The American Beagler Forum

My buddys 7 year old female has been losing hair on the outside and inside of her ears and also her nose. The skin is fairly dark in color. If I remember right people that hve had this problem found out that it is some kind of fungus or something under the skin. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Butch

At the Cerryland trial last weekend some guys were talking about this and John Dewyse had a name of some anti-fungal powder or cream that is supposed to work great.

I know John so I will talk to him. Thaks Big Mike

Try some Nustock onitment on it. It pretty good stuff works on mites and fungus.
good luck
Dale

Butch wrote:My buddys 7 year old female has been losing hair on the outside and inside of her ears and also her nose. The skin is fairly dark in color. If I remember right people that hve had this problem found out that it is some kind of fungus or something under the skin. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Butch

Actually, there are a lot worse problems that it could be than mere fungus.

While fungus is certainly a possibility, your friend's dog being 7 years old also is an age where animals (especially kibble-fed animals) begin to suffer immune and thyroid breakdowns, the symptoms of which first manifest themselves through hair loss. One of the key ways to tell the difference is by looking at the hair loss itself. With fungal (or mange) disorders, there is a more "random" look to the hair loss: they can be here or there on the dog.

With immune difficiencies (and thyroid disorders) the hair loss is more symmetrical : that is, it will be found on both ears, around both eyes, on both front paws, etc. Therefore, your buddy should examine his dog to determine if the hair loss is more symmetrical (or more random) before he goes to assuming it is a fungal disorder.

If it does in fact prove to be a fungal disorder, there are any number of topical products that can remove the fungus. However, if the disease proves to be a thyroid or an immune system breakdown, then your friend may well have a lifetime battle on his hands, involving a drastic change in diet as well as possible drug therapy, depending on the condition and its severity. Not saying this has anything to do with your friend's dog, but time-and-again I have observed that the age of 7 is generally when all the years of feeding a cheap corn- or wheat-based kibble come crashing down upon a dog ... slowly-but-surely ... which first manafests itself through facial hair loss as well as decreased reproductive fertility.

Hopefully, in your friend's case, it is a simple fungus ... but I just thought I would make you aware of other, not-so-simple, possibilities (if not probabilities).




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