work, total of 7 poo poo throughout the day)
I think the amount is too much for him.
His hair around his eyes and head has been so little since younger.

Attached photo no.1 : When he's much younger and at his breeder's place (not much hair around his eyes)


Attached photo no.2 : 3rd week he's at my home


Attached photo no. 3 & 4 : Taken few days ago and this is the photo the breeder refers to.



Can anyone tell me if my puppy is having issues or just normal?
He recovered from yeast infection on his body when he's 2 months old.
His hair on his body grew out nicely, but his head and eyes still don't have much hair.
I've asked the vet and she told me it "could be" normal, since it doesn't spread to other parts.

 

[turbodave]

Could be a food alergy, but hard to say whether it's the raw or the kibble.
I disagree that mixing raw and kibble in the same dish is a bad thing. My two have been eating a raw/kibble mix forever, and both are perfectly happy healthy fur babies. I also know that Leo and Molly, my Daughter's two are also fed a raw/kibble mix and they are both perfectly healthy happy Frenchies!

I'm not familiar with the particular type of kibble you're feeding, is it 100% grain free? check the ingredients, if there's any kind of a grain listed, you may want to think about a change.
I don't know how much 80 grams is compared to "cup" measurements so can't advise you there.

 

[Tgirl]

Have you asked a Veterinarian about his hair loss?

 

[winginit66]

Hi. So....I am trying to determine if there is new hair loss or if this is the way he has looked since the yeast infection episode? There are quite a few others here that feed raw and are very in favor of feeding raw. [MENTION=380]KimB3384[/MENTION] Good luck!

 

[MaplesMommy]

How many ounces of raw are you giving him? And what exactly? Is it a pre made raw food or do you balance it yourself?
Are you adding any fish oils?

I would indeed NOT recommend feeding raw and kibble together because they digest so differently. Raw takes 4-6 hrs and kibble up to 12 hrs. Just because some dogs seem fine and dont show any obvious signs of distress,it doesnt mean its ideal. We usually don't recommen it to anybody.

Edit : And here we go again: The protein myth! I hear that almost every day! Raw fed puppies grow evenly and you can't feed too much protein. Dogs evolved on high amounts of protein,moderate amounts of fats and very little carbohydrates. Thats how they should be fed. Even in dogs with kidney/liver problems its not the protein that plays a role but rather the phosphorus.

 

[MaplesMommy]

Oh and one more thing: The kibble your breeder recommend I would not feed! Three out of the first 5 ingredients are cheap fillers. (Rice,Oats,Millet). That bag of food is almost 50% carbohydrate! All the starch/sugar in those foods is what causes itchy paws and ears because starch feeds yeast and it almost always comes to yeast overgrowth.

 

[2bullymama]

If you have the time and the money --- raw is MUCH better for your pup. The hair loss could be normal, I have seen it on some dogs but I am no expert for sure -- I tagged a few members that may have some insight

 

[MaplesMommy]

I would also test for ringworm and do a skin scrap to see if its mites.

 

[Squishy Walnuts]

I agree that you shouldn't feed raw and kibble together. My BT had a hair loss issue on her sides and the first thing I cut out was chicken as I read that many dogs have a poultry allergy. Her hair grew back in a month or so. I now feed only Acana Pacifica with an added fish oil and her coat looks amazing.

 

[Winnie Mah]

[MENTION=728]turbodave[/MENTION] I was feeding Acana Pacifica Grain-Free kibbles together with chicken premade BARF, half a cup is 65grams, so I'd say 80grams is more than half a cup.
[MENTION=179]Tgirl[/MENTION] I asked my vet about this and she said it's normal and some dogs do have less hair on the face area (which I doubt)
[MENTION=377]MaplesMommy[/MENTION] I fed him premade BARF, 100g for breakfast, 100g for lunch, and 60g Kibbles for dinner. Around 6hours between lunch and dinner. The breeder protein theory is about the kibbles, not raw feeding. He totally against raw feeding. I really want to continue Acana Pacifica but he look at me like I mistreated my baby.
[MENTION=902]Squishy Walnuts[/MENTION] Maybe I should follow your methods. I was feeding chicken barf so it might be it.

Don't food allergy induce itchiness? He don't scratch his face / eyes at all.

 

[MaplesMommy]

How much does your pup weigh?

The most common signs of food allergies are itchy skin and/or stomach upset (diarrhea, vomiting). Some dogs develop hot spots.
I know ringworm can cause bald spots, I think they would be all over his body though and not just the eyes. Id still go to a vet and get a fecal test done and a skin scrape to be certain its not mites (once again Id assume if it was it would effect the whole body but Id wanna be certain).

I would add some coconut oil and high quality fish oil (if you're not doing it already). You can also carefully rub some coconut oil on the bald spots.

 

[Squishy Walnuts]

Uma was never itchy either. We did have the fecal test done first and when it came back negative I changed her food and that did the trick.

 

[davidh]

Looks like the hair is growing back around the eyes, it could have been allergies. I would say if you want to continue with the raw and still feed kibble, then do so. You may watch the chicken though, as it can could allergies too.

 

[mhuinker]

How many ounces of raw are you giving him? And what exactly? Is it a pre made raw food or do you balance it yourself?
Are you adding any fish oils?

I would indeed NOT recommend feeding raw and kibble together because they digest so differently. Raw takes 4-6 hrs and kibble up to 12 hrs. Just because some dogs seem fine and dont show any obvious signs of distress,it doesnt mean its ideal. We usually don't recommen it to anybody.

Edit : And here we go again: The protein myth! I hear that almost every day! Raw fed puppies grow evenly and you can't feed too much protein. Dogs evolved on high amounts of protein,moderate amounts of fats and very little carbohydrates. Thats how they should be fed. Even in dogs with kidney/liver problems its not the protein that plays a role but rather the phosphorus.

Just curious as to why it's a bad idea to feed raw & kibble at the same time? Mine seem to do fine on it, and they have been eating like that for 5+ years. They are on Fromm grain free and a raw mixture with mashed peas/carrots once a day. I agree, you need to go with a grain free kibble that is high quality. I've also seen many Frenchies that have allergies to chicken..... so I personally steer clear of anything chicken. They get venison, beef, liver, salmon, coconut oil, etc...

 

[MaplesMommy]

Just curious as to why it's a bad idea to feed raw & kibble at the same time? Mine seem to do fine on it, and they have been eating like that for 5+ years. They are on Fromm grain free and a raw mixture with mashed peas/carrots once a day. I agree, you need to go with a grain free kibble that is high quality. I've also seen many Frenchies that have allergies to chicken..... so I personally steer clear of anything chicken. They get venison, beef, liver, salmon, coconut oil, etc...

Sorry for the super late reply. Totally forgot about it :blush:
We usually dont recommend it because they digest differently. First, kibble takes much longer than raw meat; it is possible that the digestive tract pays more attention to the raw in which case the kibble wont get digested properly, if at all. If the digestion is slow,then this wont be an issue (and no,the meat is not going to 'rot' in the stomach).
Second, raw meat gets digested as protein whereas kibble is digested as starch. This can cause digestive confusion and can result in gassiness or vomiting.

So feeding kibble and raw together wont certainly harm your dog but it can cause digestive confusion in some dogs. If your dogs have been fine, then there is nothing to worry about