Small Animal Dermatology Q&A 20

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The ear margin of a 3-year-old springer spaniel dog is shown. The owners report that this material accumulates on the ear margin within 2–3 days after bathing. The ear margins are matted with greasy accumulations of follicular casts adhering to the skin and to the hair. The remainder of the dog’s skin is normal. Skin scrapings are negative, and previous impression smears of the exudate revealed poorly staining ceruminous debris, with some cocci and Malassezia organisms. The dog has been treated with oral antibiotics and concurrent ketoconazole several times previously, but the condition always recurs.

Question	Answer		Article
What is the clinical diagnosis, and how should the dog be treated?	Ear margin seborrhea/dermatosis complicated by secondary bacterial and yeast pyoderma. Ear margin seborrhea can be the only clinical manifestation of primary seborrhea in some dogs. If this is the case, the condition is best managed by close clipping of the hair coat, and frequent bathing of the ear margins several times a week with an antiseborrheic shampoo. Close clipping of the hair coat facilitates the bathing.		Link to Article
Ear margin dermatoses are common in which dog breed(s), and how do lesions progress?	Ear margin dermatosis is common in dachshunds and other breeds with pendulous ears. The clinical signs consist of follicular casts matting the hair and plugging hair follicles. As the disorder progresses, the scaling starts to involve the entire ear margin, resulting in any combination of inflammation, hair loss and/or thickening of margin. Advanced lesions can lead to head shaking and the development of fissures and crusts. The ear margin is notorious for poor healing, and some patients require extensive surgical debridement (i.e. ear cropping) to arrest fissuring. Laser surgery can be very helpful in these cases.		Link to Article