My 8-month-old Pomeranian is losing hair. Is it allergies or alopecia?

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.

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.

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!


There is a possibility that your dog is suffering from hypothyroidism, so your vet should also do a thyroid test. Hypothyroidism can also cause hair loss as you describe. Another possibility could be seasonal alopecia, also called cyclic follicular dysplasia which causes hair loss on the flanks and back, just as you describe. The treatment is melatonin. It will not be a remedy showing success within a few days, so the melatonin will have to be given over several months, if not life-long. In some dogs the hair will never grow back. Your vet may want to take a skin biopsy and send it in to a pathology lab. This can also give valuable information about the cause of the alopecia.

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Doodles! There can be many reasons for hair loss: bacterial or yeast skin infection, Demodex mites, endocrine disorders (low thyroid, cushings), alopecia x and there is a hair loss condition linked to intact make dogs. I would have him seen for blood work that includes thyroid testing and a skin scraping. Putting dogs on Nexgard or Bravecto can also rule out demodex. I wish you the best

Poor pup! It would be best to bring him to a vet for a complete exam and to have a sample taken from the areas where there is hair loss. Allergies can definitely play a part in hair loss, however ruling out other issues such as parasites (fleas, ticks, even internal parasites), illnesses, or fungal/bacterial infections is best to do as well. If allergies are suspected, your vet can work with you to try a diet change for any food allergies, or get started on a medication to treat any environmental allergies. Until you can get to the vet, placing an Elizabethan (cone) collar or T-shirt on your pup is best to keep him from licking and scratching at the areas where there is hair loss. This can help prevent the spread of any infection or prevent a secondary infection from taking hold.