Sunday 2/5/12 Update - I'm at a loss - several months of yeasty ear infection

[Christine & Camus]

UPDATE Sunday, February 5, 2012

Medication problems.  Okay the liquid ear cleaners burn Camus' skin, so the dermatologist prescribed an oral anti-fungal, as well as prednisone.  Camus has been vomiting since ~ 4:30 PM today. It is only 6 PM and he has vomited 5 times  6 times (he is vomiting as I type).  No dinner or meds tonight, just small amounts of water to keep him hydrated and I am going to sleep on the couch since there is carpet in my bedroom.  Back to the vet tomorrow.

UPDATE February 3, 2012:

Camus had his first visit to the dermatologist this afternoon.  Karen - thank you so much for alerting me to the dangers of long-term ear infections and suggesting I take him to a specialist. 

His ear was a mess, the canal was blocked up to his eardrum, which thankfully was intact and undamaged.  With the blockage NO amount of ear cleanser or medication was going to make a difference, it could not get through the blockage. Karen advising me to take him to a specialist was exactly what he needed.  Had I not consulted the dermatologist his ear may well have ended up being permanently damaged, and it would have been MY FAULT.  I feel bad having waited this long.  If your doodle has ear problems please consider consulting a veterinarian dermatologist.

The doctor irrigated his ear, cleaning it out completely, prescribed an antifungal oral medication and short-term prednisone for the inflammation.  Since the typical ear flushing solutions burn his skin she does not want me to use epi-otic or any other cleansing solution.  He has a follow-up appointment in 2 weeks.  Although he only has the ear and eye symptoms now, considering the symptoms he has had in the past she thinks it is most likely atopy.  I am going to have the skin testing done, but will have to wait since he is taking prednisone for his ear.  The cost for today's visit was remarkable low, only $185.34, which included the exam, the ear irrigation (he was good so they did not need to anesthetize him.), and medication.  The intradermal allergy testing will cost $415, plus office visit $69, and if antigens are necessary an additional $200 for a 4-6 month supply.  They will also teach me how to give him the injections!  One point of interest is, according to the specialist, that research shows in Southern California ~ 70% of the dogs diagnosed with atopy have eye and ear involvement.

Camus has had an ear infection (yeast) for at least the past 5-6 months. Only in one ear and I cannot get rid of it.  He is super-sensitive to the ear washes, his ear gets more sensitive when I flush it.  I flush the ear, clean it with cotton swabs, apply Entederm, and still the infection persists.  He paws at it, shakes his head, and has begun to whimper when he scratches it. In addition to his ear, he scratches and chews his paws. He gets an antihistamine (Hydroxyzine 50 mg) 2x daily.  The scratching has decreased in the last few weeks, but it will start up again if I do not bathe him every week.  He gets a fish oil supplement (human grade) and although I know these are not symptoms of a food allergy I recently switched him to Natural Balance Duck & Potato.  The vet said it is allergies. Any advice?

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

could it be due to environmental allergies rather than food? Try washing his bedding in a natural detergent. Or maybe grass? I know that environmental allergies are much more common than food allergies (and unfortunately much harder to control). There are people on here who can help you -atopic dermatitis group I think

[Christine & Camus]

You are right Kaytlin - environmental allergies are definitely his problem, in addition to his ear problems he also gets eye infections, but the eye drops I have for him work really well.  His skin does not break out, but his paw pads get red and  he licks himself so much I think he is part cat! The food switch was a last ditch effort. He has not been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, but the group would undoubtedly help.  I only use natural detergent and wash his bedding weekly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with this. It's time to find a veterinary dermatology specialist. All of this indicates that Camus has allergies, probably inhalant (I don't like the word environmental because too many people think that's about carpet cleaners, etc.) The longer you delay a treatment plan for Atopy, the worse it gets and the lower the chances of successfully treating it.

There is nothing in Thornit powder or blue ear wash or any other remedy that is any better than the ingredients in what you have been using, or that's going to fix a chronic ear problem. Those things are fine for mild cases, maintenance, etc. But some dogs have so much trouble with their ears, they end up having to have a full ablation of the ear canal.

At this point, I think the best option is a dermatology specialist.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Very good point. There are yeast infections and there are bacterial infections, and the treatment is different for each. Most yeast remedies will not do a thing for bacteria. Sometimes, both can be present at the same time. A yeast infection can also turn into a bacterial infection from scratching, irritation, etc.

Zymox is a more effective product, IMO, than most of the old time "home remedy" mixtures.

It's very important to get a culture done before attempting to treat a bad or persistent ear infection.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yes, good point indeed!

[Ginny Nightingale]

You have certainly gotten excellent advice and I just want to add one tiny thing--get the groomer to use the clippers to shave the hair off of the neck/cheek under the ear canal--you will never see that when the ear flap comes down, but it creates a tunnel that air can circulate around in and helps keep the ear drier. Just a patch about an inch or two wide and two inches long can make a big difference.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

christine, just wanted to say I know exactly what you are going through. It took me months to get Winston's paw licking under control, but the combination of antibacterial spray and the use of baby socks really helped. And i know exactly what you mean about the baths. They really help alot.  His ears are bad right now despite two weeks of antibiotics. i feel like his immune system is completely shot. I'm taking Karen's advice and going to see a deratologist for intradermal skin testing next week.

[Christine & Camus]

Sherri, I am also following Karen's advice and am going to make an appointment with a dermatologist.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for the update, Christine. I'm so glad you took Camus to the specialist and got to the root of the problem, so Camus can feel better soon! You may also have helped other dogs with chronic ear infections by pointing out that when the infection is severe, no ear cleaning powder or solution is going to help.

I hope Camus starts to feel much better very quickly!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

agree with this Karen, In the weeks leading up to Winnie's visit I started using Thorn-it to test your theory. But it just kept getting worse!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thanks for update Christine. so glad you went and got his ears looked at! I bet the skin test will give you good results. I think it is so worth the money!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

How is Camus doing?  Hope he is finally feeling some comfort with his ears and eyes since it has been a few weeks.