Shitzu scabbing, shedding

Question
Our shitzu has had several patches where she has reddish scabbing which turns to a hairless patch and her hair grows back.  They have appeared on her back in non adjacent areas.  Weeks may pass between the scabbing so they do not seem to be related.  Our groomer was not familiar with it.  There do not seem to be bumps or sensitivity below the skin.  I read the link about Chronic Skin Disease: Sebaceous Adenitis in a previous posting and it does not fit that description.  We plan to take her to the vet but are wondering if this is common in the breed.  We changed her shampoo to an oatmeal and tea tree oil and she seems to be doing better but it has not eliminated the problem.  Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Answer
It could be anything from hot spots, allergic dermatitis from fleas or other environmental substances, food allergies, or it could be a bacterial infection on the skin where she has scratched at gotten yeast and will need to be treated with antibiotics.  Your best bet is to have her taken to the vet.  There are several things to try but without seeing it and knowing for sure what your dealing with I would not feel comfortable saying for sure.  I know this sounds harsh but if it is what I think it could be you will want to try it and it won't hurt either way take a q-tip and dip it in bleach and dab the areas that are affected, do this every 2 -4 hours on day one and on day two see if you notice that the area is beginning to clear up.  Hope it helps..Let me know how things go.