Do Animals Go Bald?

Dr. Rassman,

Do any animals go bald? If not, why don’t they?

Thanks.

Yes, there are animals that do go bald. I know of some mice with alopecia that is similar to some human family lines (alopecia totalis). Also some mice lose their hair as they get older and some have complex polygenic diseases that produce hair loss such as alopecia areata. There has been much written about mice, because they have been the human experimental models, but I am certain that similar problems must exist in other mammals. Guinea pigs are known to lose hair when they are pregnant (like some human females).

More links of interest:

• Google search – animal hair loss
• Causes of Hair Loss (Alopecia) in Dogs
• Alopecia mice derived from albino ddY mice: breeding, histological and ultrastructural studies
• Alopecia areata in aging C3H/HeJ mice.
• Alopecia Areata Induced in C3H/HeJ Mice by Interferon-Gamma: Evidence for Loss of Immune Privilege
• Alopecia in Guinea Pigs
• Age-related diffuse chronic telogen effluvium- type alopecia in female squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis)