Solo's ears

[wolfsoul]

Solo has had sensitive ears since he was about 3 weeks old. He used to yelp when you touched them all the time, now he just whines unless you touch them too hard, then he screams. We thought at first that it was because Visa paid too much attention to them, licking them all the time, bu she doesn't really bother them anymore and they are getting worse.

It's not the inside of the ear, but rather the ear flap and outside of the canal that bothers him. No smell, no discharge, just red, hot, sore skin. I wiped them down with Witch Hazel and put on some aloe/comfrey/callandula gel a few times a day. It really seemed to cool them down and take away some of the colour.

So today I'm looking at them and notice a little bump on his ear flap. I squeezed it and puss came out. There are several other little bumps in the canal but they are smaller and hard to see so I'm not sure if they are part of the canal or not. I went out today and bought some silver and I'm going to continue using the witch hazel but use the silver gel instead of the other stuff.

The vet didn't know what it was. I'm very concerned as the ears are the first thing that strangers touch and I'm afraid that this will affect his socialisation. They are so hot to the touch, and red. I don't know what could be causing this.

Does anyone know what this could be? Any other tips on how to make it better?

[borzoimom]

It could be "skin tags". Meaning that the skin gets raw scraped up, then heals by folding back over its self. Hottie has one on his back leg, and had one between the pads in his paw.That one is as big as the tip of a ball point pen. The one on the paw was removed surgically as it was a little larger, and felt like an ingrown toenail to him. They can get puss inhind it. The behavior you were mentioning about excessive licking could have done this.
It looks like this - lets say you scrap your arm, and the skin rolls up. We take showers, and also take that off. The dog the skin stays rolled there ( they look like bumps- ) and only the attachint tip is actually able to feel pain. With the one on Hotties leg, we put vaseline or neosporon on it. It does two things- it moisturizes the attachment at the bump, and doesnt feel like someone is lifting. When the "skin tag" happens, most of it comes off, but not the very tip, and this makes the bump.
Treatment from my vet is keep is lubricated, and not only does this make it not hurt, but also with like vaseline, the skin will soften under and around it, and it will fall off. The other option is surgical with a local. ... ( just saying but that is how we solved the one on his paw- it was bothering him more. )

[wolfsoul]

I don't think that's it, because it's been happening since he was 3 weeks old. :confused: With such tiny ears we would have known if something had scraped them, and he wasn't really in an environment where anything could have hurt them. That's why we don't think it's allergies either, because he didn't start eating solid foods until he was 4 weeks.

[borzoimom]

hmmmmmmm.. Well I would take her then to a specialist in ears nose than throat- and as you know- they do exist. Ask your vet for a referal as usually they dont see you without one. We have one in Maryland.

[bluebird]

Wolfsoul, your vet should probably do a skin scraping if he hasn't already. If he freely admits he doesn't know what it is, you might want to ask him to consult by phone with one of the veterinary teaching universities or a vet that specializes in dermatology. The longer it goes undiagnosed the more difficult it will be to clear up.

[poodleempire]

hey...
I dont know if this will help,but reading your thread made me think of something i have seen before very similar to what you are describing on Solo's ears.
We had a toy poodle,and he was plagued with Red Hot spots on his body,we tried like you a variety of creams/lotions and although temp relief was given it didnt clear up.However our vets did prescibe antibiotics and with detirminaton it did go.......THE thing that caught my eye though on your thread was the 'LUMPS WITH PUSS'....
Are they white?..with maybe a yellow centre?...cause if they are i have seen these too...and all over the body....Christie and Jake both had a problem with these and the vet tried everything and tested for allsorts even ringworm :eek: ....They eventually put it down to being a virus of somesort that had been triggered of all things..a christmas tree!,and its sap!
I would definatley go to your vets with solo and 'dig your heels in' if he isnt sure what the problem is,tell him to find out :)
Hope you find a solution and good luck :D

[wolfsoul]

Thanks for the advice guys. :)

Poodleempire, I never thought to ask for antibiotics -- perhaps he is just having a bacterial issue -- would make sense with the little pustules. Think my topical antibiotics would suffice? I worry about giving my pets antibiotics. The pustules aren't coloured, they just look like regular skin, barely noticable as a bump. I thought they were just part of his ear until I squeezed the one. The other ones, I'm still not sure if they aren't part of his ear as they are in the canal and look pretty normal. :confused: So far the silver has been doing an awesome job, they weren't red until the end of my work day. Put some more on and it cooled them right down.

[Karen]

I don't think that's it, because it's been happening since he was 3 weeks old. :confused: With such tiny ears we would have known if something had scraped them, and he wasn't really in an environment where anything could have hurt them. That's why we don't think it's allergies either, because he didn't start eating solid foods until he was 4 weeks.

My immediate thought was environmental allergies - has he been tested for those?

[wolfsoul]

I'll talk to the vet about that, maybe take some tests -- I'm not sure what it could be though as Marla (Visa's breeder) and I live in such different environments and not even in the same city -- and that's where he spent his first 6 weeks. I do have an ionic air purifier...But perhaps he's allergic to something at my work? Marla brought Loki to work with her while Solo was still just a young pup and Loki played with him..

[Jakesmom]

I would reccomend taking him to a veterinary dermatologist--they have the most expertise in issues of the skin, and the part of the ear that is causing problems is the skin. I wouldn't expect allergies to occur in such a young pup regardless of where they are or what they're exposed to, but there may be some other skin condition. If a scraping/culture doesn't give the answer, the derm may be able to do a punch biopsy.

Good Luck.

Jakesmom