Minpin skin problem

Question
I have a minpin who is almost two years old.  She started losing her hair from her neck to her tail about an inch in width all the way down her back.  It is flakey and it seems to hurt when touched.  I took her to the vet and he did a mange test and did not detect any mites and told me he didn't know what it was and referred me to a dermotologist.  Do you have any thoughts as to what it could be?

Answer
Yes, I have thoughts! Painful lesions over the back area can be from a deep skin Staph infection called Furunculosis. This is treatable with a long course of antibiotics. Another possibility for the hair loss is Hypothyroidism. This condition can be diagnosed by a simple blood test called a thyroid panel. Yet a third possibility is a yeast infection of the skin. This can be diagnosed by taking a sample from the surface of the skin (different from the skin scrape) and looking at it under the microscope.

Seeing a dermatologist is a great idea. However, most general practice veterinarians should be able to perform all of the tests described above.

Dr. G.