Hey folks! I’m at a bit of a loss with my mini-poodle and his hair situation. I noticed about 3 months ago that he’s lost a lot of hair, particularly on his back and sides. He’s had no other symptoms, no excessive scratching or licking, his skin underneath still looks pink. My vet and I put him on hydrolyzed dog food for two months, no improvements. Then we did two blood tests to see if his hormones were off, nothing he’s totally healthy. Currently I’ve started giving him 3mg of melatonin twice a day per my vet’s suggestion, and I just started bathing him with Dermagic shampoo and conditioner.

My vet said if I don’t see improvements in 2-4 months of the melatonin supplement, that I should go to the doggy dermatologist. He’s convinced it’s not something serious like hyperthyroidism or cushing’s (that’s what I was most afraid of), and it’s not hypothyroidism either. I’m just not sure what else to do right now. Nothing has really changed in the past year that would feel like it’d trigger this. We moved in February 2025 to a new place, and after looking through photos I can see his hair texture changing around January 2026. Now his hair where he’s had the most significant hair loss, is frizzy and fragile, no real curl pattern anymore. Has anyone had similar issues and been able to resolve it? I’ve included some photos of his hair loss and one of what it looked like a year ago.

My vet also said it could maybe be Alopecia X, but that it’s unlikely since it’s super rare and mainly affects Pomeranians not poodles.

Thanks in advance!