Potatoes and ear infections?

[Debbie and Belle]

Belle has been having repeated ear infections and I had heard that potatoes could contribute to this problem in some dogs. She has been eating Acana Grasslands which does contain potato. Should I change to a potato free diet? Belle has had sensitivities to chicken, grains and cheese, so I stay away from food with these ingredients.

[Debbie and Belle]

So do you think I should switch to Origen Regional Red from the Acana Grasslands?  The regional red is an adult food so would that be a problem - Belle will be 8 months on Feb. 1?  Also, the proteins are different sources, is that ok too?  I never really figured out last month what was causing her vomiting - the tests were all negative, and having 4 to 5 smaller meals has helped that situation.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Personally, I would leave her food alone and look for other causes of the ear infections than food, especially since she has had digestive issues in the past. F had some good advice on how to clean the ears and keep them dry. 

But an adult food should be fine at 8 months, especially if she is a smaller doodle. 

[Debbie and Belle]

Ok, thank you for your help!  I really appreciate it!  I will stay with the Acana for now.  She has a Vet appointment tomorrow to check her ears since they are itching again (and we just finished the treatment last week), so I will explore other causes/suggestions with the Vet.

[Debbie and Belle]

The vet checked her ears and the prior infection has actually cleared up. I let the vet know she is scratching at her ears and she scratches other areas too. He checked and there was no mites and no flees. She is already on a fish oil supplemant which should help with dry skin. I discussed her food and he agreed with you all that potatoes shouldn't cause ear infections. He said I could try food without eggs in it since she has reacted to chicken- he said a sensitivity could cause itchiness and ear infections. The Acana grasslands she's on does have eggs. What are your thoughts? Should I try one of the orijen or acana formulas without chicken and eggs? It looks like the orijen six fish and the Acana Pacifica have no chicken or egg and are still grain free. Like Karen said, the six fish is also potato free. I did reading the posting about the safety of the fish so I'm wondering if I should wait for more info on that. Although the Acana grasslands formula she's already on does contain several types of fish.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The thing is that if the itching is related to allergies at all, the chances are 10 to 1 that those allergies are not to food at all, but to inhaled allergens like dust mites, molds, dander, etc. Belle is pretty young to have developed any kind of allergy, but if she has, my guess would be dust mites, which she has been exposed to daily since birth and which are in her environment year round. Dust mite allergies are very common in dogs and people. The name for this form of allergy, which occurs 9 times more often in dogs than food allergies, is Atopic Dermatitis; it's genetic, and runs in Labradors and Goldens.

I hate to see you play around with her food, and I also doubt that eggs are the culprit. The only real way to "diagnose" a food allergy is to do a food elimination trial for 12 weeks, in which you feed the dog a limited diet consisting of one protein and one starch that she has never had, like rabbit and lentils, and nothing else. It's pretty miserable for both you and the dog, and after all is said and done, only one in 10 dogs will have shown an improvement, because food wasn't the culprit after all. 

Atopic Dermatitis is incurable but manageable, and requires skin testing by a veterinary dermatology specialist to properly diagnose and treat. Belle is a bit young for that. Milder symptoms are usually managed with fatty acid supplementation (evening primrose oil or fish oil), antihistamines (2nd generation drugs like Zyrtec, Claritin, Tavist, Atarax rather than Benadryl), topical sprays and lotions, frequent baths, and some lifestyle changes. Simple things like washing the dog's bedding weekly, changing the furnace filter monthly, keeping the dog's areas as dust free as possible, etc. As long as there are no infections in the ears or anywhere else, I would try some of those things, keep the ears clean & dry, and let the diet be for now. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

My potato, Spud, had three long years of ear problems.  He does eat Acana, but the infections occured way before we switched to this brand.

In two months, it will be two years FREE of an ear infection. Please, knock on wood for our good fortune.

Anyway, Potatoes smatos, It has a lot to do with everything else: History, poodle ears, yeast, bacteria, swimming, cleaning, and products ( yes, ear cleaning products were one of the many things he was having problems and actually causing ear infections) and anti-biotic ointments which were breaking down the skin.

Please, ask your vet how to clean your dog's ears.   Troubleshoot methods. If I can get this right, so can you. It really is a tough line.

But, look elsewhere. Leave the Spuds out of the equation  :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"LIKE!"

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

;)

[Debbie and Belle]

Thank you so much for all of your help and advice! She is on the fish oil, so I will try adding something like Zyrtec. And keeping everything clean and washed frequently. I'm good about changing the furnace filter monthly since i have allergies. there is also an air cleaner in my bedroom, and Belle sleeps in my bedroom too. The vet did show me how to lean her ears so I will continue with that.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Not to add this in the food group discussion so do a search on DK about just ear infections that do not include food... but

• How long does the vet leave the dog on the oral antibiotic?   In the end, we had the OLD vet decide enough was enough. We spent at least 10 weeks or more on a low dose maintenance antibiotic with two week checks.  We also had to have drops, one each week for many months until there was NO WAY anything was growing in those ears.   So, my question, how long did your vet leave the dog on antibiotics?  We had a high does loading and then maintenance.  Some of these infections take forever to completely clear.  It took time and patience. Lots of time
• What are you cleaning with?  Even though others have great luck with these products my dog can not use any of the liquids that most are successful using.  We now use a powder only.
• Are you using the same topical antibiotic inside the ears?  One of the products was actually causing the skin to break down  and it came off in sheets.   Horrible.  So, that med did more harm than good. 
• How often do you clean the ears?  I dont have a cleaning schedule any longer. I use eye inspection only. I watch them weekly if not more often. That does not mean I do anything. I just watch. If I see a hint of an issue: dirt, smells, tiny fuzzy hairs, I do maintain the ears. If not, no way do I touch them. If I do put one finger in there, I use one drop of a maintenance antibiotic.  If they aren't broke, I don't dare touch them. 
• Bathing.   If you are bathing your dog, avoid the head and ears.  Really a wash cloth only. Sad, but true.   Leave that head alone in a bath.
• Time of year. We have trouble more this time of year than any other.  The cold weather and wind with snow mold might be our issue. We really watch now more than ever. 
• etc

Anyway, do searches on here about ears. In the end, none of those worked for me but I was able to troubleshoot my own plan after many years of frustration for my poor dog.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Joanne raises some good points.

Antibiotics won't do much for yeast infections, either.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

At Spud's very first vet visit the vets first comment.

"A good breed and the most common issue we have noted so far are ear infections and yeast infections"

As if to say, " Congratulations.  See you soon for your ear issues in your new puppy"

Sure enough, we were there within the first few months and spent many a visit for those issues.  HA