Ear Question

[Sandy]

Toby's ear, I noticed yesterday, is pinker than the other one...not necessarily red, but pinker, and feels warmer to the touch. It's always been the ear more prone to dark waxy build-up, but I've never seen it look pinker or be warmer to the touch. It is not sensitive if I feel it, and it does not smell different than the other ear. Should I be concerned, or just watch it?

[Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran]

I would definitely watch it - Casey is very prone to ear infections and they seem to go from pink to very inflamed in a short period of time.

[Terri]

I'm a firm believer in the Blue Power ear cleaner. Not necessarily to treat an infection, but to keep them away. Cooper had recurrent ear infections as a young pup, but then we started cleaning it out once per week with Blue Power (homemade) and it really keeps them clean. If it starts to get a little irritated, I up it to once a day for a few days until the inflamation clears up and then back to once per week. Flood the ear, let them shake, then wipe clean. It stains so you have to contain them until you wipe it out. Its really a godsend for us. I know some don't like it, but we do.

[Terri]

Blue Power Ear Treatment
Caution: please have your veterinarian evaluate your dog's ear drum prior to treating
the ear problem yourself. Be certain that the ear drum is NOT ruptured, as there could
be the risk of irreversible deafness or loss of equilibrium. Your vet can rule out the
presence of tumors or foreign bodies such as foxtails. A microscope smear would reveal
bacteria, yeast or mites and then a culture and sensitivity test can be performed.
INGREDIENTS:
16 Oz. bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (standard 70%) (I actually use witch hazel...much less irritating)
4 Tablespoons of Boric Acid Powder
16 Drops of Gentian Violet Solution 1% (see end of article for more information)
Mix together in alcohol bottle and shake well.
You will need to shake solution every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder.
Purchase a flexible plastic bottle with the opening at the top so that the solution may be
gently squeezed out and dispense solution to affected ears. The ideal is a hair-dye bottle
available at a pharmacy, Wal-Mart, Target, etc, or a beauty supply store.
TREATMENT PROCEDURE:
1) Evaluate condition of ears before treating and if very inflamed and sore:
do not attempt to pull hair or clean out ear at all. Just flush and then wait until
inflammation has subsided, which will be about two days.
2) shake the bottle each time before
using it for treatment,.
3) Flood the ear with solution (gently squirt bottle).
4) Massage gently to the count of 60, wipe with a tissue.
5) On first treatment: flood the ear twice, wipe with a tissue, and leave alone without
massage.
6) The dog will shake out the excess, which can be wiped with a tissue.
Note: the Gentian Violet does stain fabrics, etc. so you may want to wear gloves.
Do not do this on carpet, or nice rugs. The solution stains. I always put Cooper in his crate for an hour or so afterwards so he doesn't RUB it onto anything.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

I prefer a dry treatment vs adding anything wet to the ear. Even products with a drying agent can add too much moisture to the ear.


Thornit Powder is a great product you can not purchase it in the United States already made you can however have your local pharmacy make it up for you for about $10.00. If you google it you can order it from a UK source.

Heres a recipe for Thornit if anyone fancies making up their own.

Treat as follows with either Thornit or you can make up your own version of Thornit (which is the same as below but includes talc) with ingredients from your chemist.

4 oz. zinc oxide powder
4 oz. boric acid powder
1/2 oz. Iodoform powder

Mix well. Keep in a sealed jar in a cool dry place.

Maintenance

Place a large pinch of powder in each ear (I use a quarter of a tsp measuring spoon) and use your finger to work it down. Allow the dog to shake, but leave the excess powder in the ears. Repeat monthly.

Treating an existing infection

Use as described for maintenance morning and evening.

Use a dry Q-tip to remove all the powder and the balls of dried gunk. Clean with sterile saline solution/Colloidal Silver anything that does not sting.

Put a fresh pinch of powder in each ear. Repeat daily until the ears are no longer runny. At this point, repeat every other day, until there is no more runniness, then three times a week, then twice, then weekly, then every other week, etc. When the ears remain dry for three weeks, go to the monthly maintenance routine.

How it works

The iodoform powder kills anaerobic bacteria and fungi which flourish in warm, moist, airless places. The zinc oxide and boric acid keep the ear dry, which prevents further infections. In the days before antibiotics, Iodoform was frequently used in human medicine to pack puncture wounds where anaerobic bacteria also grow. It may be hard to find because it isn't used much any more.


The problem with malotic acid is that it comes in a liquid form and the inner ear stays wet if you are using it daily. Ears are like caves and become dank, the heat and moisture promotes bacteria growth.