Dog still itching ears & face with red skin/hair loss. What to do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 19 days old
My dog seams to be itching his ears a lot. As a result of this I think he has rubbed/scratched his face a lot too. He has red patches on his face just under his eyes of dry, sore and red flaky patches of skin plus the hair there has gone. Could this be from itching his ears or something more. How can I stop this happening and is there anything I can put on his skin/ ears to help. He already has ear drops from the vet but he's still itching badly.
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 9th, 2017
Itchy ears are most commonly a sign of allergies. Your dog may have food allergies, environmental allergies, or parasitic/bacterial skin infection. If he hasn't had a skin scraping to rule out parasites, or skin cytology/culture to look for bacterial or yeast infection, these things should be done. Some dogs actually have skin tumors or autoimmune skin disease that is causing the itching, and those dogs need to have fine needle aspirates or skin biopsies taken for diagnosis. Also, you should try a veterinary prescription allergy diet like Hills z/d for 8-10 weeks fed exclusively to treat potential food allergies. It's really important to feed ONLY the prescription diet during this time. Also, I have had great success with the oral pill Apoquel for some allergies as well, and this is a medication that is much safer to use long-term than steroids like prednisone. If this course of diagnosis and/or treatment is not possible with your current veterinarian, pursue a second opinion somewhere else. If all of these options are explored and your dog is still itchy, it's time to visit a veterinary dermatologist specialist.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 15th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Medications like Apoquel or prednisone can be used to help decrease the itch. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on December 31st, 2017
Hello, and thank you for your question. Allergies are challenging problems, and most cases are never cured, but only managed long term. Have you ruled out whether his allergies are related to food, or environment, or both? To rule out food allergies, your dog will need to be on a veterinary hypoallergenic diet for at least 8 weeks with no other treats. If he improves on the diet, then we know he has a food allergy. However, a lot of dogs also have concurrent environmental allergies. There are tests that can be done to test for allergies to pollen, trees, molds, dust mites, etc. I would always start by doing a hypoallergenic diet trial. During this time, he may need to continue on some type of anti-inflammatory medication for the itching (and many allergy dogs need to stay on medication life-long). There are newer allergy drugs on the market now that are safer than steroids - I would ask your vet about these options. Oftentimes allergies are accompanied by secondary bacterial or fungal infections. He will need to be on additional medications to treat any secondary infections if present. I would also ask your vet about weekly bathing with antiseptic shampoos that can help to wash off any surface allergens and provide some relief as well. Allergies often require multiple medications and treatments, and may take months to regulate. Don't give up hope. Following up with your vet regularly will help ensure your dog's skin doesn't flare up again!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on October 4th, 2017
A diet change is a possibility for itchy, red ears, but is very rare. More often, red, itchy ears are due to an allergy to an environmental cause (i.e. pollen). The irritation sets up an environment for infection, which will make the ears even worse. It's best to take your dog for an evaluation by a vet. They can determine the extent of the infection and prescribe the appropriate medication to relieve the itch. Hopefully, they will also find a cause of the irritation, so it doesn't reoccur, but this can be very difficult to do (especially when it involves food allergies). I hope that helps and your dog gets better soon.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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