Accepted Answer

Hi
Thanks for that information. Excellent!
There are two conditions reasonably common in Pomeranians that can produce these signs
1. Hypothyroidism. Low production of thyroid hormone. This causes a loss of coat due to lack of hair regrowth so that would explain why she hasn't regrown her coat after the surgery. Thyroid hormone has a lot of influences in the body, not just coat. So it will also usully cause a dog to be lethargic, feel the cold have a big appetite and put on weight. Usually an increased thirst too. There can be variations to all of this. However a symmetrical hair loss with skin pigmentation is a classical signs and very suspicious with a Pomeranian. A blood test of thyroid levels (T4 test) is simple and diagnostic. Thyroid supplementation will fix the problem.
2 Alopecia X. Several breeds including the Pomeranian are prone to this. It can look a little like hypothyroidism in the pattern of hair loss but there are no changes to the skin and there are no metabolic effects so the patient will be normal in every other way. There is no diagnostic test for this although a skin biopsy will have some classic features. It's usually a matter of ruling out other possibilities (allergy, hypothyroid, etc). I think this is thye most likely probability with your dog as she sseems to be quite normal in every other way.
It's a starnge condition. It suddenly appears in a dog during early life and is usually there for life. If the patient hasn't been neutered sometimes spaying will clear it although the response can be temporary. The medication Melatonin appears to work quite well with some dogs and is thought to be related directly to the problem (melatonin is produced by the body). It is available as a supplement. The dose is 2-3 mg once daily for 3-5 days and then gradually reducing to once weekly.
So You may wish to have her thyroid function checked just to be sure and a biopsy could be done to get a reasonable diagnosis but if this is Alopecia X she may simply have to live with it. It will have no other impact on her in any way...purely a cosmetic condition.
This site is a veterinary information site that discusses Alopcia X.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1487
If you do an internet search for Alopecia X or hypothyroid in Pomeranians you'll also come up with a lot of information.
I hope I have assisted. Please contact me back if I can help further.
Kindest regards, XXXXX

Expert:	Dr Pete
Pos. Feedback:	99.7 %
Accepts:
Answered:	5/12/2009

Dog Veterinarian

Bachelor of Veterinary Science (University of Melbourne, Australia)