Pug Ear Crusting Over

Question
I have a black male 3 year old pug. Recently he started getting a waxy build
up behind his nose in the wrinkle. I was wiping it out daily, when i noticed
that while I was wiping, hair was also coming out. So now he has lost almost
all the hair under his eyes to his nose.

Not too long ago, I noticed while he was laying in my lap that both his ears,
had a dryness to them, and upon examination, it looks like psoriasis-
complete pieces of flake, redness, and in the matter of a week, it has spread
to the backs of his ears, where it is also flaky and he is starting to lose some
hair.

I don't see him scratching, or rubbing, or paying any attention to it that is
outside of what I would consider normal. We have a vet appointment, but not
for a few days. In the meantime, I keep wiping down his ear with a slightly
damp rag to remove the crust, and letting them dry out. They are soft for a
few hours, but come the morning they are crusted over again. Is this
something I should go to the emergency vet clinic for?

Thanks for your time.

Answer
Becky,

I don't think you have an emergency.  Your vet should do a skin scrape to see why your pug is having the problem with his ears.

I know a lot of people recommend cleaning out the wrinkles, but our experience is that it is better not to mess with them.  Unless you want to clean them at bath time, the normal skin oils should keep the wrinkles healthy.

Christine Puetz