gila Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Spence has had big dandruff flakes coming off the skin around his right ear for a couple of weeks now. The skin looks quite dry and scaly and the flakes are really big, not like normal dandruff. Just wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing or has any idea what the cause could be? He had a yeast infection in that same ear a while ago, but that was cleared up with drops and he hasn't been scratching or shaking his head. The inside of the ear looks and smells normal. He's fed a raw diet and currently has raw salmon most days and coconut oil daily. I've suspected he may have an intolerance to something in his diet because he's a but itchy around his mouth and has weepy eyes. I cut chicken out of his diet just over a month ago and haven't seen any improvement, so after his current freezer load of food is finished I'll try cutting out beef. Could this sort of localised dandruff be caused by diet? Or is it more likely to be yeast or mites or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 When he had the ear infection he was probably scratching his ear and caused some damage to the skin around the area of his ear. I would massage some coconut oil all around the flaky area and it will more than likely clear up fairly quickly. I doubt it would be mites causing the problem. Try the coconut oil. If he's shedding large flakes of skin it's not the regular kind of dandruff particularly as it's not flaky in other areas of his body He probably needs to see the vet about the weepy eyes and the localised itchy areas. It could be a seasonal allergy but I would have him checked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gila Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Thanks Snook. Hopefully it clears up when I remove beef from his diet. CavNrott, the ear infection was actually a couple of months ago, so I dont think it was caused by scratching. I will try the coconut oil topically. I should also mention that he's been on antibiotics for the last 3 months, and will probably be on them for the rest of his life. Don't know if that could cause this kind of dandruff though. I give him natural yoghurt with live abc cultures and a probiotic capsule daily to try to keep his digestive system balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I see a lot of dogs in the salon that have recently had ear drops and it is fairly common to see large flakes of skin stuck in the hair, especially under around and under the ear. If the ear has cleared up properly I would just keep grooming the area until the loose skin flakes have come away and out of the coat. Often that is all that is left as a clue to the ear problem and the owners think I am psychic when I enquire about their dogs recent ear infection! Please make sure that you really have cleared the ear problem completely. All too often not long down the track owners exclaim the dog has 'another ear infection' when it is the same old one flaring up time and again because it is not 100% cleared up the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gila Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) Hmm so it may have been the dermotic ear drops that caused the flaky skin GrufLife? He has had a bath since I got the infection cleared up two months ago. Rinsed and dried thoroughly too (I work in a grooming salon). I'm sure the infection was completely cleared. I had to get another bottle of drops because it took a little while to clear up. I made sure to continue the drops for about ten days after the symptoms (redness, gunk, smell) disappeared to make sure it was all gone. I've cleaned out the inside of his ear and rubbed coconut oil into the dry skin. Fingers crossed it clears up soon cos those big skin flakes are pretty gross! Edited August 18, 2014 by gila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Hmm so it may have been the dermotic ear drops that caused the flaky skin GrufLife? He has had a bath since I got the infection cleared up two months ago. Rinsed and dried thoroughly too (I work in a grooming salon). I'm sure the infection was completely cleared. I had to get another bottle of drops because it took a little while to clear up. I made sure to continue the drops for about ten days after the symptoms (redness, gunk, smell) disappeared to make sure it was all gone. I've cleaned out the inside of his ear and rubbed coconut oil into the dry skin. Fingers crossed it clears up soon cos those big skin flakes are pretty gross! Yep I would bet my left arm that the skin was affected by the ear drops. Big gross skin flakes are exactly how I would describe it. It doesn't look anything like 'normal' dandruff and is localized to just around under the ear & neck below the ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essentialdog Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) If it's not a dermatological problem it may be due to the shampoo or any topical treatment you are using. A lot of dog shampoos contain silicones which leave a build up on the skin that manifests as white flakes when used over a long period. Topical treatments in particular ear drops most often contain salicyclic acid which is quite harsh and can remove layers of skin. Edited August 19, 2014 by essentialdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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