Why is my neutered Pomeranian still losing hair after surgery?

If she has fleas, this is most likely the reason for the hair loss - she is probably biting at / scratching at the affected areas causing the loss. There are a large variety of flea preventives / treatments available, coming in the form of oral medications, topical formulations, or collars. Because there is such a large variety of products, some of which work better than others depending upon your geographic location, your best bet would be to ask other dog owners / vets in the area which products have resulted in the best experiences. I won't pretend to know which is best in southeast Asia since I live in the United States. If fleas are the not the reason for the hair loss, certain auto immune conditions, allergies, or endocrine conditions could also be possible causes. Lastly, the Pom is one of the breeds known to suffer from a condition known as Alopecia X. It is characterized by progressive hair loss without itchiness, leaving behind dark skin in place of the hair. Before you consider any of the latter, get rid of the fleas and see what kind of a difference it makes. Hope this helps.

I am sorry to hear about Norik! We can see shedding at certain times of year, especially when the seasons are changing, however we would not expect a bald patch of skin as a result of this normal shedding. If Norik has a bald spot we would worry about things such as a hot spot forming (a bacterial infection of the skin), a fungal infection such as ringworm, ectoparasites, or other disorder. I would recommend Norik have an exam by his vet to check the patch of bald skin so we can figure out why he is losing this hair and treat appropriately!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Cortisone can help if for example this is due to allergies and it is causing him to be itchy. This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

 There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!


The only way to know if this is truly alopecia X is to either do a skin biopsy or to do a short trial of melatonin to see if he grows the hair back while on treatment. However, alopecia X typically only affects adult dogs age 1-10, so it isn't my first suspicion. I would rule out Demodexx mites and allergies (especially if the skin is red or crusty) first with a skin scrape and response to allergy medication. I hope you get to the bottom of Dudu's hair loss. Take care.

What you describe certainly is not normal after a minor surgery such as a neuter. However, I am suspicious that he may have a skin infection, ringworm, or even possibly mites. Sometimes if they have a minor infection or mites then the stress of surgery can cause it to get worse. I would highly encourage you to schedule him a follow up appointment with your veterinarian to determine what is causing the skin problem. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Rice curd and occasional meat is an inappropriate diet for dogs. They are carnivores that need a side of vegetables or grains, not the opposite way. Excessive shedding can be caused by malnutrition, mites, fleas, skin disease, etc. I would recommend having Scooby Doo examined by a vet to see what is going on.

Hello. As long as Makenna still has her undercoat, this is not Alopecia X which results in almost complete loss of the coat, often sparing the head & tail. If there are no signs of any systemic illness, such as an increase in water intake, increased urination, excessive panting, obesity or diarrhea, then I would wait this out for awhile. The diagnosis of Alopecia X is basically ruling out every other endocrine or hormonal condition that can affect a dog, so as long as she seems happy & healthy, I would see how her coat turns out over the next 4-6 months. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.