The Dreaded Ear Infection

[Barbie]

Last month, I suspected that my son might be developing an ear infection, but there wasn’t an odor. So, I thought it might just be residual fleas from our May infestation/home invasion that crawled into his ears. Nope! Now my baby whines or screams if anything touches his ears (even if he accidentally rubs one against something) and I now smell the odor. I have some Tramadol, so I texted my FL vet friend what dosage to give him for pain. We’ll be visiting his local vet tomorrow.

I had a feeling this would eventually happen. Since a puppy, Zeus refused to let anyone pluck his ears. I read vet recommendations online and even asked my own vet about ear plucking, and the majority verdict was that it’s not necessary unless the breed is known to have ear problems (usually the smaller dogs) or the dog is frequently immersed in water. So, for 5 years, no ear plucking, no swimming pools or open water (his choice), no extensive bathing (just 1x month), and now I have a baby who’s in a lot of pain. :O(

[Barbie]

Zeus is being a real trooper in taking his daily 10 pills. I've been coating them with fish oil because he likes the flavor and it helps the pills slide down his throat easier. He didn't eat his dinner last night, but the steroids should start making him enormously hungry very soon.

[Barbie]

LOL, no, I didn't get a pic. of his brain freeze. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. Yah, Doodles can be too smart.

Thank you for those recipes, Priscilla! I only need to buy yogurt to make the ice cream, and I have all of the essential oils, beeswax, and other ingredients to make the salve. Which Greek yogurt brand has the lowest sugar content and how many grams per serving? I’ve never liked plain yogurt or Greek yogurt because it tastes bitter, so I don’t ever buy it for myself. I’ll ask my vet before making the recipes. I’d leave out the black pepper EO in the salve because it’d burn him, and probably add more Vit. E.

Where'd you get your bone mold? I have a Bake-A-Bone that makes bone-shaped biscuits, but it's electric.

I’m still laughing about the “happy dance” thing. You’re so funny! Do you make people products? Over the years, I’ve developed some formulas that I haven’t mixed yet – will be interesting to see whether I have the correct ratios for consistency and preservation. Once that's perfected, I’ll move on to the test stage. Maybe we can share some recipes in PM. :O)

[Priscilla]

I don't think there is proper way to feed doogie ice cream. Did you get a picture of Zeus brain freeze? One of my cats had one once from a Popsicle.  It was to funny!  :o)   I make Crush pupsicle.

Yes they get too smart. When Crush had his ear infection or stomach bug  I just did the stuff down his throat. Followed by me doing a happy dance excited voice to good treats afterward. Carrots, Ice, or dog cookie (mix it up)

You get good at it! Yes, they are to smart for their own good!

Recipes I found on pinterest.

Dog Ice cream recipe:

3 ripe bananas

32 oz plain yogurt (I use greek)

1 cup peanut butter (I use almond butter)

Directions:

Bleed, pour the mixture into ice trays (I use dog bone tray), freeze.  

I make all his dog treats.

My boy Crush also started have chewing his front paws too. I made this pet salve found on pinterest too.

Warming Salve for pets:

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2015/01/warming-pet-salve-20-na...

Makes (4) 4-ounce glass jars ( i only made 1 jar of it.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons beeswax pastilles

Per 4 ounce jar:

• 12 drops lavender essential oil
• 12 drops frankincense essential oil
• 40 drops black pepper essential oil  (delete this if you dont want it to be warm, but I left it in)
• 1/2 teaspoon vitamin e oil (optional)

Directions

Put the coconut, olive oil, and beeswax in a wide mouth mason jar or a 4 cup glass measuring bowl. Set glass container in a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the beeswax melts and all the ingredients are combined.

Add the essential oils to each 4 ounce jar. Next, pour melted oils into the jars over the essential oils, you can stir the oils in but they should mix nicely without stirring. Fill to ¼ inch from the top. Cover with a paper towel and cool on counter for at least 8 hours before sealing with lid. Shelf life without the vitamin e oil is approximately 4 to 5 months.

[Barbie]

Well, the verdict is: ear infection (both ears) and toe infection (both front paws). He's on topical and oral antibiotics, steroids, and more pain killers (Tramadol, increased to 100mg 2x day). His pain is so bad that the vet couldn't even get a test swab from either ear. I put a muzzle on him and it took 3 of us to hold him still (with a vet tech squeezing his neck between her legs) so the vet could get the topical antibiotic down into both ear canals.

For the first time, I bought him some doggie ice cream on the way home. He really enjoyed it, but ate it too fast and got brain-freeze for a couple of seconds. What's the proper way to feed doggie ice cream?

He's relaxing in the bed with me right now - looking out the window for bunnies and squirrels. :O) We have to go back to the vet in a week to do a culture and retreat the ears with more topical antibiotics. In the meantime, I have to stuff 10 pills down his throat every day - it's the only way. I tried hiding pills in pill pockets, peanut butter, and cheese. He won't even eat his dog food if there's a hidden pill or powder in it - too smart for his own good. What else is left to try? I have some vegan hot dogs, but I'm afraid to try that for fear of wasting another pill.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am so glad Zeus is going to the vet and getting those ears looked at soon. Sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you. I know when my children had swimmer's ears, their ears really hurt to be touched. He will just feel so much better with the right medicine. No, my dogs have never had toe infections. Good luck!

[Barbie]

Ha-ha, yes, Laurie. Zeus is my only child and this is his first ear infection. I believe you're right about it being a doozy and that he needs both oral and topical antibiotics at this point. He always let me flip his ears back to examine inside, brush underneath, and massage - but, not since he developed the infection. I had to take my mom to the doctor yesterday, Zeus has a vet appointment in about an hour, and then I have to take Mom to another doctor. Whew!

I'm going to have the vet examine Zeus' front paws too because they tend to be rather sensitive lately. I think it might be an infection between the toes because my belated Hercules had one once as a puppy, and Zeus has the same symptoms, but I don't smell an odor between the toes. Do your hairy kids every get toe infections?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Barbie, I am confused. Is your son your dog? I first read this that your son has an ear infection, but think it is Zeus, right? OK, it is very important that Zeus get used to you handling his ears. I had a rescue dog who was very skiddish about me touching her ears. When I first got her and she had a tick in her ear, she bared her teeth at me when I tried to remove it. I worked hard on stroking her ears in a loving way, massaging them, anything that would show her I wasn't going to hurt her or her ears. However, if Zeus has an ear infection, I do not blame him for not wanting his ears messed with. Nothing hurts like an ear or tooth ache, in my opinion. He needs to be seen by a vet asap and get that cleared up first. I think some dogs are just more prone to ear infections than others. Our Vern gets them from time to time. Fudge never has had one. In any case, sounds like Zeus has a doozy of an ear infection and needs antibiotics, etc. to clear it up. 

[Barbie]

Thank you, Priscilla. That's a great tip on the shower cap and cotton balls. Yeah, Tramadol is now listed on the Scheduled Drugs list. It was leftover from Zeus' neutering in 2012 - probably decreased in potency, but it is helping reduce his pain. I just gave him another 50mg and trying to reach his vet to make an appointment. You're so sweet! Thank you so much for your help and concern. :O)

[Priscilla]

Barbie,

Just becareful Tramadol is NARCOTIC. I sure you know use lots of good treats!  After two infection the using the Epic-otic weekly I have kept it at bay.  The epic-otic gives the ear an antibacterial coat.  Like you I smell his ear as long as I smell the epic-otic I know he is good. 

Another tip I have read is putting a shower cap on their head to tuck their ears in during a bath or cotton balls in their ears during their bath.  

WISH you the best of luck with this.

[Barbie]

Thanks for your reply, Priscilla! Unfortunately, my vet and groomers tried the powder, but even with a muzzle, Zeus wouldn't let them pluck his ears. I'm glad you mentioned the Epi-Otic. That's what I tried to clean his ears with earlier today so that I could apply Mometamax to treat the infection (I had some after treating my sister's Pugs for the same infection), but Zeus literally screamed in pain. I felt so horrible and stopped trying, then gave him Tramadol. It really perked him up and made him feel better. Now he's sleeping, so he's apparently not in as much pain.

I dread the next 6 weeks - the time it takes to properly treat an ear infection. With the Pugs, I had to have help holding them down to clean, then treat and massage the ears daily. It was a nightmare! Zeus is 4.5 times their weight, so I don't know how I'm going to manage by myself. :O(