Flaky ear tips??

I was checking on Bandit's ear tips last night because i saw some white flakes there. It was kind of scary because it was so flaky that some fur actually started falling off. I did a little research and found that it could be mange, allergy, or dry skin. Does anyone have any experience with this? I heard that the mite test is absolutely no use because the mites are not always on the skin, but they could be burrowed under the skin. Any info would be appreciated!! thanks!!

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Permalink Reply by Avyon on August 10, 2009 at 6:12pm

When we got Charlie his ears were eaten away. Our vet said if it didn't get better to come in to get mite tested. Though they seem to be... I never heard that the mite test wasn't 100% accurate.

Are you outside a lot? Is Bandit out a lot? It could be flies/bugs eating at his ears or sunburning.

Thats my only guess :/

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on August 10, 2009 at 7:30pm

Same thing happens to Dax. Its just on his ear tips, nowhere else. I guess his skin is just dry right there. I can grab it with my fingers and a little chunk of fur comes out too, but it's so little that it doesn't make a difference, and it's not very often that it'll happen. I check his ears every chance I get because he's so hyper that I don't get many chances. Lol. Any time he's sleeping next to me on the couch or something, I always take that opportunity to look in and around his ears, check his belly for fleas, or anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it's the loose fur on the tips of his ears that irritates his skin. I dunno. I wouldn't worry about it though, unless it spreads or seems to really bother him.

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Permalink Reply by Christine on August 11, 2009 at 12:35am

Thanks both for the suggestions.

Avyon - we are not outside a lot, just maybe an hour in the morning and an hour at night to walk and run. It could be flies eating his ears because there were lots of them at the dog park for the last couple of weeks.

He's been itching a little more than usual lately, so i dont rule out the posibility of mite. But he is allergic to dust and pollen, and it's been pretty dry this past week, so it could be dry skin too. I checked other areas, but i didnt see any flaky skin anywhere. I want to clean his ear tips and put vaseline on it, would that be safe?

I scheduled a vet appointment for Friday. Just in case he gets worse, I will take him in.

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Permalink Reply by judith rys on August 11, 2009 at 4:14am

All three of my dogs have had itchy skin We ended up talking to a shepherd breeder who uses Head and Shoulders in bathing. I bathed all three when I got home and it seemed to help. I'll let you know after a while how it works. The shampoo is supposed to take care of dry skin, dandruff and other stuff.