I'm not sure if this is a problem that I should be concerned or not.

My pup Nickie has recently started losing his hair around his eyes - I think it is because he tends to rub his face against the wire grating on his crate (it is a plastic crate with grates on the sides and also the door).

This morning I noticed that this bare skin has some dry flaky skin flakes all over it - I took a wet washcloth and wiped it off but I'm wondering if I should put some kind of cream on it - not wanting to get it in his eyes though. Or should I just leave it alone?

He is 9 months old (bullmastiff/pitbull mix). His diet consists of Canidae kibble two times a day. He also gets a raw egg every other morning and also two spoonfuls of non-fat plain yogurt each morning.

If you click on the link below, you can see in the first picture the area around his left eye (actually the right eye looks a little worse).

Thanks for any advice. Also he is shedding quite a bit but guess that is normal due to the temps here in Las Vegas approaching 100 degrees this time of year.

I'd get him in for a skin scraping right away to check for "demonic" mange.

If it is "demonic" mange, it is MUCH easier to treat if you catch it right away. If it's not, your vet can recommend a safe ointment if it is appropriate.

I would take him to the vet for a look.

There are a couple of causes I know of (probably a lot more) for that moth-eaten look around the face, and the rubbing of the face on the crate might well be a result rather than a cause (like some will rub their faces against a carpet); that is, it itches, and that's how they are relieving it.

So I'd want to check for localized demodex, yeast, etc.

Oops. Anne hadn't posted when I typed mine. :>

I'll try to get him in this weekend. He doesn't rub his muzzle with his paws like it itches. What I've read so far about demodicosis sounds like something I sure hope he doesn't have!
Haven't seen any other bare places except around the eyes.

 Quote: Diane Joslin

I'll try to get him in this weekend. He doesn't rub his muzzle with his paws like it itches. What I've read so far about demodicosis sounds like something I sure hope he doesn't have!
Haven't seen any other bare places except around the eyes.

The face is a common site. As Anne says, the earlier you treat localized demodex, the better.

I took Nickie in yesterday for a skin scraping to see if he had demodicosis. Vet said there was absolutely no sign of mites. He even repeated the scraping in two different places to make sure. He said that in rare instances there might be mites that did not show up in the samples that were taken.

He believes it is an environmental allergy - probably to the grass in our back yard that Nickie likes to roll in a couple of times a day (since he has a short hair black coat, all the pollen shows up on his coat after he rolls around. Vet also showed me a couple of places on his toes where the hair was very thin.

He gave me 10mg of prednisone to see if it will take care of the allergies (with a caution to contact him immediately if there is a reaction to the medication which might mean that he is one of the rare dogs who has demodicosis without any mites showing up in the samples taken).

Anyway, he seems to be doing very well today.

 Quote: diane joslin

I took Nickie in yesterday for a skin scraping to see if he had demodicosis. Vet said there was absolutely no sign of mites. He even repeated the scraping in two different places to make sure. He said that in rare instances there might be mites that did not show up in the samples that were taken.

He believes it is an environmental allergy - probably to the grass in our back yard that Nickie likes to roll in a couple of times a day (since he has a short hair black coat, all the pollen shows up on his coat after he rolls around. Vet also showed me a couple of places on his toes where the hair was very thin.

He gave me 10mg of prednisone to see if it will take care of the allergies (with a caution to contact him immediately if there is a reaction to the medication which might mean that he is one of the rare dogs who has demodicosis without any mites showing up in the samples taken).

Anyway, he seems to be doing very well today.

I know you said that he was pawing at the skin on his face, or trying to rub it on the crate..... is he also licking at his paws?

Itchy paws (especially between the toes) are a classic sign of atopy.

I hope the vet gave you a limited amount and indicated that Pred was either a trial to find out if it stopped the itch, or a short-term intervention to break the itch cycle. IMO, steroids are not the first line against atopy.

It's not the way I would choose to diagnose atopy*, either, but I understand that you and the vet are trying to rule out Demodex.

I would urge you to talk about stopping the Prednisone as soon as a result is presented (ruling out Demodex and/or breaking the cycle of itch that is causing the rubbing).

If you and the vet are convinced that it is indeed atopy, then short trials of the most successful human antihistamines (because dogs' reactions to them are very individual, so you might not hit on the best one with your first try; I've had success with Hydroxyzine and know others who have settled on Chlorpheniramine; Benadryl is the least successful) along with long-chain Omega 3s from marine sources and Vitamin E are the safest and best (IMO) basic first treatments.

2003 and 2005 research from Tufts showed that long-chain Omega 3s (fish oil) and antihistamines together were much more effective than antihistamines alone.

And dogs use Vitamin E in processing oil supplements, so you want to give that too.

I would also try to keep baby wipes by the door and clean off the dog's undercarriage and paws after every "roll in the hay," before he comes back inside. Otherwise what happens is that he carries the pollen and other allergens inside with him and deposits them on the carpet and on his bedding or mat, where he then lives with them and breathes them in full-time. Also, I agree with Dr. Messonier in http://leerburg.com/971.htm that rinsing or bathing the dog who has environmental allergies has so much benefit that it trumps the argument about drying the skin or coat with bathing. (This was only a recent discovery for me.)

Bottom line here is that while steroids can be a temporary magic bullet for itching and can return some quality of life to a dog who is so miserable that he gets no sleep and scratches himself raw and bloody, they are something to be used with discretion and care, as a last resort, in the smallest amount and for the shortest time possible.

The vet may have covered all this with you; I hope he did.

*I'm not a health professional -- just someone with way more canine allergy experience than I ever wanted to have.

I would also add that no matter what the allergy is, allergies are an immune system problem. I believe that the first step in supporting the dog's immune system is an excellent diet.

I'm not saying that the dog probably has a food allergy, because true food allergies are WAY down on the list of likely allergies.

I'm saying that grain-heavy commercial diets are a stress on the immune system, along with over-vaccinating.

I understand that you're feeding one of the better kibbles. If you can, however, I'd recommend that you eliminate grains from his diet and consider a fresh raw diet.

http://www.leerburg.com/diet.htm

And I would definitely start the dog on daily fish oil with E, regardless of diet. Omega 3s are great anti-inflammation agents.

Connie,
Thanks for all the great information!

Actually, Nickie had not been itching his face or licking his paws - I originally thought he was losing the hair around his eyes from pushing his face against the side grate of the crate in order to see us better when we are sitting at the dining room table having our meals.

The vet gave me 30 tablets of 10mg each of the prednisone (he is prescribed 1.5 tabs two times a day for 5 days, then 1.5 tabs 1 time a day for 5 days then 1.5 tabs every other day until gone. Vet indicated that this would definitely stop the "itchies" and kind of break the cycle. He definitely did not indicate that he wanted him on it for the long term.

He has not rolled in the grass since Friday evening. This is definitely something that I am going to seriously discourage. Also, the idea of wiping him off is excellent. He really enjoys a quick spray of the hose when he is outside (does not like to get in the pool though!)

His crate is plastic and contains no bedding of any kind - just a kong-type bone for exercising his jaws. He sleeps directly on the plastic which I wipe out the bottom of the crate two times a day before he is fed in the crate.

At this time, raw feeding, unfortunately, is not an option for my husband and myself. He is on Canidae which is the best that we can do for now. I will definitely start him on daily fish oil with E. Omega 3 (assume this can be purchased where the "people" vitamins are?). He weighs 72.5 lbs - how much should I give him? Is the Vitamin E in addition to the fish oil or does the fish oil contain Vitamin E?

Thanks again, Connie - your advice on this web board is invaluable!