Skin problems and floppy ears! Opinions please?
Alright, I've heard it's possible for a corgi's ears to go floppy again while teething. Eddie's did this. His ears were beautifully erect for a long time, and then as soon as his teeth started falling out, his ears dropped. I know it's possible to tape his ears up, but there aren't very many informative sites on how to tape a Pembroke's ears and I'm a little afraid of messing up his ears (What if they don't stand up the right way afterwards?) from doing it wrong. Additionally, I can't tape his ears up right now (they're scabbed up at the moment) because of another problem he's currently going through:
Eddie's been having skin problems for a couple months. It started around his mouth, then under his eyes like war paint, then on and in his ears, a bit on top of his head, and now his elbows. It gets a flakey, crusty build up, his skin turns blackish underneath and the fur falls out, and then he scratches the crust off until he ends up wounding himself and creating scabs. The weirdest thing is, this patchiness is almost symmetrical and only located on his head and elbows. I've been taking him to the vet since the start of it, and it's starting to get expensive with all the tests and medications.
Here's how the vet checkups have gone:
They suspected it was ringworm at first, thanks to the scabs glowing green under a blacklight. They gave him an oral antifungal medication (which ended up doing no good) and told us to keep him secluded from the other pets for a whole month. We did as the vet instructed, and I ended up washing my hands every time I touched him. None of the other dogs caught the so called "ringworm" (even after being exposed to him for a long time before secluding him), and neither did any of the people who were exposed to him! Eddie hated being locked away and was glad when we finally declared his imprisonment over.
The next vet check was with a different vet in the same clinic, who looked him over and declared that it probably wasn't ringworm. He felt it was something bacterial, or perhaps caused from a weak immune system. He looked at the hair follicles under a microscope and sent a scraping of his skin into the labs for a fungal culture to completely rule out ringworm (which I need to call in to find out the results for). He gave me a round of antibiotics for him this time, which seemed to work very well. Eddie's fur started coming back in around his mouth and under his eyes, but now that the prescription is over, it looks like it's going back to how it was before.
He's due for another vet check now, but I'd like to know if anyone has any opinions on what this skin condition could be. I found something called canine zinc-responsive dermatosis, which sounds very close to what Eddie has, although I haven't noticed any lethargy and I can't seem to find any good pictures of the condition online to compare him to. Eddie was on Purina ONE puppy chow, but (due to being unable to find that kind for a week and being out of dog food) he's now on Iams puppy chow. Both claim to be premium and balanced food, and both have zinc sulfate in the ingredients. What do you think?
I would also like opinions concerning Eddie's ears. Has this happened to your corgi? Did they go up on their own? Did you end up taping them up?
Eddie is currently about 5 months old. His ears are not overly large, and they are fairly thick, but it's been several weeks, his teeth are all in, and his ears still haven't come back up. When should I be concerned about his ears and consider taping (given that they're healed)?
Below are some pictures of the areas of his face where his fur has fallen out.
Edit: Oh, and just while I'm at it, I've noticed Eddie tripping over his right paw a lot lately. I intend to bring this up too at the next vet visit, but if anyone has any opinions on this issue as well I'm all ears.
Edit 2, 4-12: Gosh, will this ever end? He was licking his dewclaw today, and when I finally called him over to take a look, the base of the claw was scabbed and bloody. I'm guessing this is related to the skin condition... Oh Ed, please get better soon.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ace and Jen on
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im not much help over the skin problem >:
But Ace's right ear drooped after he got one of his Rabies shots last spring and it spooked me i was freaking out that i had broke it or something until i noticed the lump from his shot.. i assure you his ears perked back up after the lump was gone his last rabies shot the begining of the year didnt have a reaccurance with the ear floppage but they will perk right back up im sure =)
Ace also had some problems with his front feet a couple of months after i got him but i think its because he sprained them or something >: so i hope all clears up with Eddie.. me and Ace will keep him in our thoughts~
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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Poor Eddie, that's a lot of stuff for a litle dog! There was someone on another forum I visit who's dog had Dermatomyositis which looked a lot like Eddie's pictures. It can also cause lameness I believe. Maybe something to look into?
As far as his ears, I wouldn't tape them until they've healed up like you said. However, the longer they stay down the harder it may be to get them back up. This is basically how I taped my cardi's ears, it's the same idea for a pem: http://www.arylan.com/Ear%20Tape%20Tutorial.html
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Permalink Reply by Shawna & Eddie on
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Thank you both for the replies! It certainly is a lot for a little dog, but he's been very tolerant about everything. For me, it's very frustrating. Since he's my first dog, I'm constantly stressed about whether or not I'm doing right by him and teaching him the right way, and these added health problems and concerns only add to it! I was expecting to get a healthy puppy and not have to worry about complications until later in life. I'll be glad when and if this skin problem is over.
There are a lot of mixed opinions about ear taping and when it's too late, but I will definitely try to tape them up as soon as his ears are healed, if they haven't perked up by then. Just to be on the safe side.
Dermatomyositis (I'm looking into it right now) sounds like a very serious disorder. It does sound similar to whatever Eddie has. I really hope it's not.
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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on
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I'm probably of no help with the skin thing, I don't know much about canine skin conditions. My only experience is with ringworm on my foster cats (which they ended up giving to me despite how careful I was) but the scabs on the inner ear kind of look like he's scratching. Could it be some sort of allergy? Then again that wouldn't glow green under a Wood's lamp....
I can help with the floppy ears though! I taped Orion's ears at 12 weeks because one was up then flopped back down sideways with a weird crease thing and after that neither of them showed signs of going back up. I used the blue painters tape on him and it didn't really seam to bother him at all. I took it off after about 3 days and his ears were up. After a couple days they were looking a little droopy so I taped for another day and a half and they've been up ever since. I posted some pictures of the taping process on a previous thread so you can go to this link to check them out: http://www.mycorgi.com/group/puppies2010/forum/topics/how-soon-do-t...
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Thanks! The vet said it could be an allergic reaction (among other things), but he doesn't have any clear answers to give me yet. I know skin conditions can be very difficult to diagnose.
He does scratch at his ears, and I make him stop whenever I catch him, but I think the majority of the hairloss isn't bothering him now. I have some painter's tape laying around, so I'll probably use that once his ears are healed. There doesn't seem to be any creases in his ears yet, so that's a good sign that they'll stand back up properly, right?
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Permalink Reply by Vivi N. on
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I taped my Yoda's ears for a couple days then I stopped. Don't worry his ears will stay up, just make sure you give him extra calcium-yogurt and check his ears daily. If the ears fall again, repeat the taping process.
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Permalink Reply by justine moeller on
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You should talk to your vet about food allergies and look into switching foods. If the food is grain or chicken based, dogs will often have allergies to this. Maybe just something to look into. I hope you get it figured out soon and your pup feels better.
As for the ears, our second corgi had floppy ears. We debating taping and tried it for a day but then decided to let nature take its course. It never came up! :) He has one floppy ear, sometimes they both stand but when he is very tired one flops big time. We love him all the same!
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The vet asked what food we had him on and didn't seem concerned with his diet, but food allergies seem to be the most common skin problem in dogs, from what I've read. Right now he's on Iams, which I'm pretty sure is big on chicken ingredients. Before that he was on Purina One, although I don't remember the main ingredients in that one. I didn't know chicken could be a main source of allergies for dogs (is it because they're corn fed?), but I did know about grains. Is rice a common allergy? My mom's chihuahuas are on a Lamb and Rice kibble, but that formula is only for adult dogs... :/
I've been taping his ears up for a couple days now, and the one is currently fully erect. The other I've taped separately, hoping that it just needs a little more time to strengthen. He doesn't mind too much while I splint them up, but he's not very keen when I try to remove and re-tape them. Still though, he's very patient with me and doesn't seem bothered by it as much now, on the third day. I have high hopes for his ears! They came up very early originally, and he just looks so goofy when they flop down! It's not that I wouldn't love him if they decided to flop permanently, but I'm really going to try to do all I can to get them back up before it's too late.
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It couldn't hurt to try switching his food to see if that helps. I'd be inclined to maybe try a grain free non-chicken formula. It may be more costly, but if it helps his skin it would probably be worth it in the money saved from the vet bills.
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Yeah, I'll look into different puppy foods. The adult foods seem to have more variety to them, but it couldn't hurt to look. In the mean time, I just keep cleaning and keeping the areas dry, making sure he doesn't gouge at any scabs. Like I said, he's very patient with all of this, the goofy little bratface.
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My dogs do chicken and have no problems but I have a few friends with non corgis (imagine!!) who are allergic to chicken. The grain debate is quite considerable. I would suggest taking a look into why some like to feed grain and some dont. I personally dont.
As for puppy VS adult food, there is also debate about when to switch or in fact, if even to start with a puppy formula. Some say the switch is fine after 4-6 months of age. Again, do some research and shop around for a vet that is interested in diet, especially if Eddie is having potential food problems.
You would be surprised how lovable that goofy floppy ear on a corgi can become! :) Walters has a mind of its own. Some days its totally up, other days (especially in the heat or when he is tired) it is completely down! It constantly moves when we talk to him..up and down and up and down... its hard not to smile.
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Permalink Reply by Aber, Ragnar and Kelso on
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Kelso has a floppy ear too and we love it. It fits his face so well. We tried taping for a few days, but it made him sad. Now sometimes his ears will be up in the morning right when he wakes up, so we get to see him looking like a proper corgi, and then it plops down again and he just plain cute. I even find when it stays up longer than usual that I worry we'll never see him with his adorable floppy ear again--I've grown quite attached to it. I think it makes him special, despite the questions of what he's mixed with!
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