Bald spot on middle of tail comes and goes. Not biting?

Hey everyone, occasionally my 8 yr old mastiff/lab mix winds up with a bald spot on the middle of his tail. He does not have any fleas or anything like that, and has occasional dandruff but other then that skin and fur is always healthy. I am almost positive he is not biting or pulling his hair out there either. No scabs on his tail either, has anyone have any idea what this could be? If you need any other information or history about him just reply here, any help is appreciated.
Thanks - inTHEsane

 

Hmmmm There is a sebaceous gland near the base of the tail and I read that sometimes it can cause a bald spot if the gland is infected. I don't know if this is your problem but it might be something you could check out.

 

Thanks for the information not sure if that is it but at least now I have something to start with when searching. Most of anything I would find in my searches are unrelated and dealing with fleas and such which this def. isn't the case. It doesn't seem to effect him at all, but still curious as to why it happens.

 

So what happened? Was the bald spot a result of a glandular malfunction? Or was it the result of your dog doing something while you were not watching?

 

Have you ever considered that he may have a minor case of mange? Parasites do exist in our dogs, but it only worsens when their health or immune system is compromised (which mostly happens when they are puppies, seniors or adjusting to new environments) I remember my Shih-Tzu having the same issue a couple of years ago. He had a bald tail and "dandruff" (it was actually termed "flaking skin" by the veterinarian). And the reason why his entire body isn't affected is because he's healthy and that he can fight off most of the parasites.

Don't worry, if it were mange, nothing a good anti-mange soap can't fight. One of my dogs have the same issue on his hip. I just put crushed Kakawate (Madre de Cacao) leaves on it because they're known to be a great natural insecticide.

 

Maybe it was age related? The oldest dog I had was 12 to almost 13 years old and I could observe that she gradually loses fur as she aged just like in the tip of her tail or generally on her tail. I just thought it was normal and not get worried about it.
Good to learn new things here as it could be an issue or caused by something.

 

Come to think of it, that bald spot could be the work of some parasites under the skin which cause the hair to fall off or not grow at all. Strange though that the parasites, if they actually existed there, did not expand their territory as time goes by.