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:
------------------------------
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:

ears
 

It does sound like leather ear. Use a cotton ball dipped in alcohol and keep them clean..the black with come off and the pink skin should show. It comes from the cold, the ear is cold, so the oil gland produces oil to warm the skin..the hair pore is clogged and the hair falls out..once the skin is clean and free of the black oil, the hair will grow back rather fast.

Some vets do not know this and test for thyroid problems.

I started the treatment for leather ear that I have read here, but when I clean her ears with alcohol, there are little black specks that come off. Does this sound like ear mites? She doesn't scratch at her ears, and our vet has never said anything when he looks at her ears but he doesn't seem to know a lot about Yorkies.

What a very informative thread :thumbup: My Gage has no hair on his ears, bridge of his nose, nor down his spine....he has plenty of hair around his face, chest, legs, and tail. I posted some of this info last week when he went in to be altered. Vet said it could be related to his thyroid (test was normal:)) or it could be a testicular tumor and having him altered should correct it. I have to take him back to the vet in March to see if the surgery corrected the problem and his hair is growing. I've found some great information here! I'm not saying this is what Gage has but I can at least call the vet and see if he thinks he might could have this so I can begin treating him. And he does not have any slimy stuff, it's dry in those areas, doesn't seem to really bother him.

ears
 

The black stuff is oil..clean it all off and the pink skin should show through..keep them clean and warm..hair shoudl regrow quite soon.

It is not slimy..just like a tar subtance...

magnolia
 

Magnolia, since the thyroid was normal, I would look at leather ear..it can go in the areas you mentioned, not just the ear. It comes from the hair pore gettign clogged with nature oils and also rinses. I would use a clarifying shampoo..then clean the areas with alcohol and see if any black stuff comes off. Don't be worried if your vet has never heard of it...it is called something else by the Dermo DR..but groomers and show people call it I leather ear.Good Luck

Thank you! Will any clarifying shampoo work? I have some suave at home already but if I need to get a particular kind, I will. Do I need to use any of the Lotrimin since the areas are already dry? I greatly appreciate your input:)

Suzi (and Gage!)

shampoo
 

I would use any shampoo to remove and clean the area..then try the treatment..nothing to lose.
If there is hair loss and it is not due to flea scratching, thyroid problems, allergies, then it could be LE.

Mr. Big's ears are half bald on the back side. Up and down not sideways. There is no gunk or build up of any kind. His nose is not losing any hair. BUT Ridge is losing hair on his nose while his ears are perfectly fine. Big's ears nor Ridge's nose is slimy. Big's ears feel oily but they aren't.

Can it be the same thing? If I keep his ears cleaned with alcohol won't it dry his skin out if it's not oily?

Anyone have any thots on this? Sylvia

*wow* i'm learning somthing new that i have never heard of before !! very interesting !! ;)