Accepted Answer

ZooCVT:hello
ChiefHendo:Hi there
ZooCVT:Does you pup seem to be rubbing his face at times?
ZooCVT:like on the carpet...the bed
ChiefHendo:sometimes, I wouldn't say that it is excessive, but I have noticed her doing it
ChiefHendo:with her front paws
ZooCVT:do you notice any discharge?
ChiefHendo:no
ZooCVT:tearing
ZooCVT:gunk?
ChiefHendo:yeah she is tearing a bit, in the mornings. Is sometime dry eye crust in the corners of her eyes
ZooCVT:It could be a couple things
ZooCVT:one is allergies
ZooCVT:she's at the age where it starts to show up more
ChiefHendo:would that be associated with a region change
ChiefHendo:say from Colorado to Oregon
ZooCVT:yes definately
ZooCVT:I would first have your vet rule out an external parasite like a mite
ZooCVT:they can do this by doing a skin scraping
ZooCVT:look at it under the microscope
ChiefHendo:we're about 4 months into this transition and it is just showing in the last month
ZooCVT:yeah it could be but it may just be her age too
ChiefHendo:is this common in younger pups? Will it dissipate with age?
ZooCVT:dogs that have allergy issues usually start showing problems about the age of 2
ChiefHendo:as in, fur re-grow, its not bald, just thinning
ChiefHendo:ok, so she is kind of under that mark
ZooCVT:unfortunately, it usually gets worse with age
ZooCVT:the other thing though I should mention that it could be
ChiefHendo:My vet can do a check for allergies?
ZooCVT:i\being her breed
ZooCVT:is an eye issue called entropian
ChiefHendo:this could be breed related?
ChiefHendo:typical in the lab side, or sharpee
ZooCVT:where the eyelid curls very slightly under and the eyelashes will rub the eyes
ZooCVT:shar pei's very prone
ChiefHendo:they eyes seem fine, its just the fur around her eyes onher face is thinning slightly
ZooCVT:at any rate, a vet visit is needed
ZooCVT:well being there is tearing I would be slightly concerned
ChiefHendo:ok, that seems a good course of action.
ZooCVT:you wouldn't see issues right away
ZooCVT:but eventually it will cause damage to the eye itself
ChiefHendo:ok, thank you for your input. I appreciate your time.
ZooCVT:anything else I can help you with?
ChiefHendo:that should cover it. I'll take her to get looked at
ZooCVT:well good luck then!

Expert:	ZooCVT
Pos. Feedback:	99.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	2/7/2008

Certified Veterinary Technician

25 + years of experience w/ sm. animal, fish, exotics, orthopedics, ophthalmology and zoo medicine.