Pet Lovers

[NickNack]

Has anyone had a dog with ear margin dermatosis or ear margin seborrhea?  The hair on the very tips of Frankie’s ears are coming out.  I’m finding tiny little ear tufts in my bed.  She had her annual exam last week, and I asked the Vet what this was and that’s what she told me.  She said it was common in dachshunds and found much less frequently in other breeds.  Frankie is a french bulldog.  She said we didn’t need to do anything about it unless it got much worse.  I don’t want it to get any worse though and want to do anything I can to stop it.  She prescribed Duoxo Seborrhea Microemulsion Spray to use three times a week.  If that doesn’t help we will go to the Duoxo Seborrhea shampoo.  

I actually hadn’t even noticed this was happening until my groomer pointed it out. He said it was sunburn.  That’s when I started noticing the ear tufts on my bed.  I had noticed them before but didn’t know what they were.  My Vet said that dogs can get sunburned like the groomer said, but that’s not what this is.

If anyone has any experience with this, I’d like to hear your story.

Thanks.

[lolakimono]

@NickNack

I don't have any experience, but I was wondering if you had tried coconut oil on the ears?  It has antifungal properties and would keep the area moisturized so hopefully Frankie won't scratch/lick it too much.  I have used that on my boy cat when he scratches in the area above his kitty "eyebrows" and right below the ear.

[NickNack]

@lolakimono  I haven't tried anything yet, but did order the Duoxo spray that my Vet prescribed.  Frankie doesn't scratch her ears at all.  This condition apparently doesn't itch.  Thanks for the suggestion, though.  I've heard good things about coconut oil.

I just discovered this condition last week, so that's why I haven't tried anything before now.

[goldensrbest]

I have no experience with this, did the vet think it was a infection,and why your dog has it?

[NickNack]

@goldensrbest   It's not an infection.  Some dogs just get this.  It's mostly found in dachsunds.  I don't think there's a specific reason why she got it.  I belong to a french bulldog e-mail list and asked them if they'd heard of this.  I did get a couple of replies saying that they had had frenchies that had gotten this in the past and it went away.  That made me feel better as my only concern is that it doesn't get any worse.

It isn't really noticeable.  I hadn't noticed it until my groomer pointed it out to me.  I'll attach a picture of her that I took today.  If you look closely at the tips of her ears you may be able to tell that they're thinning.  I'm not sure you can actually see it in this small of a picture though.

Edited to say:  You won't be able to tell it in this small of a picture. I probably shouldn't have even attached it.  I sent it to someone in an e-mail and you could sort of see it.

 

[Wannabeincali]

@NickNack

Hi 

Do the ear edges feel CRUSTY?

When you touch them, is ttje hair coming off in clumps?

Did it look like this?

http://www.askavetquestion.com/answer_np.php?id=3202-ear-margin-dermatosis

If so, yes, I have run across this when I fostered dogs in the past, as well as when I have dealt with pet rescues. Many health issues can cause this I am sure,  but the ones I dealt with were caused by a FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY.

You can easily see of this is the cause, by giving uour dog BOTH Omega 3 *salmon oil*, and an Omega 6 *Borage oil woks great, as it is one of tje few omega 6s that is ANTI inflammatory*. Add ot to his food, or give him a capsule coated in some peanutbutter or cream cheese. Give both 1 x day, 7 days per week.

I usually saw results with 3 or 4 weeks, though it could take 8 weeks. It all depends.

***********

Zinc, Multi Vitamins, and ADDING fresh cooked meat to the diet

Aside from the salmon and borage oils, we also supplemented with zinc, but the zinc to copper balance needs to be kept, so zinc supplementation is tricky. I would suggest you look for some SKIN & COAT supplements for dogs, as they usually contain some zinc in safe amounts. You can also give him doggie vitamins. And you can add zinc rich cooked meats to his food if you feed canned or kibble, just to not add more than 25% in exttra chiken or beef. Adding more than that will upset the calcium to phosphorous balance. You may also want to give him digestive enzymes and probiotics.

*******I

Topically, to relieve the itch, you can apply some Neosporin. I use the kind that has Pain Relief. Once the crusts stop forming, you can use coconut oil to keep the ear edges lubricated.

IF the supplementation does not help, your vet can check for mange, hypothyroidism, food allergies, to name a few. BUT honestly, vets usually want to start by giving a topical treatment, vs considering a nutritional treatment, or other issue!

I would start by supplimenting the essential fatty acids (salmon oil and borage oil). Do not just add veggie oils, as they are highly PRO inflammatory. Use high quality people products, for the best results. Some salmon oil is high in mercury, so research brands! The ones I trust are Carlson Labs, and Nordic Naturals. I buy them from GNC or Vitaminshoppe, or Whole Foods. You can find the Borage Oil there also. Primrose Oil or Black Currant Oil are also good Omega 6s....anti inflammatory. AVOID corn oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil...they are pro inflammatory.

I hope he gets well, soon!

[NickNack]

@Wannabeincali  Thank you for your helpful input wannabeincali.  Her ears look like that minus the crust.  They haven't crusted yet, which is what I was trying to avoid.  My Vet told me not to bother them, so I haven't touched them yet.  When the Duoxo spray arrives tomorrow I will have to touch them to apply that with a cotton ball.

I've given her Omega-3 (Welactin for dogs) for a couple of years but not Omega-6.  I will add that.  I was glad to read that the Vet in your article recommended the same spray that my Vet did.  My Vet says that this doesn't itch, and she is not scratching her ears at all.  She eats Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato dry food.

[goldensrbest]

@NickNack, What a cutie you have there, and love that chair.I just got some duox for my little red golden,the foam we are fighting allergies, you can buy 3-6-9 omega supplements, also if she will eat sardines, just a liitle bit for her.

[NickNack]

---

@goldensrbest wrote:

@NickNack, What a cutie you have there, and love that chair.I just got some duox for my little red golden,the foam we are fighting allergies, you can buy 3-6-9 omega supplements, also if she will eat sardines, just a liitle bit for her.

---

Thank you @goldensrbest!  

[Wannabeincali]

@NickNack

Hi again!

You are welcome! Your furbaby is such a cutiepie!!

Is she on Duck & Sweet Potato for allergy reasons?

If so, a few other things could be causing the ear issues:

- a food allergy 

- yeast issues *starches incl grains, potato, sweet potato, carrots, peas, etc will make yeast issues worse*. My Shih Tzu and countless fosters, rescues, etc had these issues. Untreated, this can lower the immune sytem, and lead to DEMODEX mite issues (which will cause bald patches). A grain free LOW GLYCEMIC diet, PROBIOTICS, EFA Supplementation (omega 3 & 6s), & digestive enzymes will help with this.Plan on a minimum of 6 months to treat.

CAUTION:

If your vet diagnoses her with any yeast issues, and recommends the oral medication KETOCONIZOLE, my advise would be to try the above mentioned, first. In all my years involved in dealing with yeast issues in dogs (going on 20+ years), I have NEVER seen ketoconizole not make things worse. It works, initially. But then the yeast comes back with a vengeance! and it will take much longer to help the dog get over the yeast issue. MUCH longer. Plus, ketoconizole is very harsh on the liver. Sadly this medication is widely overused by the show dog community in long haired breeds, as a way to grow coat fast on a dog with yeast issues (yeast overgrowth will cause hair fallout and poor coat). Probiotics are your best defense and cure for this condition, along with preferably a homecooked or raw diet (we homecook, as my furbaby did not do well on raw -- many yeasty dogs have weak immune systems).  We have cooked for her for 13+ years (she had the yeast issues as a pup). We feed all of of our rescues/fosters a home cooked diet.

It took us around 7 mos with holistic treatments to get my own pup over the yeasty issues -- hers never showed in her ears, but her paws were a mess. Her feet smelled like Fritos -- a telltale sign of yeast problems. Smell your dog's little paws.    Vets will frequently treat this topically with shampoos, but that will not resolve the issue. Look to checking for food allergies (elimination diet), hypothyroidism, atopic allergy (pollens, molds, dust, etc), and more rarely perhaps a contact allergy (shampoos, grooming products, ec). Of course any underlying disease can supress the immune system and cause yeast overgrowth, but usually I have found diet, over vaccination, too many antibiotics or steroids, food allergy, or seasonal allergies, to be the most frequent underlying cause of yeast related dermatitis.  Even a borderline low normal thyroid can lead to yeast. Your vet can do a paw scrape. Finding more bacteria than yeast, I have found to point more to allergy ...food or environment. More yeast than bacteria, is usually due to a weak immune system, low thyroid, and high glycemic diet (too many grains, starches ....they all break down into sugar). All dogs have demodex mites in their skin, but it is when there is yeast overgrowth that the demodex will get out of control. Diet, weak immune systems, low thyroid, and/or stress are the major factors I have seen in yeasty dogs. *adding a bit of kelp to her diet can help boost her thyroid. I usually just by Naure's Way Kelp caps, break one open, and pour about 1/3 of it into my 15 lb dog's food. A smaller dog can get 1/4 cap. Dogs over 35 lb can get 1/2 cap. Dogs 75 lb and over, we give 1 cap. We dose this to low normal thyroid dogs about 3 to 4 x week. Too much kelp can cause issues. The above at a few x week, are safe. There are also kelp/green algae dog supplements, BUT many have lead contamination, so I prefer to use people brands when possible. A product I do trust is BERTES GREEN BLEND. You can find this online at "b-naturals" website.

If her feet do smell like corn chips, and you would like some tips on how to resolve the yeast issue, feel free to contact me. Note that some dogs are able to completely get over the yeast imbalance and never have a reoccurance, provided they are given probiotics and a species appropriate diet. Others, due to underlying conditions stressing the immune system ongoing, will always need greater support to keep the yeast in balance. For those dogs, a life long supplementation protocol, while addressing the underlying disease, will be critical.

Colostrum is another supplement I would highly recommend for your pup, regardless of whether she has yeast issues or food allergy or seasonal allergy, or any other immune issues. It is made by Symbiotic. This along with probiotics, digestive enzymes, and omega 3 and 6s, has turned around more dogs for us .  Colostrum is a powder cap which you can break open and mix into about 1/3 c of water, and oral syringe it.  We use it as soon as we take in a rescue. Dogs have been able to survive on just this for a few days, when they were too weak to take any food in. They rally quickly, and then are able to take in blended food, until they can take in solid. Colostrum helps to strengthen a dog's immune system without risk of overstimmulating an autoimmune dog. If you suspect your dog has yeast or any other immune system issues, start with colostrum, probiotics, and EFAs (essential fatty acids...omega 3 & 6s). Then, add in digestive enzymes. To help combat a food allergy, you would need a 12 week elimination food trial, while using the above supplements. Also add in L Glutamine 500 mg caps, 1 x day for small dogs, or 2 x day for large breeds. You can add this to her food or water. Lglutamine helps to repair the intestinal lining in food allergy dogs.

I hope this helps!