Dog Ear Crust & Hair Loss

by Stefany
(Colorado)

I have a 1 1/2 yr old male pit bull who has been having ear problems for about 6 months now. Both of his ears have grey, crusty scales on the tips. There are also red bumps and sometimes these crusts can bleed slightly. They do not itch at all.

He also does not appear to have any itching anywhere else. His ears do not seem to cause him any pain and he also does not shake his head excessively so I don’t think he has an ear infection.

The crusts started on the inside tips of his ears and now appear to be spreading to the outside tips. Where the crusts are, there is hardly any hair left, and the hair he does have left is very easily pulled out.

He just recently has started to lost hair around his eyes and mouth. There are no visible crusts or sores just hair loss. The hair around his eyes and mouth can also easily be pulled out just like the hair on the tips of his ears. He also has always shown signs of what looks like dandruff on his body his whole life.

Food: His behavior and eating habits have not changed. He also has been growing and gaining weight normally (since he is still a pup). He has been eating Purina Beneful dry dog food along with Purina ONE smartblend wet dog food.

Environment: He is an indoor dog and only goes outside for walks or to go to the bathroom. He has never had fleas. We also have two cats that he is contact with all the time. They are not showing any signs of of illness. He is also exposed to my parents’ dogs every so often (maybe once a month) and they also are not showing any signs of illness. So I don’t think that his symptoms are contagious.

History: The last time he was vaccinated was April of 2014. He received vaccinations for Rabies, Bordetella, DHP Parvo, and roundworm/hookworm. He is neutered. On November 17, 2014 we had to take him to the emergency vet because he was defecating enormous amounts of blood. He was diagnosed with Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE). He took Metronidazole 250mg 1 tablet every 12 hours for 10 days and has since not been on medication. This is the only medication he has ever taken in his lifetime.

Do you have any idea what this could be? And if so what can I do to treat him?