A dog losing hair near the ears may develop thinning fur, a small bald patch, or a larger area where the skin becomes visible around the base or sides of the ears.
The skin may look normal, or it may become red, flaky, crusted, greasy, darkened, or irritated.
Some dogs scratch or rub the area, while others have hair loss without obvious discomfort.
The location of the hair loss can provide useful clues, especially when it occurs alongside ear scratching, head shaking, discharge, or changes in the skin. However, several different skin and ear conditions can cause similar-looking hair loss.
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Dog Losing Hair Near Ears: Why It Happens
A dog losing hair near the ears may have a localized skin problem such as ear mites, allergies, bacterial or yeast infections, parasites, or ringworm. It can also result from repeated scratching or rubbing because the ears are itchy or painful.
In some dogs, hair loss around the ears occurs alongside an ear infection, with redness, odor, discharge, head shaking, or frequent pawing at the ears.
If the hair loss is limited to one area and the skin looks normal, minor irritation or rubbing may be responsible.
However, bald patches accompanied by redness, crusting, scaling, swelling, discharge, or persistent scratching should be examined by a veterinarian.
The underlying ear or skin problem needs to be identified rather than treating the hair loss alone.
Dog Losing Hair Near Ears: Common Causes
Ear Infection and Repeated Scratching
An ear infection can make a dog scratch around the ears or repeatedly shake its head. That mechanical trauma can break hairs or cause localized hair loss around the ear.
Bacterial or yeast infections of the outer ear may also cause redness, odor, discharge, pain, and sensitivity.
If hair loss occurs together with frequent head shaking or ear scratching, the ears should be examined rather than treating the bald area alone.
Related: Dog losing hair with blacks on the skin (Causes and what to do)
Allergies
Allergies are a common reason dogs develop itchy skin around the ears. Environmental or food-related allergies can cause red, itchy ear flaps and ear canals and may be accompanied by inflammation elsewhere on the body.
Allergic skin disease can also predispose dogs to secondary bacterial or yeast ear infections.
A dog with allergies may repeatedly scratch behind or around the ears, gradually creating areas of broken or missing hair.
Related: Dog losing hair in patches and scabs (What it means)
Mites and Mange
Mites can cause itching, inflammation, crusting, and hair loss around the ears. Different mites produce different patterns, but mange commonly affects areas such as the ears, head, abdomen, chest, and legs.
Ear mites primarily affect the external ear canal but can contribute to intense scratching and head shaking. Mites affecting the pinna can also cause crusting and hair loss.
If the hair loss is accompanied by severe itching, crusts, or small bumps, a veterinarian may perform skin scrapings or other tests to look for mites.
Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungal infection that affects the skin and hair. In dogs, it can produce bald, scaly patches with broken hairs, and the face and ear tips are among the areas commonly affected.
A patch near the ear does not automatically mean ringworm, since many other skin disorders can look similar.
Testing may be needed to confirm a fungal infection. Ringworm can also spread to other animals and people, so suspected cases should be evaluated appropriately.
Bacterial Skin Infection
Bacterial skin infections can affect hair follicles and cause localized hair loss along with redness, bumps, scaling, crusts, or sores.
The infection may occur as a primary skin problem or develop after another condition—such as allergies, mites, or repeated scratching—damages the skin barrier.
Persistent or recurrent infection may therefore require investigation of the underlying trigger rather than treatment of the infection alone.
Yeast Overgrowth
Yeast can contribute to irritated, itchy, greasy, or discolored skin around the ears. Dogs with allergies are particularly prone to recurrent yeast problems involving the ears and surrounding skin.
A dog may scratch or rub the affected area, causing additional hair loss. Odor, greasy skin, redness, and recurring ear problems can make yeast involvement more likely, although testing is needed to distinguish it from other causes.
Related: Dog losing hair and itching (Here’s why)
Scratching, Rubbing, or Head Shaking
Sometimes the immediate reason for the hair loss is mechanical damage rather than a disease directly affecting the hair follicle.
A dog may repeatedly scratch an itchy ear, rub its head against furniture or flooring, or shake its head because something inside the ear is uncomfortable.
This can break hairs around the ear and create a noticeable bald patch.
Finding and treating whatever is causing the irritation is important because continued self-trauma can prevent the area from settling.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis
Flea allergy can cause intense itching and self-trauma. Although the lower back and tail base are classic locations, dogs with flea allergy can scratch other areas, including the head and ears.
Hair loss near the ears is more suggestive of flea allergy when the dog is itchy in several locations or has other typical flea-related skin changes.
A veterinarian may consider the overall distribution rather than judging the cause from the ear area alone.
Ear Margin Seborrhea
Ear margin seborrhea is a disorder affecting the edges of the ear flap. It can cause greasy or waxy scales surrounding hairs that become easy to pull out, leaving smooth-looking areas where hair is missing.
This condition is particularly associated with certain breeds, including Dachshunds and some dogs with hanging ears.
More severe cases can cause cracking and swelling of the ear margins.
If the hair loss is concentrated right along the ear edge rather than the surrounding head, ear-margin disease becomes more relevant.
Sebaceous Adenitis
Sebaceous adenitis is an uncommon inflammatory condition involving the sebaceous glands associated with hair follicles.
It can cause hair loss and scaling affecting the ear flap, forehead, face, tail, and other areas.
The coat may become dry or brittle, with scale adhering to hairs. Because other skin diseases can produce similar signs, diagnosis may require a skin biopsy.
Pattern Baldness and Pinnal Alopecia
Some dogs develop noninflammatory, symmetrical hair loss affecting the ear flaps. Certain forms are hereditary or breed-associated and may occur without itching, pain, or other signs of illness.
For example, pattern baldness of the outer ears is recognized in breeds such as Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Italian Greyhounds, and Whippets.
The hair may gradually become thinner before more extensive loss develops.
This is different from hair loss caused by scratching or infection because the skin may remain relatively normal.
Immune-Mediated Skin Disease
Less commonly, immune-mediated skin disorders can affect the outer ear and surrounding skin.
These conditions may cause crusting, sores, hair loss, or changes affecting other parts of the body as well.
Because these disorders can resemble infections or other inflammatory skin conditions, a veterinarian may recommend more specialized testing, including a biopsy, when the appearance or clinical history warrants it.
Local Trauma or Friction
A collar, harness, scratching, rubbing, or another source of repeated friction can cause localized hair loss.
Poorly fitting equipment can produce hair loss where the material repeatedly contacts the skin.
If the bald area corresponds closely to an area of repeated contact and the skin otherwise looks healthy, friction may be considered.
However, persistent redness, itching, or sores suggest that another skin problem may be involved.
Related: Dog Losing Near Eyes (Causes and treatment)
Dog Losing Hair Near Ears but Not Itching
A dog losing hair near the ears without itching may have a noninflammatory hair-growth disorder, localized follicular disease, or a skin condition that does not cause significant discomfort.
Symmetrical hair loss involving the ear flaps can occur with pattern baldness or other forms of pinnal alopecia, which are typically not associated with itching or systemic illness.
However, the absence of itching does not rule out ringworm, localized demodicosis, or other skin disorders. The appearance and progression of the bald area still matter.
Dog Losing Hair Near Ears and Scratching
When hair loss near the ears occurs with frequent scratching, allergies, mites, ear disease, infection, or another source of irritation becomes more important to investigate.
Repeated scratching can itself worsen hair loss by breaking hairs and damaging the skin.
If the dog is also shaking its head, rubbing the ears, or reacting when the ears are touched, an ear examination is particularly important.
Dog Losing Hair Near Ears With Red or Crusty Skin
Redness, crusting, scaling, sores, or swelling indicate that the skin itself is being affected.
Mites, fungal infections, bacterial or yeast infections, allergies, scratching, and some inflammatory or immune-mediated disorders can all produce these changes.
A rapidly worsening bald patch, especially one that becomes painful or develops discharge, should not be assumed to be simple shedding.
When to Call or Visit the Vet
Veterinary evaluation is appropriate when hair loss near the ears persists, spreads, or occurs with abnormal skin or ear changes.
Contact a veterinarian if your dog has:
Hair loss that is rapidly spreading
Persistent scratching, rubbing, or pawing at the ears
Frequent or intense head shaking
Red, swollen, painful, or thickened skin
Crusts, scabs, sores, or bleeding
Ear discharge or a strong odor
Greasy or heavily scaled skin
A bald patch that continues to enlarge
Hair loss affecting the face or other parts of the body
Recurrent ear or skin infections
Significant darkening or other changes in skin color
A puppy with sudden facial or ear swelling, sores, or significant skin inflammation
Low energy, appetite changes, fever, or other signs of illness
Immediate veterinary attention is especially appropriate when the area is painful, ulcerated, infected-looking, or deteriorating quickly.
Dog Losing Hair Near Ears: Treatment
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. The treatment is directed at the cause, such as appropriate parasite control, treatment of ear or skin infections, allergy management, or management of a specific follicular or inflammatory disorder.
Key Takeaway
A dog losing hair near the ears can have a relatively common problem such as allergies, ear disease, mites, infection, or repeated scratching and rubbing.
A localized bald patch with scaling or crusting may point toward a skin disorder such as ringworm or mange, while smooth, symmetrical, non-itchy hair loss can occur with certain noninflammatory forms of alopecia.
Because the area around the ears can be affected by both skin and ear conditions, persistent or unexplained hair loss is worth having examined.
Looking at the exact location, skin appearance, itching, ear symptoms, and whether hair loss occurs elsewhere can help the veterinarian determine what is interfering with normal hair growth.