Leather Ear on a Yorkie
If you are looking for information about leather ear on a Yorkie and how to cure it, you are in the right place. Leather ear is a Yorkie thing. I personally have had experience with it and I want to cut through all the crap articles out there and give you the actual information that will cure leather ear on your Yorkie.
What is leather ear in dogs?
Leather ear in dogs (especially Yorkies) is actually a fungus that grows on the ear and causes the dogs hair to start to fall out on the ear. It’s a fungal skin infection. Leather ear in yorkies is a surprisingly common affliction, with varying degrees of symptoms. This will address what you can do to cure your yorkies black ear and hair loss, and what causes it so you can avoid it in the future.
How do Yorkies Get Leather Ear?
Leather ear is also called winter ear. That nickname is linked to the cause of leather ear. It’s caused by fungus. Fungus grows in dark damp and cool places. So in the winter when our dogs don’t get much sun and its cold out, they are especially prone to get leather ear. The risk for leather ear in winter greatly increases if they are given a bath and their ears aren’t dried well enough after a bath. These conditions make it so easy for fungus to thrive. Yorkies have that coat of hair on their ears, and the hair is actually really good at keeping the water right next to the skin of the ear. Once the ear gets wet it can be hard to get the tip of the ear dry. So then you have the perfect conditions for fungus to thrive on their ear.
– It’s important to note that oily products like dog shampoo, sprays, and leave in oils can also cause Leather Ear.
What are the symptoms of leather ear in dogs?
1. Hair loss on the dog’s ear.
2. The skin of the ear turns black.
3. The texture of the ear will be slimy and slick.
4. The fungal infection can spread to the dog’s back legs, the tip of its nose, and even the tail. resulting in hair loss, skin turning black, and slimy skin texture in all those areas.
5. My dog is losing hair on its tail. The Skin is black on my dog’s tail.
6. My dog is losing hair on the top of its nose. The top of my dog’s nose is black.
7. My dog is losing hair on the back of its legs and hocks. The back of my dog’s legs and hocks are black or have black spots.
How to prevent leather ear
1. leave more hair on the ear, don’t trim all the hair off leaving the ear constantly cold. Doing this makes it easy for fungus to grow.
2. Get lots of sun even through a window. Sunlight can kill fungus and it will dry the ear out, eliminating moisture that the fungus needs to thrive.
3. Dry their ears and especially the tip of the ear after baths and if they get wet for any reason.
How To Cure And Treat Leather Ear In My Yorkie
1. Lotrimin Ultra. I saw a lot of articles that recommend Lotrimin. So I went and picked that up. I noticed that no more fungus was starting and it halted the growth of what was already there. But it did not kill the existing fungus. Each tube is about $14. So I found that if you look at Lotrimin Ultra and read the back, the Lotrimin ultra has fungicide in it so it can actually kill the fungus, not just stop new growth. The active ingredient that is fungicidal in the Lotrimin ultra is called Butenafine. Don’t waste your money with regular Lotrimin. Apply generously to the affected areas twice a day and you will see a drastic improvement in just 2 weeks.
Here is the Amazon Link For Lotrimin Ultra :
2. Sun. Sunlight actually dries out the skin and warms the ear. This makes it difficult for fungus to survive.
3. Keep your Yorkies ears warm, dogs with severe cases of leather ear have cold ears. You can get little knitted ear caps for your Yorkie, this helps to keep them warm to prevent leather ear and helps increase the blood flow to the ears.
4. As you start to see the ear recovering from the fungus, you will notice that the fungus will become like flakes because the fungus is dying and drying out, and you can pick the flakes off. I recommend using a paper towel to clean the ear frequently to remove the layer of black fungus preventing the sunlight and continued medication from reaching the surface of the skin.
5. Continue to apply Lotrimin ultra for a third week once a day for another week or two – just to ensure any remaining fungal cells die off.
6. If for any reason you’re not getting great results with the Lotrimin ultra – another good option is Lamisil AT, the active ingredient in it is Terbinafine which is also fungicidal. Medications that are fungistatic are the ones that do not cure and only inhibit fungal growth and you want to stay away from those types of medications.
The Tips I found Online that Did Not Work To cure leather ear.
1. Washing the ears and affected areas with Listerine DID NOT WORK, and was painful for my pup.
2. Washing the ears and affected areas with rubbing alcohol DID NOT WORK, and was painful for my Yorkie.
3. Stay away from coconut oils and sprays. I saw a lot of articles recommending to use of coconut oil and that will make the leather ear much worse.
How To Treat The Worst Leather Ear Infection That Has Spread To THE Nose And Tail And The Hocks
In the case that this has spread beyond your Yorkies’ ears – you need to get a medicated shampoo. It’s the only way to get rid of it. A Colloidal oatmeal is pretty good, the prescription one you get from a veterinarian. Or one that is fungicidal from Animal Revival. This shampoo worked great to fix my Yorkies leather ear.
Click the link below to go to the website where you can get the shampoo. It’s called “Miconazole” I got the spray and the shampoo. The spray is for between baths. Here is the link to get the good one on AMAZON.
Please be careful with the Miconazole Shampoo, they are strong, make sure you use it as directed on the back. If you use it too much it can elevate the liver enzymes in your dog. Don’t go crazy bathing them more times than is recommended, that will hurt the function of major organs in your dog’s body
I hope this article saves you time and money and your little baby starts growing hair back on those ears! This info will save you a vet visit and help to not waste money on medications you pup doesn’t need. I also hope you don’t try the rubbing alcohol or the Listerine on the ears, it won’t help your dog and it stings their little ears.
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