Older dog losing hair?

[amabelscott]

i have a labrador bitch who is 12 this year and i have noticed that she has lost patches of her hair most prominently on her tail but that it is also becoming thinner around her armpits and between her front legs. is this normal in older dogs?

 

[Blythebeck]

My older dog has a generally thinner coat on her belly. She can get patchy loss on her back with certain foods. Have her on skinners duck and rice and touch wood she seems to be alright at the moment. But yes her coat has thinned over the years. I put a coat on her in cold weather and she sleeps in the house or if absolutely neccessary in a heated kennel.