My dog is itchy around her eyes. She has a small little pimple thing over one eye, what could the cause be?

I am using warm compresses around her eyes and am using an ointment I was given by her vet. The pimple has been there for about a week and she always has itchy skin. I want to find a probable cause to stop this from occurring again. Please let me know what this could be. If this continues or worsens I will take her to the vet but do not want to pay so much money if they will only recommend me giving her the ointment.

Is the pimple inside the corner of her eye? If it is it may be 'Cherry Eye'. I don't know much about that but I know that you do not want it to grow any bigger or your dog may become blind or lose her eye. Because you have seen a vet she should get better.

What you describe sounds like it could be a case of mite infestation commonly known as 'mange'. If the condition continues to worsen and spread, I would definitely suspect mange. Mange is a skin condition caused by tiny mites that you can't see with the naked eye. There are three types of mites that attack dogs most often: demodectic (not contagious and may itch or not), sarcoptic (very contagious and extremely itchy) and cheyletiella (contagious and mildly itchy). The typical symptoms of mange as the condition progresses include hair loss and scaly or crusty skin. Unfortunately, mange does not go away on its own and the lesions continue to spread so it needs to be treated as soon as possible. Vets can do a deep skin scraping to detect the presence and type of mite. Regardless of the type of mange, in order to cure it you need to treat with a medication that kills the mites.The mange medications most often prescribed by vets contain toxic chemicals that will harm your dog sooner or later. These are Ivermectin (also known as Ivomec) and Amitraz (also known as Mitaban). See the links that follow for toxicology information. It is always advisable to check the veterinary drug database for side effects of any medication prescribed by your vet http://www.drugs.com/vet/ Thankfully, there are a number of effective alternative treatments out there that are safe and natural at a reasonable cost that will kill the mites. You can easily do some research in the Internet to find out about these and compare your options.I prefer the 'spray type' because it is inexpensive, very effective so it works fast, convenient to use (no mixing and no mess), and it is natural and harmless to pets and humans.Hope this helps.Toxicity:http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/toxicity/c_dg_ivermectin_toxicity\http://www.drugs.com/sfx/ivermectin-side-effects.htmlhttp://www.drugs.com/vet/mitaban.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1481314/?page=1http://www.petmanage.com/dog-health/what-is-amitraz-toxicity.htmlMange spray:http://www.florapetnaturals.com/online-store.htmlP.S. Since the skin problem is around the eyes, I would request an oil version of this medication as it would be easier to apply without getting it into the eyes.