[nmr04]

my baby Armani is a year and a half and since his puppy days he has had what they call winter ear/leather ear (I only discovered he had an issue a few months ago)

his ears always have a funky smell, sometimes it can get pretty pungent! They have a blackish tint to them as well with minimal hair growth except around the edges and top. The bridge of his nose doesnt have as much hair as other yorkies I have seen which I have also heard is attributed to leather ear. I have also noticed that the amount of hair he has on the bridge of his nose is much less than when he was a puppy!

I have researched on the internet and there really isnt much information on the subject or how to get rid of it.

I have heard that if left untreated for a long time it can spread to other areas of his body and cause hair loss.

I wipe his ears down with a cotton ball and some alcohol as often as I can and I even heard that I should use lotrimin 1% every night on his ears and bridge of his noise. I used the lotrimin for about a week and a half and his ears became reddish and flaky! It looked painful for him so I stopped using it. Now I just rub alcohol on them and clean them out with qtips for the gunk buildup which I have to say is very hard to get rid of!

I've even asked the vet about it and asked him to check his ears but they say that the color and hair is fine! I dont believe him because all the other healthy yorkies I have seen dont have the blackish tint on the ears and they have much more hair growth on the bridge of the nose! I wish I could find a vet that specialized on small breeds!

I also live in south florida, so I'm wondering if the climate has anything to do with the issue since its generally humid here?