Puppy has ear scabs, tail fur loss, but no parasites. What's wrong?

Question

My 8 week old puppy has scabs on both eats and is missing fur on his tail. He has had a skin scraping and it came back negative for parasites. What could the possible issue be? They placed him on an antibiotic. She said the skin was infected. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 2 months old | 18 lbs

Jessica Keay, DVM · Accepted Answer

I am sorry to hear about your puppy! Based on the photo you have shown here it looks like your pup could be suffering from ear margin dermatosis. If your vet is certain that parasites aren't the cause, then I would also ask them if they feel testing for ringworm should be done, particularly if there are other patches of hairless skin. We can see bacterial infection cause areas of hair loss like this as well. Sometimes treatment with topical shampoos is adequate, other times oral medications are required. You can read more about this condition at http://www.merckvetmanual.com/eye-and-ear/diseases-of-the-pinna/ear-margin-seborrhea

Puppy has ear scabs, tail fur loss, but no parasites. What's wrong?

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