Why does my dog have white, flaky patches in her ears with hair loss?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Based on what you are describing, and the pictures, I suspect that Willow may have an infection with ectoparasites, such as mites or fleas, that are causing her to be itchy. Your veterinarian can perform a skin scrape and evaluate the cells under a microscope to look for evidence of infectious agents. Please ensure that Willow is on a monthly topical flea and tick preventative that you purchase from your veterinarian; NOT one that can be purchased from a pet or grocery store, as these are not regulated and can be very toxic to pets. Willow could also have allergic skin disease, secondary to food or environmental agents. You can talk to your veterinarian about trying a diet trial to determine if Willow's itchy skin resolves on a particular novel protein diet. The thickened ears can be due to chronic ear infections, so your veterinarian will be able to examine the waxy debris under a microscope and prescribe the appropriate medication based on whether they see bacteria and/or yeast in Willow's ears. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These look like alopecic patches which may de due to scratching of her ears which may be due to an ear infection for example. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If this is confirmed they would likely proceed with topical therapy. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It could be due to skin infection, ringworm or ear canal problem (usually yeast infection). Please, take Shiloh to your local vets as it sounds that the ear is very painful at the moment. He will be likely prescribed pain killers and either ear drops with antibiotics or topical treatment for the skin lesion.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal infection. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree with you that this could be something like mange. Generally this is easily diagnosed with a physical examination and basic cytology. I recommend that you have Bertha evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can start therapy for her if this is confirmed. They can also give her something to improve her comfort and relief some of that itchiness. The only way to relief her symptoms is by treating her infection. Good luck and have a good night! I hope she gets better soon!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sammy and for providing a picture, it's very helpful. In the picture, I swear I see some dry, flakey skin. I'm wondering if he has a skin infection causing the hair loss and flakey skin. Without seeing him in person, I can't make a definitive diagnosis. I would have him seen by a vet to have this diagnosed and treated. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 

There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

 Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!