Edges of ears crusty? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

JiggityJig · 03-28-2009, 05:53 PM

Long story.

We now have a male yorkie who we consider to be a "rescue", because before we got him he was kept in a garage (in over 100 degree weather

)

He showed up to us with little "dry skin" scabbed areas all over his body. I never talked to the vet about it, b/c his skin began to improve immediately after we got him, and I surmised it to be caused mostly by his previous poor diet, and poor living conditions.

Eventually it narrowed down to just a couple of trouble spots:

There were dry places on his neck and on his leg that I guessed to be ringworm, and indeed, they responded to an anti-fungal cream.

But he has also always had these "crusty edges" on his ears. Kind of like scabs, but also waxy seeming. Again, they were slowly but surely improving the longer that we had him, so I wasn't too concerned.

However lately he has had....not exactly scabs...but more like "raised areas", of irregular shape, that have gotten bigger and traveled up his ears a bit, in the few days since they've arisen. I'm not really sure if they are linked to the previously described condition or not, but it seems possible.

I began to treat them with antifungal cream as well, and it seemed like that caused the top layer of the "raised areas" to peel away, as if a thickened layer of skin???

It's too soon for me to know if the cream will get rid of this problem, but as this does seem a little more bothersome to me than his other issues (and is a NEW development), I wanted to check in here and see if anyone has had experience with anything similar.

(When at all possible I do try to treat him at home, because part of his problem is that he can be extremely aggressive and out of control around other animals--so I do avoid vet trips with him whenever possible! I do have very understanding vet who trusts my instincts and works with me, so any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.)

lil fu fu girl · 03-28-2009, 07:14 PM

Have you thought of the possiblitiy of a yeast infection.
If it is crusty, smelly, and itchy, and the skin has the appearance of "elephant skin", then it could possibly be a yeast infection.
You stated that he was a rescue, yeast infections are prevailent among rescues due to their compromised immune systems.
I would definitely contact the vet that you said you have a good rapport with and discuss this possibility. He might be able to suggest a plan of treatment that is not too expensive, and also give you nutritional suggestions on how to strengthen his immune system.
Poor little guy!
Best wishes........ Keep us posted on him

JiggityJig · 03-29-2009, 12:03 AM

Hmmm...I've been treating him (with meds from the vet) for a very minor yeast infection inside his ears.

Would an external (skin) yeast infection be related to the ear infection? (pardon my ignorance).

I've been reading about different skin issues in dogs, and just haven't been able to pinpoint something that sounds like what he has. You tend to just see and hear about extreme examples of things when reading on the net!

It doesn't seem to be causing him any distress, so I'm not going to bother my vet about it over the weekend. But you know how it is....moms can't help but worry.

Thanks for the reply...

Lisa and Pic · 03-29-2009, 03:14 AM

If your regular vet cannot figure this out fairly quickly, I highly recommend taking your furbaby to a Vet Dermatologist. We had a similiar problem here and my regular vet could not figure out the problem. The Vet Dermatologist can do things like skin scrapes and skin biopsies. This kind of vet can also recognize less common problems. Hope all goes well and we will be thinking about you.

Connie · 03-29-2009, 06:30 AM

It sounds like leather ear. Here is a link with treatment suggestions. Alex's Yorkie Care Frequently Asked Questions. Page 3. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down and you will see pictures of a dog with leather ear and one with normal ears. Below that it tells about it. Good luck! I hope you can get his ears cleared up!

alisonJ · 03-29-2009, 08:42 AM

yep, sounds like leather ear to me too. Edie had it about 5 years ago, and made a complete recovery.

sher84 · 03-29-2009, 10:49 AM

Are you sure the ringworm is gone? My Chloe had the crusty/waxy stuff on her ears and down her back. The vet did a scraping and it was ringworm. It took us over a month and two dippings to get rid of it. Her skin peeled and she looked awful and smelled awful for a long time.

JiggityJig · 03-29-2009, 06:30 PM

Thanks for the replies! I'm a bit of a Googling freak and have been following this and that lead trying to figure this out, and the best I can come up with is that these kinds of things are HARD to pinpoint, lol.

The antifungal cream does seem to have done some good, so I guess I'll stay on top of it with that (as that seems to be a key part of treating yeast....leather ear....ringworm....and most of the other possibilities!)

It's really nothing bad....lots of people wouldn't even notice it, I suppose...but I know it can be hard to fight a skin condition if you let it take hold!

Lisa and Pic · 03-30-2009, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiggityJig

Thanks for the replies! I'm a bit of a Googling freak and have been following this and that lead trying to figure this out, and the best I can come up with is that these kinds of things are HARD to pinpoint, lol.

The antifungal cream does seem to have done some good, so I guess I'll stay on top of it with that (as that seems to be a key part of treating yeast....leather ear....ringworm....and most of the other possibilities!)

It's really nothing bad....lots of people wouldn't even notice it, I suppose...but I know it can be hard to fight a skin condition if you let it take hold!

Sounds like it could be lots of things like ringworm or leather ear. Please also check out information on something not very common called Ischemic Dermatopathy, Cutaneous Vasculitis. (What Piccolo has....) It can look raised in the ear, black, or scabby. (This can be caused by vaccinations.)

Hope things get figured out soon for your furbaby.

TLC · 03-30-2009, 03:15 AM

Leather ear sounds right

yorkiemum01 · 03-30-2009, 05:00 PM

I too recently adopted my baby boy from a rescue, and he's had his problems along the way, starting with hookworm. Recently..this awful itching started, and he scratched his ears til they bled, which of course promted a visit to our vet. At first impression, he was concerned with 'allergy', but when my older Yorkie also began itching his ears, so I brought them both in for a thorough check up. Lo and behold...its Mange mites...and the boys are being treated for them, but wanted to share as I never would've dreamed. We live in a wooded area, and my vet feels it was probably spread by deer, but he could've brought them from shelter.........who knows. They're condition didnt quite reach crusty ear tips, but more flakey...and itching like mad! Glad we got to the bottom of it fast, and both are recovering well.

03-28-2009, 05:53 PM	#1
JiggityJig YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: TX Posts: 1,226	Edges of ears crusty? Long story. We now have a male yorkie who we consider to be a "rescue", because before we got him he was kept in a garage (in over 100 degree weather ) He showed up to us with little "dry skin" scabbed areas all over his body. I never talked to the vet about it, b/c his skin began to improve immediately after we got him, and I surmised it to be caused mostly by his previous poor diet, and poor living conditions. Eventually it narrowed down to just a couple of trouble spots: There were dry places on his neck and on his leg that I guessed to be ringworm, and indeed, they responded to an anti-fungal cream. But he has also always had these "crusty edges" on his ears. Kind of like scabs, but also waxy seeming. Again, they were slowly but surely improving the longer that we had him, so I wasn't too concerned. However lately he has had....not exactly scabs...but more like "raised areas", of irregular shape, that have gotten bigger and traveled up his ears a bit, in the few days since they've arisen. I'm not really sure if they are linked to the previously described condition or not, but it seems possible. I began to treat them with antifungal cream as well, and it seemed like that caused the top layer of the "raised areas" to peel away, as if a thickened layer of skin??? It's too soon for me to know if the cream will get rid of this problem, but as this does seem a little more bothersome to me than his other issues (and is a NEW development), I wanted to check in here and see if anyone has had experience with anything similar. (When at all possible I do try to treat him at home, because part of his problem is that he can be extremely aggressive and out of control around other animals--so I do avoid vet trips with him whenever possible! I do have very understanding vet who trusts my instincts and works with me, so any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.) __________________ OUR HEARTS KIKI MAZIE JIMBOB ELFIE OUR JOYS

03-29-2009, 12:03 AM	#3
JiggityJig YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: TX Posts: 1,226	Hmmm...I've been treating him (with meds from the vet) for a very minor yeast infection inside his ears. Would an external (skin) yeast infection be related to the ear infection? (pardon my ignorance). I've been reading about different skin issues in dogs, and just haven't been able to pinpoint something that sounds like what he has. You tend to just see and hear about extreme examples of things when reading on the net! It doesn't seem to be causing him any distress, so I'm not going to bother my vet about it over the weekend. But you know how it is....moms can't help but worry. Thanks for the reply... __________________ OUR HEARTS KIKI MAZIE JIMBOB ELFIE OUR JOYS

03-29-2009, 03:14 AM	#4
Lisa and Pic ♥ Piccolo & Vivi ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 14,311	If your regular vet cannot figure this out fairly quickly, I highly recommend taking your furbaby to a Vet Dermatologist. We had a similiar problem here and my regular vet could not figure out the problem. The Vet Dermatologist can do things like skin scrapes and skin biopsies. This kind of vet can also recognize less common problems. Hope all goes well and we will be thinking about you. __________________ Lisa, Dixie, and Jazzy (RIP Piccolo and Vivi)

03-29-2009, 06:30 AM	#5
Connie Loved by Maddie & Libby Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: North Dakota Posts: 10,732	It sounds like leather ear. Here is a link with treatment suggestions. Alex's Yorkie Care Frequently Asked Questions. Page 3. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down and you will see pictures of a dog with leather ear and one with normal ears. Below that it tells about it. Good luck! I hope you can get his ears cleared up! __________________ Custom doggie dresses and vests Memory is a country where I can go to see your face - but where do I go when I miss your embrace?

03-29-2009, 08:42 AM	#6
alisonJ YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,840	yep, sounds like leather ear to me too. Edie had it about 5 years ago, and made a complete recovery. __________________ Alison--Edith Jones's mother www.edithjonesproject.com

03-28-2009, 07:14 PM	#2
lil fu fu girl No Longer a Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,410	Have you thought of the possiblitiy of a yeast infection. If it is crusty, smelly, and itchy, and the skin has the appearance of "elephant skin", then it could possibly be a yeast infection. You stated that he was a rescue, yeast infections are prevailent among rescues due to their compromised immune systems. I would definitely contact the vet that you said you have a good rapport with and discuss this possibility. He might be able to suggest a plan of treatment that is not too expensive, and also give you nutritional suggestions on how to strengthen his immune system. Poor little guy! Best wishes........ Keep us posted on him

03-29-2009, 10:49 AM	#7
sher84 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA Posts: 60	Are you sure the ringworm is gone? My Chloe had the crusty/waxy stuff on her ears and down her back. The vet did a scraping and it was ringworm. It took us over a month and two dippings to get rid of it. Her skin peeled and she looked awful and smelled awful for a long time.

03-29-2009, 06:30 PM	#8
JiggityJig YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: TX Posts: 1,226	Thanks for the replies! I'm a bit of a Googling freak and have been following this and that lead trying to figure this out, and the best I can come up with is that these kinds of things are HARD to pinpoint, lol. The antifungal cream does seem to have done some good, so I guess I'll stay on top of it with that (as that seems to be a key part of treating yeast....leather ear....ringworm....and most of the other possibilities!) It's really nothing bad....lots of people wouldn't even notice it, I suppose...but I know it can be hard to fight a skin condition if you let it take hold! __________________ OUR HEARTS KIKI MAZIE JIMBOB ELFIE OUR JOYS

03-30-2009, 03:15 AM	#10
TLC Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island Posts: 7,247	Leather ear sounds right __________________ Adopt Donate Foster www.yorkie911rescue.com

03-30-2009, 05:00 PM	#11
yorkiemum01 Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2005 Location: LAKE NORMAN NC Posts: 15	I too recently adopted my baby boy from a rescue, and he's had his problems along the way, starting with hookworm. Recently..this awful itching started, and he scratched his ears til they bled, which of course promted a visit to our vet. At first impression, he was concerned with 'allergy', but when my older Yorkie also began itching his ears, so I brought them both in for a thorough check up. Lo and behold...its Mange mites...and the boys are being treated for them, but wanted to share as I never would've dreamed. We live in a wooded area, and my vet feels it was probably spread by deer, but he could've brought them from shelter.........who knows. They're condition didnt quite reach crusty ear tips, but more flakey...and itching like mad! Glad we got to the bottom of it fast, and both are recovering well.