# Itchy snout and fur loss



## Bob_McBob (Nov 15, 2012)

My 14 month old GSD sometimes rubs his face with his paws or on surfaces around the house. I'm not entirely sure when he started doing it, but recently I noticed some fur loss. It crept up really gradually and is almost impossible to see except in direct light at the specific angle in the photo I attached. The thin area extends over his snout and looks the same on the other side of his face. I've also attached a photo of his eye area. I'm not sure if there's anything going on here; my other GSD is all-black and doesn't make a very good reference, but it looks like there might be some loss around his eyes and on his eyebrow. When he rubs his face, it's pretty much all over the muzzle area, including the bottom.

I'm not satisfied with his current vet, so I'm searching for a new one right now and will make an appointment soon. I would certainly appreciate any thoughts from other forum members. Dermdectic mange seems to be mentioned most frequently when snout fur loss comes up. The other common causes are allergies and sometimes diet-related nutrition issues. He is fed a raw diet with some occasional kibble (orijen). He's intact and has no other health issues I'm aware of. I haven't noticed scratching or fur loss anywhere other than his face.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

*bump*


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

I am having the same issue with Jonas right now. I am interested to see the answers on this. I am changing Jonas's food to see if it is the problem.


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## lennyb (Jan 1, 2014)

That's really weird. My 16 month old Is having the same issue. Scratches him nose 2 - 3 times a day but haven't noticed any fur loss yet.Taking him to vet this weekend.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Ask the vet to do a skin scraping for Demodectic mites.


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

Could winter and the furnace running have anything to do with it?


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

It could be Mange or Yeast:

Here are a few natural ways to treat them without chemicals.

If it does turn out to be mange (Demodectic/mites), a combination of Lavender oil mixed with a carrier oil such as Sweet Almond Oil or Rose Hip Seed Oil can be used topically for mange treatment. 1 part Lavender Essential Oil to 10 parts carrier oil. Lavender Oil, Pure Wildcrafted Essential Oil and Aromatherapy Carrier Oils, Cold Pressed and Organic or Aromatherapy Carrier Oils, Cold Pressed and Organic Apply to affected areas twice daily or alternate with lemon juice. This helps to kill the mites without any chemicals that could pull down the immune system. Colloidal Silver can also be used.

Yeast: If it is yeast, the immune system is not working at 100% and since 70% of disease starts in the gut, it’s a good idea to support it with a digestive enzyme and probiotic. These contain both: Sunday Sundae: Sunday Sundae Nutritional Supplement or Digest All Plus: The Wholistic Pet 

This anti fungal and anti viral herbal can help both mange and yeast: Glacier Peak Gold(TM) ~ Natural Anti-Fungal~Anti-Viral~ 1 oz A unique blend of antibiotic/anti-viral/anti-fungal herbs that can be used for bacterial infections, as well as internal parasites such as mites that cause mange. Also works well to balance candida albicans yeast overgrowth. Ingredients: Olive Leaf, Mustard Seed, Black Seed, Pau D'Arco, Cloves, Astragalus, Lobelia, Slippery Elm 



Moms


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> Ask the vet to do a skin scraping for Demodectic mites.


This


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## junos mum (Jan 19, 2014)

My gsd Juno, 2 yr old spayed, has exactly the same and I've been looking for a solution for a couple of months. Her hair loss is slightly more than in Bob McBobs photo and is also close to her mouth and even on top and bottom lips, skin is red. Eyebrow area also scabbed from scratching. Hard to see the full extent except in direct sunlight. Vet gave her antibiotics as he thought the skin was slightly infected. Juno is raw fed since 12th October and both vets we have seen are inclined to blame the raw feed, allergic to raw meat, not getting vital supplements that exist in regular commercial feed, etc. Her eyes were very red and gunky until the antibiotics. Just this week I was given the name of a holistic remedies person who I am m going to send hair sample to in the hope they can find the cause.


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## junos mum (Jan 19, 2014)

My gsd Juno, 2 yr old spayed, has exactly the same and I've been looking for a solution for a couple of months. Her hair loss is slightly more than in Bob McBobs photo and is also close to her mouth and even on top and bottom lips, skin is red. Eyebrow area also scabbed from scratching. Hard to see the full extent except in direct sunlight. Vet gave her antibiotics as he thought the skin was slightly infected. Juno is raw fed since 12th October and both vets we have seen are inclined to blame the raw feed, allergic to raw meat, not getting vital supplements that exist in regular commercial feed, etc. Her eyes were very red and gunky until the antibiotics. Just this week I was given the name of a holistic remedies person who I am m going to send hair sample to in the hope they can find the cause.


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## junos mum (Jan 19, 2014)

Junos scratching of her nose got worse and the skin is very red. Visited the vet who gave 3 weeks antibiotics and we made an appointment to go back in 3 weeks with the intention of booking her in for sedation for biopsy and skin scrape. Vets is thinking auto immune disease not so much allergy. Will have to wait and see.


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## junos mum (Jan 19, 2014)

Juno had her biopsy on Monday and I expect to get the results next week. Her snout and over her eyebrow were shaved which made her look worse.


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

The pics look familiar. I am thinking allergy related.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

This was Dex at around 7 months. He was having some allergy issues however the vet felt it had to do with puppy immune system since he was growing fast. I added yogurt and blueberries to his food. It took about 3 weeks, but it cleared up with no meds.


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

Wow! Something so simple fixed Dex. Lucky you. Was this plain yogurt and fresh blueberries or a blended yogurt? Are you still using this?


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries. I read it somewhere here.someone had posted it helps the immune system. My vet said lots of puppies get it as they are growing so fast it can put stress on their immune system.so I thought why not try it. I havent given it to him as much in awhile.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

It looks like demodectic mites, reminds me of when Harry had it when he was a puppy.

The only way to confirm is for the vet to do a scraping of the skin and examine under a microscope (they will see the mites if present)

I used a product called Advocate http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/ad....html?osCsid=cb161ca35efb2a609f027d40c6f55c28 which worked really well on Harry and cleared up the mites, however he did get is again 2 more times when he was a puppy but hasn't had it for almost 2 years now.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

I would think zinc deficiency. Or weak immune system. Zinc is indicated for skin, hair and immune function

SeaVive (online - from Proper Nutrition) along with probiotic and digestive enzyme.

SeaVive is a combo product of bovine colostrum and SeaCure (a predigested fish protein that delivers essential amino acids, readily digested without taxing the pancreas as doesn't require enzymes to break down)....Bovine Colostrum was used back in the day as natural antibiotic before abx. were the go to drug. Colostrum is thought to work the way the thymus glad would to regulate inflammatory responses as seen in allergic reactions. Immune modulator. 

If Demodex, then this would be HUGE help as demodex is a symptom of weak immunity. If allergic - again, colostrum contains immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, IgM


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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

might want to look into
pemphigus


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## SDG (Jul 30, 2013)

Reviving this thread, hope that is OK, because our girl (11 months) has the same thing. Took her to the Vet yesterday,and skin scraping showed yeast infection.

Vet said to :

1.) Feed her food dry
2.) Use only Stainless Steel bowls because ceramic can have cracks that harbor
old food particles
3.) Use some anti-yeast cleansing wipes on the area twice a day for 14 days.


I've always moistened her food and she is not enjoying it dry. 

Anyone else been told to feed dry to clear up a facial area infection?


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## Juliem24 (Jan 4, 2014)

Rudy has exactly the same look, with itchy eyes and forelegs, hair loss on snout. I've started Benadryl alternating with anti allergy supplements, feeding grain free and hydrocortisone cream for the snout. Seems to be better after a week and a half. Since it started after the tree/grass pollen started, I wipe him off well after being outside. Better after it rains, which washes the pollen out, which is why I am mostly convinced it's seasonal allergies.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

SDG said:


> Anyone else been told to feed dry to clear up a facial area infection?


No, I haven't heard this one. I'm really not sure what the point of this is? Adding water and soaking for a few minutes is not going to cause an itchy snout or fur loss. If it were me, I'd ignore this piece of advice and continue to soak your dry.


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## SharonH (May 2, 2014)

My dog Tommy had something that looked like this, that started when he was around 6 months, it went on for around 8 months off and on, allerderm helped him. It is a spot on skin med for dogs, you can get it through Amazon - much cheaper than the vet - I also tried Resicort, by same company and seemed to be just as good, the Resicort came in a bottle. Tommy did end up being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, my vet had not thought to test him for it right off, he thought he was too young to have it. Tommy was also loosing his hair on his side, and got little pustules on his chin and snout. Since he has been on thyroid meds he has not had another occurrence. Also in order to get the infection cleared up he was on I believe 30 days straight of anitbiotics, might have even been 2 months - sorry it has been a while. But I do know the 10 day standard anitbiotic regime just did not take care of it - so my vet (who is awesome, and has gotten us through, and been there for us through more than one health scare) said this antibiotic regime was something that was suggested for really tough, reoccurring infections. 

Hopefully this helps someone
Sharon


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## Bob_McBob (Nov 15, 2012)

This actually ended up going away on its own after I originally posted last year, but it came back with a vengeance just recently. He keeps rubbing his entire face with his paws and on people and objects around the house. I got home from a 1 1/2 week trip yesterday and the fur on his face is noticeably thinner all over. There are patches that are worse than others, but his entire face seems to be itchy. No scabbing or skin irritation, just thin fur and clearly obvious itching.

I'll call and make a vet appointment for him tomorrow. Hopefully there is a well-defined and treatable cause like demodectic mange or a bacterial or fungal condition. I am always very wary of discussing skin irritation with vets because of numerous experiences with vague open-ended allergy/sensitivity diagnoses.


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## ofl52 (Apr 11, 2013)

What I use for my WGSD is a product called "PetImmune" by Palladius-it has all the dietary fiber, live microorganisms, omegas, fatty acid, zinc and digestive enzymes to promote immune support, digestive health, skin/coat health and to prevent digestive disorders, itching/scratching, hair loss and excessive shedding-recommended for raw and conventional diets.
I started this due to hair loss, itching/scratching secondary to possible flea allergies and it has done wonders for Skipper'D-The itching stopped, hair regrowth, shinny coat and at least 85% decrease in shedding and several other positives.

https://www.petimmuneonline.com/


From what I have researched regarding mange-often it is brought on by stress and/or health issues that compromises the immune system and that dogs have these mites on them all their life in low numbers controlled by the immune response-Once the immune response is compromised the mites can take over causing the S/S you are seeing. Your 2 week trip might have been enough to cause the stress to trigger it...just a thought...

Diagnosing Mange in Dogs | Demodectic Mange Types and Symptoms

Good luck


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## Adri Berlak (Dec 16, 2018)

Bob_McBob said:


> My 14 month old GSD sometimes rubs his face with his paws or on surfaces around the house. I'm not entirely sure when he started doing it, but recently I noticed some fur loss. It crept up really gradually and is almost impossible to see except in direct light at the specific angle in the photo I attached. The thin area extends over his snout and looks the same on the other side of his face. I've also attached a photo of his eye area. I'm not sure if there's anything going on here; my other GSD is all-black and doesn't make a very good reference, but it looks like there might be some loss around his eyes and on his eyebrow. When he rubs his face, it's pretty much all over the muzzle area, including the bottom.
> 
> I'm not satisfied with his current vet, so I'm searching for a new one right now and will make an appointment soon. I would certainly appreciate any thoughts from other forum members. Dermdectic mange seems to be mentioned most frequently when snout fur loss comes up. The other common causes are allergies and sometimes diet-related nutrition issues. He is fed a raw diet with some occasional kibble (orijen). He's intact and has no other health issues I'm aware of. I haven't noticed scratching or fur loss anywhere other than his face.


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## Gwyllgi (Aug 16, 2017)

6 year old thread. 

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