Ear Infection, Antibiotics and Prednisone

[Donna Latrell]

Hi all: Jazz came down with an ear infection a couple of weeks ago. The vet put him on drops and an ear wash and thought it was probably a yeast infection. Did not seem to be getting better, so back to the vet. This time she put him on antibiotics 500mg twice a day and Prednisone. 20mg 2x day for 4 days, then 1x a day and tapering off until gone. I am not a big fan of prednisone, so I am a bit concerned about this. Has anyones dog been given this, and were there any problems? If it is in fact a yeast infection wouldn't antibiotics make it worse? He does get a probiotic powder every day mixed in with his food. Just now getting his digestive problems under control, and don't want to have that reoccur because of the antibiotics. Any suggestions?

[Joy Originator of GiantSchnoodles]

Hi Donna, I don't know much abt prednisone & dogs bcs I haven't had to use it on my dogs but I'm an expert on prednisone for me. There are several things I don't like abt the RX. 20 mg is the amount I take & I'm sure I weigh twice what your dog weighs. Secondly, I don't like the titrate schedule. I take it down 1 mg per week. So Imo, that titrate schedule is too abrupt . So I'd be getting a second opinion. I would also question how yeast infection was diagnosed. On our last ear infection I did 2 weeks of Keflex 500mg AM, 500 mg PM on 85 lb dog for 2 weeks. But I didn't have a diagnosis of yeast. It was just an ear infection. Puppy love from Joy & furry folk

[Pauline Rackley]

Hi Donna,

I'm a vet tech and we always do an ear swab and check under the microscope. It is easy to see if it is yeast, bacteria or both. Generally, we flush the ears to clean them well and send home a product called otomax to be put in the ears once a day for 10 days. We have never used antibiotics orally or prednisone. I would question this protocol. ( I'm not a vet, but your concerns are valid ) Also, if there is a lot of itching, the Dr. may prescribe diphenhydramine (benedryl) You are a very knowledgeable doodle mom. Jazz is lucky to have you.

Pauline

[Donna Latrell]

Thanks Pauline: It helps to have an opinion from someone in the business. Jazz has never scratched at his ear. The only time it seems to be bothering him is when we are doing the drops or the ear wash...will insist on a swab when we bring him in again.I noticed it only because it smelled when I had my face up against his neck while I was scratching his belly. When I looked inside, it was inflamed and there was a lot of brown yuck.. We go to an animal hospital that has a rotating number of vets, and I think we got the new kid on the block. This is what happens when the husband goes without the wife.......

[April Cliber]

Hi Donna,
Yes, I've used prednisone for an ear infection that my poodle had. He had no problems and it cleared up. Another thing that works really well for hard to clear up ear infections is Miconosol spiked with Baytrill. My vet did this and it worked great!

[Donna Latrell]

Thank you for the advice

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As Pauline said, a swab would show if there is bacteria or not; for yeasts, antibiotics are useless. Won't help, but won't make it worse either. However, a yeast infection can become a bacterial infection if not treated right away, where the dog scratches the ear enough to cause an abraded area where a bacterial infection can develop. It sounds like the ear must be pretty bad for the vet to have prescribed both antibiotics & prednisone.
Jackdoodle has been on prednisone many, many times for his allergies. It is a valuable drug, but has many side effects which can be severe over time, and is not to be taken lightly or used arbitrarily. Some vets will prescribe it automatically, but that really does need to be questioned. (Last year, Jack's specialist was out of town when he had a crisis, and his regular vet shot him up with the worst form of steroid, which his specialist would not have used and was livid about.) Once started, you have to complete the dosage or you will wreak havoc with the immune system...ditto with the antibiotics.
This one time won't cause any permanent damage, but i would question it if the vet wants to treat so aggressively in the future. And since Jazz is having so much trouble with this ear infection, I would be very proactive in the future with hair removal, cleaning, etc., so you won't have to worry about this again. I sure hope he gets better soon.

[Donna Latrell]

Yes, I know a culture would tell. For some reason the vet wanted to try this course first and will swab if it is not better in a week. Seems bacwards to me. My husband took him so I was not there to give my "feedback". I have had to be on prednisone a couple of times and it made me very loopy which is why I was concerned for Jazz. But he is not displaying any personality changes, so that is a good thing. We do clean his ears on a regular basis. My guess is that after one of his baths, we did not get it dry enough. Thanks for all the advice, Donna

[Debbie and Thomas]

I swear by Gentium ear treatment. It is a holistic treatment. Our dog trainer has been doing this for 35 years and she has seen tons of dogs with CHRONIC ear problems, some even have had surgery to put tubes in or worse. After using this treatment-she tells me that every one who used it has had success. I used it for two days and it cleared up our doodles brown, smelly ears overnight. I have NEVER had to use it again-his ears stay pink and fresh. I had two prescriptions from the vet and neither did anything, plus they were expensive. This stuff is something like 15.oo for a bottle that would last forever. I inserted a syringe full deep into the dood's ear canal. Gave them a rub and presto-done finito. The next day his ears were clean as a whistle.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Debbie, what you are referring to is a version of "blue ear wash" which uses Gentian violet as the active ingredient. There are many "recipes" for making your own available on-line.Gentian violet is an old old treatment for yeast...it was used for human female's yeast infections years ago, but fell out of favor. It is probably a very good cleaner, but if there is a bacterial infection, it won't do a thing for it.

[Debbie and Thomas]

Hi Karen, Donna mentioned that her vet thought it was a yeast infection so I thought I would give her the tip about the Gentiun for future reference.

[Donna Latrell]

Hey Debbie: I will buying a bottle of this, thanks so much. Jazz's ear is exactly as you described, brown and smelly. Still taking out brown debris on a daily basis with the medicine that was prescribed. Have noticed a difference in the inflammation (I am sure this is due to the prednisone). Much prefer a natural method if it works. I will wait until this course of treatment is done, and then use it as don't want to have any contraindications. Thanks so much, Donna

[Debbie and Thomas]

I was going to mention that- pls finish the medicine and wait to see if you need any further treatment. Again-my dood was on med's and prescribed ear cleaners for two to three weeks. It did not work. I tried this stuff and withing two days-his ears were pink, and smelled as sweet as a flower. I bought it at a pet food store-but it can be ordered on line. Karen says there are also recipes on line to make this yourself. I never knew that-but a bottle is somewhere around 15. Also- I got an Ok from the vet to try it.