When your dog begins to show issues with their skin you can determine what the problem is by first looking at the area that is bothering him.
Hair loss at the tail base on a dog's back When a dog displays hair loss on their back just in front of their tail the most common reason is a flea allergy.
  Even if you don't see a flea on your dog there has probably been one there.
  Fleas love to feast on this area on a dog.
  Take your thumbs and flip the fur backwards towards the middle of their back.
  Look to see if there are any black specks that look like pepper.
  This is flea dirt.
  The little bookmarks that a flea leaves behind.
  You are not actually looking for a bug but rather the sign that it has been there.
  Some dogs are super sensitive to just one flea bite.
If your dog falls into this category you need to do a couple of things.
  You need to not only treat your pet to prevent reproduction of a flea that rides on the pet but also the environment that your pet lives in.
  If your dog is in the house you need to treat the entire part of the house that your pet has access to.
  This can be done with an over the counter spray, professional services or all natural methods.
  Which method you choose is up to you but be sure that you find something that will treat the adult fleas and their eggs.
  Only killing the adult fleas will not correct the problem.
  A flea can lay thousands of eggs.
  Again, you need to treat the entire area.
  You need to treat under the couch or bed, under the chairs, along the baseboards, all carpeting and all bedding including your own if they're allowed up there.
  Of course, don't forget outside.
  This is where that first flea came from.
  Treat any area that you or the dog roams outside.
  Fleas don't have to come in on a pet.
  Even an exclusively indoor cat can get fleas.
  They ride in on our shoe laces and pant legs.
  Take a moment to process that nasty thought.
Second, you need to invest in a strategy to eliminate the reproduction process.
  This entire cycle happens on the dog.
  The adult fleas lay eggs that fall onto the carpeting or upholstry.
  We need to nip this in the bud.
  Again, whether you purchase a product from your vet or go a more natural direction, you need to apply something to your dog that will either kill any flea that bites him or at least stop the reproductive cycle by sterilizing the flea.
Back to Helping the Hairloss For some dogs that are only beginning to have some hairloss simply treating the dog and environment for a flea problem will be enough.
  If your dog is developing areas of skin infection, scabs on the skin, we need to do some additional work.
  I am a veterinary assistant so I would suggest that you do visit your veterinarian so that an antibiotic can be prescribed to tackle the infection.
  The infection itself is very uncomfortable and cause your dog to dig even more at their rump.
  But, I know that we are at a point in our economy that this isn't realistic for all pet owners.
  For those of us that need to watch our pocketbook, don't know many who don't, there is a book that has some wonderful information available that can get you through this issue.
  I would suggest visiting it and getting more information at www.
veterinarysecretsonline.
info.
  Dr.
Andrew has some wonderful information that can help you out.