My dog has a face patch, but it's not ear mites. What could it be?

This sounds like an area of moist exudative dermatitis, commonly known as a "hot spot." They frequently show up in front of the ear, just as you're describing. Unfortunately yes, these are painful, and they are very difficult if not impossible to treat at home. Chunk needs pain relief to help with the severe inflammation in this area, and also antibiotics to clear up the infection. If you're tight on money, I'd recommend checking out carecredit.com - they offer credit specifically for veterinary visits. I'd really urge you to get this treated sooner rather than later, as it's intensely uncomfortable, and there's really not anything you can do at home to treat it.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, this can be due to mites. Usually though that is associated with itchiness. Another possibility is that this is due to vasculitis. There could be an underlying allergy. I recommend that you have Gizmo evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If there is itchiness, this could be due to skin allergies as stated above. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection (like yeast) or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It's probably an ear infection, often it cannot be seen from the outside. Ear infections are very common in dogs, it is usually caused by either yeast or bacterial disease (ear mites are much less common at this age) . the treatment is usually simple and straightforward, you will have to take her to the vet and get the ears checked, then a prescription ear drops will be prescribed according to the infectious agent.

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Maxamillion regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

That spot on Ace could be several things including allergies, skin mites, flea bites, ringworm (which humans can get) or a bacterial infection. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion with soap once a day and rinse well (don't wash his whole body, just the spot). Protect the area from licking or scratching with an elizabethan collar. If it doesn't start looking better within about a week or if it gets worse, have him examined by his veterinarian who may prescribe medications. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Frankie. I would recommend having him see his veterinarian. Dry flaky skin can be the result of an overgrowth of mites that live in the dog's hair follicles or even ringworm. The treatment for these conditions is quite different. There are simple skin tests to diagnose each condition. Other times this area can just indicate dry skin and may not be a concern. However, it is worrisome that the area is growing. I hope this information helps!