Lisa Vanderpump is rarely seen without her beloved Pomeranian, Giggy, who frequently appears on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules in stylish sweaters. Although this is partially a fashion statement, it is also Vanderpump’s way to keep Giggy from going nude… Underneath the clothes, the poor pup doesn’t have any hair!
“Disaster struck, my beautiful fur start to fall out in clumps, my soft baby coat was leaving me,” explains Giggy’s blog. “My owner, Lisa was constantly reassured that this was the puppy uglies that crosses the path of so many Pomeranians, she knew differently… We have tracked down many doggy doctors and alas to no avail… We have found no cure.”
Although there isn’t a treatment for Giggy, there is a diagnosis: Alopecia.
Alopecia, the medical term for baldness, affects both humans and animals. Among dogs, it’s more common with some breeds, such as poodles and Pomeranians. It can be hereditary or acquired from something like a food allergy or flea bite. Veterinarian Wendy Brooks said the hereditary condition usually presents itself in a dog’s early adulthood.
“First the long primary hairs go, leaving a fuzzy puppy-like coat but eventually that goes, too. The bald skin pigments are not itchy and usually do not get infected,” Brooks wrote for Pet Health Library.
Although some cases caused by hormone imbalances or allergies can be treated, the causes and cures of other incidents may remain a mystery. To rule out hormone imbalance, veterinarians start by running blood tests and urinalysis.
Generally, alopecia is more of a cosmetic issue — and with his glam sweaters, Giggy seems to have that problem under control!
