Skin irritation

Question
I have a five year old male boxer started losing his hair on his back about a month ago and now the skin has turned black.  The spot isn't totally bald, but the spot is growing.  He has been to the vet regularly.  When the spot first appeared it scabbed a little bit and it looked like there was a bug bit.  After doing some research it sounds like Alopecia.  Any ideas?


Answer
It sounds like alopecia (seasonal flank alopecia (SFA), specifically) to me, as well; your subject is "skin irritation" but it doesn't sound as if it's bothering him at all?  Generally the hair will return on its own in a few to several months; some people feel they've had success with hastening hair regrowth by giving melatonin, canned pumpkin, or kelp - but since regrowth occurs at different rates for different dogs, and even at different rates for each occurrence with the same dog, it's really not known whether the hair would have regrown without the supplements in the same amount of time.