Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 8/16/2011

Question
I have a 7 year old male Beagle.  Over the past year/year and a half he has developed an irritating skin ailment of some sort that results in heavy shedding and what feels like scabs mostly on his back.  The scabs when examined actually look m,ore like large dried clumps of skin in many cases with hair actually in the clumps of skin. The areas don't appear to be painful but they are definitely itchy. No real bald spots but he definitely digs at the areas regularly. Nothing to speak of on his belly. Additionally his ears are typically itchy and he shakes them frequently. The frustrating thing has been the lack of diagnosis and recommended cure. His ears  have been diagnosed as yeast infections but once we finish a course if treatment (which is never easy as it involves flushing his ears and administering drops) the problem seems to reappear. As for his coat, we have been given medicated shampoos and sedatives but again nothing seems to cure the root cause of the problem. The experience has been very frustrating and the vet costs are getting expensive for us. Would appreciate any suggestions you might have for us.

Thanks for your time,

Answer
Yeast ear infections are almost always related to skin allergies.  The scabs you are seeing are the result of a bacterial (Staph) skin  infection.  Without treatment for the skin allergies, the ear infections always return as the skin becomes more inflammed from the allergies.  Find a vet that does a lot of skin and ear work and let them diagnose the allergies for you.  It could be pollen, mold, tree, grass, mites, etc. , that the dog is sensitive to.  Or it could even be a food allergy.  Many allergic dogs benefit from low-dose steroids to keep the skin reaction to a minimum.  Antibiotics are needed for the bacterial skin infection.