[wilsonsmom]

Wilson and I just got back from the vet. Both ears are infected. The vet thinks its a basic yeast infection, but took a culture to be sure.

He just had an ear infection in January and it turned into quite an ordeal. First he reacted to the antibiotic (his ears got raw), so they gave him a cortisone shot. He reacted to the cortisone and started peeing all over the house. We didn't know what was going on and ended up rushing him to the emergency vet clinic! It took him about 5 days from there to get back to normal.

So today the vet mentions that he might be having allergy issues, given the reactions he had last time. Has anyone heard of this before - allergies causing ear infections? If so, what do you do?

Thanks.

 

[gene]

I just did a google search typing in "dog ear infections and allergies" and came up with this. Seems it's not that uncommon. First thing is check your food. May want to change...

http://animalpetdoctor.homestead.com/Ears.html

If this link doesn't help there was a ton when I did the google search. Good luck to you and Wilson. Love the name!! :lol:

 

[Raleighsmom]

Hi,
Just read your post about ear infections! Our chocolate lab Molly had recurrent ear infections that drove her AND us crazy! We happen to have a holistic pet food store near us, and the owner told us that a lot of ear infections are caused by allergies to food...ESPECIALLY commercial food that is loaded with yeast! So we switched her to Canidae, and she hasn't had an ear infection since!
Also the vet suggested acidolphulus..(can get it in Wal-mart,CVS,Walgreens,or any drugstore) ANYONE who is on anti-biotics should take this while on these meds to replace the good bacteria found naturally in the gut...animals and humans alike...antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, and the next symptom is unfortunately yeast infections! Our physician reccomends it also...
Good luck with Wilson...if he dosen't like Canidae, there are othyer natural dog foods out there without the yeast, but do try to stay away from the commercial food!
Kathie, Raleigh & Molly

 

[wilsonsmom]

Thanks for the feedback. He currently eats ProPlan Lamb and Rice which I thought was ok. I'll take a look at some of the natural foods next time I go to the store. Can I find them in my local PetSmart? Is there something specific to look for or just 'all natural'?

BTW - Gene, congratulations on your new addition! I've been following the adventures of Jonah and Miko! Very exciting - you are a brave soul!

 

[gene]

Thanks! They keep me busy, but are starting to settle into a routine.
We use Blue Buffalo fish and sweet potato(available at Petsmart)...Jonah has bad food allergies and has had no ear infections since. Also no runs, except when he eats something he shouldn't! :roll:

 

[MaxandMe]

know what...here's a site to use to compare dog food ingredients

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=tools-tab

Go to TOOLS and down on right hand side you will see the reddish comparison wizard box...click the word GO....then go thru the huge dog food list. The top list is innova and californa natural etc...the bottom part has blue buffalo, nutro, canidae, eagle pak, purina, kirkland and so on.

it's a great tool as i started to figure out which things like eggs for instance that gave max and peanut diarrhea and so on....so comparing dog food ingredients in this tool helped me eliminate which foods NOT to try and so on.

Blue Buffalo swet potato and fish........as welll as Canidae All life stages
seem to be a very good food for dogs with food/skin allergies and intestinal upsets.

i do know kathie and others recommended CANIDAE and when i compared ingredients it has acidophlus (spelling) and papaya!!!

if Canidae didn't work we were going to try Blue Buffalo
HOWEVER CANIDAE is working to-date though they only get a 1/4cup mixed in each meal so far

 

[Amy29]

My labradoodle, Maya has allergies/ear problems as well and she was put on a special diet...royal canine hp (we have to buy it from our vet and it's pricey) and when she was spayed, the vet did a deep cleaning of her ear canals, and between that and the food, she's been fine for about 6 months.

 

[eetubbs]

This is a little different theory.

Lizzie had several smelly ear infections that turned out to be yeast infections. The vet said this could be from allergies. (Her ears had LOTS of discharge in them) The vet said to keep the hair in her ears all pulled out (OUCH!) and clean her ears at least once a week with MalAcetic Otic (somebody told me I could use vinegar?) or every time we swim. Havent had an ear infection since, worked like a charm!!

He had also given her some prednisone, but she had a very bad reaction to the first dose & Ill never give it to her again.

Hope this helps.

LizziesMom

 

[Doodlesville]

yes food can play a part

i have a family that swears by dick van pattens duck and potatoe formula
also here is the ear powder formula that may help
HOME MADE EAR POWDER

It is especially good at drying up the black gunk.

The Formula

Ingredients
• 4 oz. zinc oxide powder
• 4 oz. boric acid powder
• ½ oz. Iodoform powder
Mix well. Keep in a sealed jar in a cool dry place.

Instructions on use
Place a large pinch of powder in each ear, and use your finger to work it down. Wait five or ten minutes (I cut toenails) then pluck the hair out of the ears, being sure to get all the way down. Allow the dog to shake, but leave the excess powder in the ears. Repeat monthly.

Treatment of an existing infection
Use as described for maintenance, then apply a fresh pinch of powder to each ear. Wait twenty-four hours, then use a dry q-tip to remove all the powder and the balls of dried gunk. 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 reason this works so well is that the iodoform powder kills anaerobic bacteria and fungi which flourish in warm, moist, airless places, like the inside of a poodle's ear. 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.

 

[Doodlesville]

And here is the Blue Power

http://itsfortheanimals.com/Adobe/Blue% ... atment.pdf

I know im just a wealth of info... :lol:

 

[wilsonsmom]

Thanks for the great info!

How do you keep the hair out of his ears? Do they make ear trimmers or do you pluck? Doesn't that hurt???

 

[eetubbs]

The groomer plucks Lizzies ears & while it looked uncomfortable, she didn't cry, yelp or seem to be overly concerned about it.

LizziesMom

 

[Doodlesville]

ears

Thanks for the great info!

How do you keep the hair out of his ears? Do they make ear trimmers or do you pluck? Doesn't that hurt???

You just put the grooming powder in the ear , and grap and pull it acts as a numbing agent , poodle ears are a bit of a job ,,but the prevention is worth the results if you dont do it

 

[Kathryn Aberle]

Although our Mia hasn't had any ear problems so far, we have had 17 years of experience with a dog with chronic ear infections.

Rose is a Springer Spaniel and developed her first yeast infection at about 12 weeks old. It took us about a month to figure out that she was allergic to wheat and beef so she has been on a lamb and rice formula since. That said she has continued to have flare ups throughout her life because of her heavy floppy ears and an apparent abnormality in one ear canal that traps debris.

We now routinely clean her ears about once a week and we keep a big bottle of Surolan on hand for those occasions when an infection crops up.

Also, when Rose was younger she had a few years where she used to eat bees ... go figure. Whenever she did this she had an allergic reaction that made her ears swell up like balloons. When that happened we either needed to get her a cortizone shot if it was really bad or give her oral Prednizone if we caught it when the ears were just thickening and before they were like balloons. Apparently they can do real damage to their ears if they shake their heads too much in response to the itching.

 

[Doodlesville]

Tool

the plucking tool you are referring to is just regular forceps i think

 

[gene]

say....

"Doodle Ear Hair Doo-Daads"....or...."Dude, Dood Pluckers"...or...."Hair Puller Thingy-Majigs"...."Follicle Forceps"...."Clamp, Lock, and Two Earhairless Doodles"...

...we could go on all night..........................................

Vanessa....were you sniffing the ear powder by chance? I hope you got to sleep it off.... :wink: :lol:

 

[MaxandMe]

say....

"Doodle Ear Hair Doo-Daads"....or...."Dude, Dood Pluckers"...or...."Hair Puller Thingy-Majigs"...."Follicle Forceps"...."Clamp, Lock, and Two Earhairless Doodles"...

...we could go on all night..........................................

Vanessa....were you sniffing the ear powder by chance? I hope you got to sleep it off.... :wink: :lol:

GENE i think Sessa is in the beginning stages of becoming a Doodleaholic which at the moment is quite sever . I believe she'll end up with 2 doodles in the near future or within a year. dum dum dum another one bites the doodle dust hahhahaaa

 

[blueteal]

Vanessa....were you sniffing the ear powder by chance? I hope you got to sleep it off....

Bahaahhahahahah

Ah Gene
What can I say, you are priceless, anytime I need a laugh I know that I can count on you :wink: :wink: