# Losing hair around eye, inflamed skin?



## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Could it be mange? Hair loss around the eyes is not uncommon with mange.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

sounds like demodex mange to me. I'd have the vet do a skin scraping on it.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

might be a mite/mange. I'd get him checked to be sure.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

That is what happened when my a previous dog of mine had mange. I believe I treated it with a cream from the vet.


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

I wouldn't jump on it right away and say mange... it is a possibility, but I say let the vet diagnose it properly. Molson had a swollen toe and loss of hair in the area too, just a month or 2 ago. Here's my link about it: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=72099. It turned out to be nothing close to mange - it was an infection in his nailbed that cleared up after 2 wks of antibiotics.

Good call to stick with polysporin in the meantime! Please let us know how it goes


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

How old is Ranger? First thought would be allergies that are causing his face to be itchy. But if he's young, that's a common spot for Demodex (it can happen in older dogs, but is more common in younger).


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## kwiland (Aug 27, 2009)

I was thinking allergies, too. My boy has very bad allergies, and the skin around his eyes and tummy tured black from the trauma. His normal skin color is pink. We have had his allergies under control now for years, mostly with a BARF diet and supplements. But his skin will always be black now.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Ranger's about 18 months (he's a rescue so don't know exactly how old he is). I'm taking him to the vet tonight to see what the heck's going on. I thought about it being allergies but nothing has changed in his environment since I got him last may. Same grain-free food, same bed, same house...the only thing that's changed is I've had a mouse infestation around the same time his hair started to go. Since then, though, we've moved to my parents place and it hasn't gotten any better. I think I'll grab my camera and take some pics and post them later. I hope it's something mild.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

mice tend to carry fleas! Maybe it's a flea bite dermatitis.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Update - I took Ranger to the vet's office last night and turns it out it's...nothing. The vet said it was probably "trauma" related and to treat it with cold compresses and optical polysporin (which I'd already been doing). She didn't do a skin scrape, didn't really respond to my questions about whether it could be allergies or anything like that. I wasn't too impressed with her, at all. 

So on the plus side, it's nothing serious and isn't transmittable to other dogs which was the main reason I wanted to go and get it checked it out. Ranger has a therapy dog interview on sunday and i wanted to have "veterinarian backup" in case they ask about his eye. On the down side, it cost me close to $200.00 to be told to keep doing what I'm doing. Oh well, at least now I know for the future if it happens again.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

That's too bad that you didn't get answers to your questions. Luckily he's old enough that Demodex is unlikely (sure it's possible, but it's not common in dogs that age). He's also about the right age for allergies to start. Maybe try some Benadryl and see what kind of response you get? Benadryl shouldn't have any serious side effects (maybe he'd be bit drowsy), so it won't hurt. Keep in mind though, that not all dogs respond as well as we'd like to Benadryl, so non-response doesn't rule out an allergy.


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