Ear Infection nightmare - help!!!!

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

Hi everyone.....

So our poor Lola has yet another yeast ear infection (she's had them on and off since she was a pup)...this one is never-ending, though (it's been over a month). We're on our third batch of ear drops from the vet. Our vet has also cleaned out her ear multiple times over the past month, revealing large wax buildup. So her last recheck was about a week ago, and when the vet looked into her ear, there was still a lot of wax buildup...so more drops.

Has anyone found a "natural" way of fighting this, or is there anything I could do in addition to the strict cleaning/medicating regimen we're on??

 

Any advice would be great....my poor baby needs some help!!!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't see how cleaning ears could lead to hearing loss unless the dog had a perforated eardrum which can occur from middle ear infections but should never occur from cleaning. Or sometimes infections of the outer ear get so bad that the outer ear canal may become occluded.But things should not get to this point. I always squirt the fluid in the ear, squish it around and clean/dry with pressed cotton pads. You should never use any objects, just a pad wrapped around a finger. Since my doodles have not had ear infections since one of them had one as a pup, I only clean ears every 2-3 weeks now. But it is vital to clean ears regularly to prevent infections, I think.

[Ginny Nightingale]

What a great website--I just looked through your replies and you have gotten great advice. I am guessing that the ear issues are due to a food allergy--my dog's ears flare up if i don't watch what she eats. I had to give her all kinds of things when she was pregnant and nursing and her ears were worse than ever. Now that all that is over (for now) her ears have cleared up. I feed her Wellness with a chicken base. She has had problems with other formulas but this one seems to work for her. Each dog could have a different issue, so you should buy a SMALL bag of grain free high quality food and try each of the foods with different base protein (whitefish, salmon, beef, turkey or lamb, etc.) and see what works best for her. I think Lamb and rice is supposed to cause the least allergies but fish can be good too. I also think that vet food is a royal rip-off many times. I can't tell my daughter that though--she is a vet!

Good luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The problem with trying different protein sources to see which ones help is that an elimination diet to test for food allergies takes three months. In the rare instance that it would be caused by a food allergy (only ten percent of allergic reactions in dogs are caused by any kind of food), it would take three months of eliminating that particular protein from the dog's diet in all forms, including treats, to be able to determine if that's what's causing the problem.

At one time, lamb was thought to be less likely to cause allergic reactions, but that was because it was rarely used in dog foods, so most dogs had not been exposed to it. It is now so common that this no longer holds true. And a food containing rice would not be a grain-free formula. The proteins least likely to provoke an allergic reaction are usually those to which the dog has not been exposed...fish, venison, duck, rabbit, and bison are some of the ones most often used in food elimination diets.

But honestly, it would be very unusual for the ears to be the only thing affected by an allergy. I would look at other causes than food. Some dogs are just predisposed genetically to have more trouble with ear infections than others.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Most people on here are way more experienced then me, so I will just say your baby is so adorable that I want to snuggle her up

 

I am sorry this is happening. Jack had one ear infection as a baby but that is it. I don't know if this will help or not but I was told to keep underneath their ears short, I cut all the hair under his ears, you can't even tell but it helps with airflow.

 

I hope she feels better soon.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

I feel bad because Ginger is 5 months and I have not ever cleaned her ears.  Do I have to get ear cleaning products from the vet or can I purchase them at Petsmart?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I buy Malacetic Otic on line.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I have never cleaned Ned's ears.  He came to us with severe ear and throat infections caused by fox tails, but that is a totally different infection. I do have to say that he goes to a groomer regularly and she makes sure his ears are de-haired and clear.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I have had vets give the following advice:

• don't clean out the ears while medicating because you are cleaning out the meds; then clean them
• clean the ears about once/ twice a week even when medicating;

• clean the ears out a couple of hours before medicating so as to give the ears a chance to dry out before putting the meds in.

So...   take your choice.  The last one is the one we finally used when Gordie's ears FINALLY  cleared up this last time.  We think that we have discovered that Gordie appears to be allergic to something in fish that showed up in ear infections. I do not think food allergies are commonly the cause of ear infections, but Gordie's last bout lasted for months and when I realized we had switched kibble meat sources when he began with the never ending infection, we switched and his ears cleared!  So far he has stayed clear for 6 weeks.

I have heard that gentian is really helpful for ears.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

 

 

What a sweetheart!  I highly recommend Xymox optic with hydrocortisone.  Check out the reviews on amazon.  My dog suffered from yeast infections but this did the trick after going through many different ear antibiotics.  I use it before he goes to the groomer and before I bath him.  Once a week once the infection clears up.  Ear infections are no fun but hopefully you are on the path to healing.

 

 

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

poor Lola. Some dogs are more prone to ear infections unfortunately. I would suggest switching foods to a better one and hope that helps. Even if it doesnt help her ears it is much better for her in general (and your wallet which means more treats and toys in her eyes!!!!)

 

I didnt clean Coopers ears for about a year - I just never thought about it. When I did they were full of wax and hair. Im amazed she didnt get an infection! Now I check them every week and clean as necessary - usually every few weeks.

 

 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Sorry you are having this problem. I sympathize with you and for the pain of your dog. 

Food: We use a good food and still have ear infections.

Cleaner: We have a good cleaner but were told not to use it too much. No more than once a week-MAX. The vet said, " don't use it so often. Cleaners cause irritation and can be rough"   The more we cleaned, the more infections we got.   The vet said, " don't you clean his ears? "  UGH! 

If we don't clean we have better luck but it is fine line as to when we reach the point of cleaning will help or not cleaning will cause another infection. 

Ear Hair: What a joke. If I gently pull out a little hair it works great. If I gently pull just a tad too much--an ear infection.

It is frustrating. 

So to clean or not to clean

I'm frustrated too. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We're struggling with the same thing right now with Murphy.  There are a few different causes of ear infections, but the Vet believes Murphy's are due to his environmental allergies.   Here's what our Vet told us to do for the ears...she gave them a really thorough cleaning to begin with; we then clean every other day with EpiOtic, we have prescription ear drops that we use daily (on cleaning day the drops go in after the ears have been cleaned and wiped out with cotton); we also have a prescription for drops that we used every other week to soften any wax build up.  Murph's ear flare ups are always worse when his allergies are bad.  Right now we're just giving Claritin for the allergies.  Good luck....I really know how frustrating the constant ear infections can be!