# dogs ear is dry and hair loss



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

my dogs ear is dry outside and there is no hair on it anymore. ive been trying different things to moisturize it but the hair is still gone. he really hates the vet so i want to avoid that as much as possible. this happend once before but the hair grew back agian. this time it started in late febuary early march and has gotten worse unti theres no hair. luckily it dose'nt seem to hurt him though. thanks for any advice.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Could be a food allergy. Is he scratching at it? Just one ear?


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## onthespot (Oct 7, 2007)

get it checked for sarcoptic mange too.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Minelson said:


> Could be a food allergy. Is he scratching at it? Just one ear?


one ear is wose much worse than the other. the other one only has a little hair loss nothing really to make me worry. hes been on the same brand of food since he was born. so i don't know, i thought that too. no hes not really scratching it.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Could be mange, mites or allergies. Only way to know for sure is to have a skin scraping done. You can give him some childrens benedryl according to weight to make him sleepy and calm him before going to the vets.
If an allergy, it is very possible for a dog to be on the same food for years and develop an allergy...chances are the allergy was there all along but you did not notice until there was an obvious issue. If the scraping turns out negative, you can try a duck and potatoe or other grain free diet to cleanse his system, then if wanted, try a lamb and rice or chicken and oatmeal (if not what your currently feeding) and see how he handles that.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

thanks the reason i don't want to take him to the vet is that he had two knee surgeries on the same knee. so he really hates that place and im afraid hes going to mess it up agian.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

bump im desperate.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

the above advice is great and very helpful. i don't know what to do. i really need some more advice so i can make an informed decision. also its not just the one ear both edges are devoid of hair and the tips. only the one ear is dry though. the dryness seems to be getting somewhat better.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Even though he has been on the same food for years he can still develop allergies to it. I would switch to a completely different food...look at the main ingredients and the less ingredients the better. If it is a chicken or meat food I would change to Lamb & rice or Fish & potato. I really think you should take him to the vet though. He needs his temp taken to check for any underlying infection. Also, the vet can determine better if it's a dermatology problem or allergies. My mom has a vet that makes house calls...maybe that is a possibility?? Also, I wouldn't put any more moisturizer on it until you know what it is


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## artsyfarmer (Apr 8, 2008)

Does he lay on that side on the ground? I know it sounds somewhat silly, but in the spring the dogs love to lay on the ground and scratch and rub, and sometimes that can lead to a temporary hair loss should they get a little "exhuberant" in their rolling. But it sounds to me like he is getting in contact with something that doesn't agree with him.

I too would not put anything on it and would recommend a trip to the docs.


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## Naturaldane (Apr 24, 2008)

Smell the inside of his ear, if it has a bad smell then it can be infected with bacteria or yeast and he could be rubbing it to relieve the irritation.
Corn and wheat are two main allergies in dogs. I personally feed my dogs raw, but you can try boneless chicken cooked or what ever type of meat you want as long as it boneless if your going to cook it for a week, and see if it gets better.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

thanks his ears smell normal. they really did'nt smell to me. when you switch to raw how do you do it? gradually id imagine as to not upset his tummy. for some reason he likes the diet food. he dosent need it but he won't eat the regular adult food but this one he LOVES.:shrug:


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## onthespot (Oct 7, 2007)

mange often they lose the hair around the edge of the ear, with little clumps falling off sometimes connected by a piece of dead skin clump dried off all along the edge of the ear, then dispersed in the middle of the ear, also look at his front toes. If his knuckles are a little bare it ups the likelihood it is mange. You can treat it with repeated treatments of plain old dip and we used ivomec, which is very toxic to dogs and can be deadly in the herding breeds. Not recommending it, just saying what worked for us. Good luck. Don't just ignore it because he is "scared of the vet" just drag him down there and get it looked at.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

We had a dog in just this past Monday at the Vet where I work. Terrible allergies and fed raw chicken. I point this out just to let you know that even though it's raw it doesn't mean the dog won't be allergic. What are you feeding the dog now??????


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

weight loss eukenuba. its the only food he will eat. he was on their puppy food which he loved then he got to old for that so i switched him to the adult he would'nt eat that for anything so i tried this. i did'nt want to switch to another brand where is tummy would get all messed up. he really likes this though ive been feeding him this for about 2yrs.


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## artsyfarmer (Apr 8, 2008)

I have a Golden that is allergic to life...the the poor baby. But Chicken is the top offender for him. That and GRASS. You should see the "system" we have when goes in and out. It's pretty comical. 

He really needs to be seen dreamy. Check with your Vet to see if they will make a house call if you think the dog can't handle it. They will charge you a hefty fee most likely, but it should be swabbed and a proper diagnosis made for the correct treatment.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

thanks im thinking of just hauling him in. he needs a check up anyway. hes so protective of the house i think id rather drag him into the vet for a swab. hopefully thats all that will be needed.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Let us know what the Vet says


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

i will if i can ever get him there. im torn he really hates people but i want him to be healthy and live a long life.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Muzzle him if you need to and get him to the vet. You can always let the vet know as well that he does not like people and make the appt for first thing in the morning or last appt of the day...have them let you know when the waitng room is clear.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

last time we muzzeled him he tried to scratch it off and i was worried he was going to scratch his eyes. it dose'nt seem to bother him but i know he needs to go. good idea about the watitng room i did'nt think of that.


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

Practice muzzling him at home and reward for not scratching. Even with a muzzle on, he can most likely lick a bit of meat baby food as a treat.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

GoldenMom said:


> Practice muzzling him at home and reward for not scratching. Even with a muzzle on, he can most likely lick a bit of meat baby food as a treat.


thanks for the tip.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Ok I took him to the vet. The vet said it dose not look like mange or mites but might be something to do with a blood vessel? I have been using some nustock on it which usually works. He gets this every winter for the past two years . It is really dry the one ear. I was thinking of putting baby oil on it. Any thoughts? tyia


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## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

The weight loss foods are often very low in fat. Winter is the time of year that dogs need extra fat....dogs that spend a lot of time outside...to keep warm. I can't help but think there might be a connection between the reduced fat (if the food is reduced fat) and the hair loss and dry skin.

I would also watch him closely to see how he sleeps and if there is a chance that for some reason the ears...one more than the other...come in contact with some sort of irritant.

If it was sarcoptic mange I would not expect it to get better without treatment and this type of mange produces intense itching. Demodex is a possibility although hair loss on just the ears is not classic. Demodex can spontaniously get better and does not cause much itching.

Willow101


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Thanks. I have been switching his food slowly from Eukenuba to Blue Buffalo. I have never heard of Demodex, I will have to look it up.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Start giving him fish oil capsules. We had a stray dog come up that had so much hair loss I thought he had mange. Vet tested and no mange, but vet said Labs were prone to dry skin, etc. and he would need meds the rest of his life. Well, that was five years ago next month and he's shiny and gorgeous and doesn't take meds. We gave him fish oil capsules and rubbed him down every night with vaseline. Worked like a charm.


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## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

Dreamy said:


> Thanks. I have been switching his food slowly from Eukenuba to Blue Buffalo. I have never heard of Demodex, I will have to look it up.


Demodex is a mange that is passed from mother to pups while very young. It is very common however the mange mite is somehow suppressed from causing symptoms by the normal immune system. There are breeds that are predisposed to demodex because they have genetically weak immune systems. The mite often shows itself when an infected dog is young and as the immune system strengthens...the symptoms go away. These puppy infections are usually very localized and on the face or neck. When the symptoms go away the mite is still there but the dog is symptom free. 

Sometimes, dogs that have this problem continue to have problems as adults.
The problem then has the potential to be serious as it is very difficult to treat. The dog's immune system has to kick in and help. If you can't get the immune system working properly.....and that is a problem in dogs that are genetically comprimised....you are almost fighting a loosing battle. Or...at the very least a long ongoing battle to keep the mite under control. I've known many dogs that have not survived as the mange mite took over the entire body (skin) and secondary bacterial infections set in.

The problem is often found in purebreds and some breeds are far more predisposed than others. I don't remember reading what breed you have.

Actually, I am hoping it is just a lack of fat in the diet and can be solved with a good suppliment and a change of food. My dogs get a food that is 18% fat and they always have great coats and very few skin problems. The dogs don't have weight problems....except for my pit who also has cruciate problems which limit her desire to exercise...and a low thyroid which we just started treating.

Willow101


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

He is a four year old Jack Russell. Raven with the fish capsuls can I break them apart and add them to his food? How much and how many capsuls? Willowynd I hope it is lack of fat too. He has had this the last two winters,with me treating it with the nustock its usually gone by the time it warms up.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Yes you can. I'd give him two a day.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Thanks Raven I will try this!


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

Dreamy said:


> Ok I took him to the vet. The vet said it dose not look like mange or mites but might be something to do with a blood vessel? I have been using some nustock on it which usually works. He gets this every winter for the past two years . It is really dry the one ear. I was thinking of putting baby oil on it. Any thoughts? tyia


It.......took you a year to take him to a vet for that?


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

No it got better. If it had not I would have taken him sooner.


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