Am I imagining a change in the skin around the eyes?
Potential home remedies: http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_mange_cure.html
if getting to the vet is impossible.
Wow, that dog looks so much like The HOO its scary....
Breed alone i'd include allergies and demodectic mange on the differential list. Allergies more so than demodex (although thats something I have had issues with with my one female off and on her entire life). Demodex causes hair loss---thus the "raccoon eye" appearance that you hear so much about. The mange mite lives in the hair follicles, so it can be itchy. The scratching leads to secondary bacterial infections. Thus the name "red mange". Demodex can also be localized (around the eyes) and not cause any clinical signs other than hair loss.
Sarcoptic mange is a burrowing mite that literally burrows through the skin, and causes an intense itching secondary to the immune response. Sarcoptic mange is also zoonotic in that it is a mange mite that humans can get (my wife got scabies from a dog at the humane society when we were vet students). Scabies is not fun at all.
From the pictures, that dog doesn't look like it has sarcoptic mange. A skin scrape is needed to identify and differentiate scabies and demodex.
Like its been said, if the dog is that uncomfortable, it needs to be seen by a veterinarian. I would strongly caution against the old standby "depo" injection though and if the vet suggests that, consider finding a different vet. Depomedrol is a long acting steroid that has been a standby treatment for too long in veterinary medicine. The problem with depo is that if you have a dog that is corticosteroid sensitive, you will have all of the side effects with no way to remove the injection once its given. Oral prednisone is a much better initial treatment, if corticosteroids are indicated. My dogo is a prime example (he's a mess right now because of ringworm and secondary pyoderma). He started itching severely this spring. I gave him a single dose of 20 mg of prednisone orally to alleviate his itching--he literally pissed all over my house the same day the drugs were given. We've realized he's an extermely cortiocosteroid sensitive dog and had we gone the route of depo, he would have been pissing all over my house for weeks. I've seen depo induced diabetes in both dogs and cats. There are many side effects. Again, once the injection is given, it cant be taken back out if there is a problem. The problem is depo is dirt cheap, it provides some relief in some cases, and owners want a quick fix.
Allergies in dogs can be extremely frustrating because you cant ask the dog what makes the itching feel better. SO if you go the antihistamine route, it may take several tries to find the right one that works.... unfortunately most owners want a quick fix and they won't go that route.
Anyway, enough soapbox. If money is a huge issue, you can try diphenhdramine at a dose of 2-4 mg/kg (this is a commonly sited drug and dose on the internet) every 8 hours. It may provide some temporary relief and the drug has minimal side effects.
If that doesn't work, get the dog to a veterinarian.
