some answers
 

This has all happened very quick, one day he had a few matts and he looked a bit scruffy and bald, when we cut them out, the patch seemed to get bigger in a few days and we thought it was because he is growing so much, he is getting his flea and worm treatments at the vet every 4 weeks, she also treated him for mites just in case when she gave him the steroids and anti biotics but really didn't think that was the cause. His skin is not broken at all just a little pink with a very few, very tiny red microdots. He is eating ok, he is not a big eater anyway and is gaining weight every week looks set to be about 6-6.5lb according to the charts. I have bought him a new bed that has not been washed at all to check if washing powder could be the cause. I will change over his food when it arrives and only give him grain free dry with a liitle home cooked meet and veg in the evening. I have stopped giving him puppy milk, yoghurt and cheese as well as shop bought treats. I have bought himshampoo with teatree, going to use that tonight. There is hair growing in the baldy areas which are on both his rear sides and tops of all four legs.my husband and I both work but my son and daughter both call in at different times every day. He is walked every morning and evening and we play from we come home from work until bedtime with some kiss and cuddle.time.
We are not sure if he has scratched the hair out, bitten it off or if it has fallen out but have nit seen any hair in the house. He always seemed content playful and happy and even with the scratching it wasn't manic.
I will keep you all up go date.

Were the mats really tight, like pulling on the skin?

If the mats were real tight, the hair or skin could have been damaged which would cause more hair to fall out... or with the skin being pulled in towards the center of the mats (which happens), when the mats are cut out, the skins elasticity returns gradually, so after a few days, the matted area may actually appear larger than originally seen. Or a combination of both could have occurred.

matts
 

The matts had room between the matt and skin to be clipped with round nosed scissors. It looks like his adult coat is really silky and the fluffy puppy coat was strangling it wrapping around. His face and head are almost all silver white now and his saddle has all silver coming through, the tiny hairs growing back on his baldy bits are pure silver white too. We comb him every day and bath every week to ten days.

Sometimes after damage has occurred, the hair will come in one color, then change slightly over time (2-4 months). Can happen at injection sites too. As long as you see the hair growing back in, no permanent damage was done. Maybe he was just itchy due to the matting? IDK... puppies' skin can be so sensitive.

I alternate foods so my dogs don't get sick of one kind. I have fed Orijen Puppy and they seemed to like it. It is rich but none of mine have had any problems with it.

Louise and Zachary

That is what happened to Uni. When she first scratched out her hair on her shoulders, it grew back darker. Not that it's even really that dark, but the rest of her body is almost pure silver and not blue.

Sorry your baby is going through this:( I don't have any advice but I read somewhere that tea tree oil can be toxic to dogs, you might want to google about it:)

oh your poor baby. i hope you can find a solution soon..
orijen is a good food but if you do feed that make sure change him over very slowly ..
if you are are interested in a limited ingredient diet , Acana makes a single protein kibble..

Alfie is still a little doll!!!!:)

I would never have thought to google the ingredients of a dog specific shampoo so thank you for highlighting this. Have quickly googled now and it would seem mostly dangerous if ingested, also checked the possible symptoms and thankfully he did not lick any shampoo and not showing symptoms. Also lining up the previous shampoos to check what is in them
I ordered the Orijen to try him on grain free so will give that a go first and then work through AcNa if he doesn't take.

It will be so long and hard to get to the bottom of this without worrying that he is not getting enough food and trying to still let him have some nice treats.

He started on a half steroid tablet on Tuesday cut down from the full ones he started on Friday and is a little bit scratchy but think round about the normal amount.

Thank you, I totally agree, a naughty, naughty, naughty little doll faced darling.

I really hope you get to the bottom of this, for his sake and yours! Uni's not nearly as bad and it's driving me insane. I can't imagine how you and your baby must be feeling. Breaks my heart to see them like that.

Update on my wee baldy baby
 

We have had a quiet Christmas, Alfie has finished his antibiotics and steroids and getting on fine, then bang, a complete itch pot. His hair is growing back in his baldy bits but you can only tell when you are up close as the new hair is White.
Before he had just lost hair and wasn't such an itchy boy but over this last week he has been manic.
We have him in a lampshade to stop his biting and have had to get him little baby socks (wrapped in a little tape to keep them on such wee tiny legs)
I am so miserable for him, he seems depressed, and hates us for making his life so difficult.
Today was the worst, he has now for the first time been able to scratch himself raw and just wanted to be carried around everywhere and didn't even hardly want to play at all.
We have religiously massaged him with soothing creams and this has been helping but we are only strictly feeding kibble and will have to keep this up for a few weeks.
I have washed his beds and mine and my husbands chill out clothes in a new non bio.
Then just now he grabbed his favourite blanky and had a little lovin' time. I hope this is a sign he is feeling better.