Doodle with ear infection since December 2012!

[cocoincanada]

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone here has had a similar experience and can help us. Our 3 year old Labradoodle, Diesel, has been suffering from a bad ear infection since December 2012. The kind where there is dark brown gunk that comes out of his ear (mixed with blood, it seems), and it's painful to him (if I rub his ear, he cries, yelps). I have lost count of the amount of times we have treated it with various antibiotics, and then just a week or two after the vet says his ears are clear, the infection comes back. It just will not go away!!

We are getting frustrated and worried. I really don't Diesel's hearing to be affected in the long-term, but traditional treatment isn't working. When I asked my vet office about this, they said 'Labs get ear infections. It comes with the territory'. That really made me angry, because I don't want to just keep pumping him full of antibiotics, week after week, and not have any results. I am going to look for a new vet, but I also am hoping that someone here has been through something similar, and can give us some info on what might have worked to finally resolve your dog's ear infection.

Thanks in advance!

C.

[Judi Kilpatrick]

Hi Coco, I'm sure others will weigh in on this discussion but I don't agree with your vet that labs just get ear infections and assume you should accept that. There must be a cause, your vet seems to just be treating symptoms! One thought is that regular ear washing with a good quality antibacterial wash might help, another thought is some dogs can get ear infections if they have allergies to certain food ingredients. Would be curious about his food, has he been eating the same thing for a long time? Maybe consider changing him to a high quality, grain free diet or at least something different than what he has been eating. I agree that long term ear infections are scary and very concerning, good luck and hopefully others with similar experiences will weigh in on this topic (and maybe a different vet would be something to consider).

[Jennifer and Lily]

I don't agree with your vet either. I can only say what worked for my dog, but when we brought Lily home she had constant ear infections. We clean her ears with a wash every week, and switched her to grain free food (we are also doing elimination dieting to see which proteins she may be allergic to). After changing her food, pulling the hair from her ears, and keeping them clean, no more ear infections. I'm sure you will get some great advice from other members!

[cocoincanada]

Thanks for the responses so far!

Just to respond to what was suggested, he has always eaten Orijen, and we bounce between the red meat and 6 fish formulas. He's been eating this since he was 5 months old, and we never had any issues.

I was at my pet food store and was chatting with the owner about this. He asked me if the infection was yeast or fungal, and guess what? I have no idea...because my vet has never done any swab on his ear (again, time for a new vet!). I don't think the infection ever really cleared up between treatments, which is why it keeps coming back.

[cocoincanada]

Oh, and the vet gave us a solution to clean his ears with twice a week, to help prevent the infections from coming back...but the infections needs to actually go away first :)

[Judi Kilpatrick]

Well, no wonder poor Diesel has suffered, if the vet never checked to see what type of infection it was how on earth could he prescribe a treatment? Get a new vet and keep us posted on his progress, hopefully he will feel better very soon.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You need a new vet, and you need one today. It is absolutely outrageous that the ear has never even been swabbed! Antibiotics will do nothing for yeasts, and continuous use can cause the development of a resistant strain of bacteria, as well. 

Not only does your vet not know how to diagnose and treat an ear infection, he/she doesn't even know much about dogs. While Labs do get ear infections, it's Poodles who are notorious for them, so much so that chronic ear infection is referred to as "Poodle Ear". 

Whatever you do, do not try "home remedies" recommended by people on-line. And don't start messing with his food either. This is not caused by any kind of food allergy, I feel certain of that. Any type of allergy is going to cause other symptoms than just ear infections. 

You need a reliable diagnosis and treatment plan based on that. 

Good luck. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Thank you for giving wise and reasonable responses. Karen, You are a gift to all of us. This vet is ridiculous!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Amen Bonnie (and Karen)

C. ---

Do you live near a veterinary school or major treatment center so you can be sure to get a knowledgeable and well trained vet?  Not sure how to track one down in Canada- maybe someone else can suggest how or even suggest a reputable vet in your area.  

Good luck -  poor boy! 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Amen!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Kona had a bad ear infection last fall and was given antibiotics that didn't work. It turned out to be a fungal infection and was cleared up quickly after that. Make sure you find a vet that will examine what kind of infection the dog has it could even be a combination. ARRGH! Poor poor boy!

[Crazy Doodle Lady]

Bear suffered from a horrible set of bilateral ear infections years ago.  I picked him up from the groomer one night and noticed he was shaking his head almost nonstop.  I called the vet and scheduled an appointment.  They noticed he had a ruptured ear drum and he had to have an emergency procedure done.  They gave him antibiotics and sent us home.  A week later the infections were still there so they had us try a new medication which did not work either.  6 visits later they did a fancy test to check the bacteria in his ears.  They found 3 different types of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  He was put on three different medications to treat them that were hundreds of dollars a piece and I switched him to venison and sweet potato food.  These medications STILL DID NOT WORK.  Finally the Vet called up a local pharmacist who mixed a special medication for Bear (that only cost $12 btw) and it worked like a charm.  I wish I could remember what it was they gave him but I can't.  

Now any time he starts to shake his head I apply a generous amount of Zymox Otic with 1.0 hydrocortisone and it's instant relief for him.  I continue to apply it for about 10 days.  The vet sold it in a tiny bottle for $45 but I found a bottle 4 times the size on Amazon for the same price.  I keep it stocked in the doggie cupboard now.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You need to contact Joanne and Spud.  She has gone through this with Spud.