My dog is losing his hair, a LOT of it...not just normal shedding?

my full blooded pit bull is shedding, really badly. not just normal shedding. he can lay on the carpet for 3 seconds, and when he gets up, the carpet is COVERED in hair. last year shed, but not this bad. his hair is getting very coarse and his new growth is really fuzzy. i've owned this dog a long time and never seen his coat do this. he's an inside dog...no fleas, ticks, or anything else. he doesn't bite or scratch himself. is it possible that he got ahold of something poisonous?

My dog is losing his hair, a LOT of it...not just normal shedding?

It's hard to tell what may be normal shedding or not (although if you'd had this dog a while, as you say, you're obviously familiar with his shedding patterns). Keep in mind dogs do shed more this time of year. However, since you are obviously concerned and I believe it's never good to ignore our instincts about our companion animals, I'd schedule a vet appointment. The one thing that comes to my mind is something to do with the adrenal gland (I know different adrenal diseases can cause hair loss) or possibly thyroid. Not sure about the poisonous thing but better safe than sorry and it will ease your conscience to have it checked out--the sooner the better if you're genuinely concerned about potential poisoning (I'd call the vet tomorrow and see if they can you in ASAP).

Hope he's okay and best of luck to you.

My dog is losing his hair, a LOT of it...not just normal shedding?

It's possible he may have mange, a fungus or parasites. It has to do with his skin. He does have to go outside to do his business, so he may have picked up something outside. In any case, I would take him to a vet right away before it gets any worse.