no hair on the ears?
 

my male had hair on his ears when i got him... i cut the hair off of the tips to midway down his ears to help his ears stand better. now it is like his hair has worn off of his ears and they have a dark color to them... what is going on? its not that noticeable because the hair on his head hides them alot but it is still concerning to me. i figured i would ask my yorkietalk friends before taking him to the vet and possibly waisting money if there is nothing he can do for him.... any comments or suggestions would be great... thanks

Is the same thing happening to the bridge of his nose? It sounds like leather ear to me.

I dont know why the hair on the ears would wear off. My dog Chachi has lost hair on his body but he has allergies.

leather ear?
 

what exactly is leather ear? is there anything i can do? i dont see anything wearing off of his nose... but maybe it just hasnt started to yet.

Here is some info copied online:
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My dog has black slimy ears now and I was told this was winter ear. What can I do about it?

Leather ear, slick ear, English ear, black ear does affect some toy dogs, namely Yorkies, rather seriously. It can be responsible for hair loss on the ears, hocks, and the end of the tail and leaves a slimy black substance in those places. Some people think it is a fungus and some think it is a "rabbit mite". Frankly, having spent hundreds of dollars in the 70's to cure it, I still can't tell you what it is but I can tell you how to keep from getting it or how to get rid of it once you've "got it".
At the first sign of black around the edges of the ear, wipe the ear with "dog-o-dontic pads" dipped in alcohol. Bathe in Betadine or Plexadine Shampoo, paying particular attention to the ears, end of tail, and hocks. Use Ear Guard by Gerard Pellham regularly in the ears and cover the ears, hocks, and end of tail with a thin coating of Lotrimin 1%....no other kind of Lotrimin...just Lotrimin 1%, every day until the problem is solved! You will notice the ear begin to get very dry. Stop using the Lotrimin 1% if the ears get too dry! Another product which I have recently used for this problem is #l All Systems Tea Tree Oil and I'm happy to say that it works! This stuff is also really good to spray on "wrappers" as it is not too tasty!
Softer coated dogs never seem to have a problem with this but the silky coated dog with a lower skin temperature seems to have a problem when colder weather and high humidity prevail. Keep the dogs warmer and wash them at least once a week using Betadine or Iodine shampoo in those areas which are susceptible. You will be in control if you follow these instructions. It is also a good idea to have your veterinarian do a thyroid function test on dogs with these symptoms because some dogs with this problem also have a low thyroid function and medication may help the situation and keep the dog from becoming sterile and the bitch from having unusually small litters.

that was interresting... where did you get that from? i would like to read up more on it...

Iv just pasted the whole thing for you (I edited my last post).But you can find the whole thing (with pictures) here:
http://www.shooterdog.com/alexfaq3.htm
You just have to scroll down to where it talks about leather ear:) I hope Iv helped:)

You got great answers here - it DOES sound like Leather Ear.

you guys are awesome!!!! thank you soooooo much and yes you have helped alot...

Is there anything bad that can happen to the dog if you don't treat "leather ear?" My Tootie's ears have been black, dry with no hair since we got her a couple years ago. She was an adult when we got her, and didn't seem to be very well cared for. My husband kind of likes her ears since they are black and the rest of her hair is light silver and light tan. He thinks she looks cute, like a littlet bat, but if it is not good for her, I will try the cure listed above.
Thanks!! :yorkiesar

good question... ill be waiting for the answers as well. my vet said to use the cream people use for athletes foot and it should clear up...ive been using it for 4days and i can see a little pink coming back slowly... so you may want to try that.

Yeah, another Yorkie owner told me to wipe the ears with alcohol then use athlete's foot cream on them. I haven't tried it yet though.

Dixie has this, I think. Her ears are blackish with no hair in the middle just growing on the edges and no hair on her nose. Does the hair grow back? I don't think the fungus is active anymore because it isn't slimy. I'm going to have her thyroid checked.

This may be why Dixie was retired from breeding at such a young age. She only just turned 3 years old in December. She had one litter by C-section and then her next litter she had the puppies prematurely and they did not survive. Hmmm...

My dog's ears were never slimy and her nose didn't lose hair, but she has NO hair on her ears.

VERY interesting! :thumbup: