Not Another Ear Infection!

1122 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Marsh Muppet, Mar 26, 2009

rizzo

Discussion Starter · Mar 26, 2009

I have had Susie for about 2.5 years now. I had never had a dog before, but I got a feeling that something was wrong with her because she kept scratching her ear and shaking her head. I took her to the vet and the vet prescribed me something for a yeast infection. I cleaned her ears and gave her medicine twice a day. Worked for less than a month and came back.

For over two years, I have been bringing her to different vets. Every month, more or less. I recently got Tresaderm and same thing.

Susie is a little old lady...9 years old this month. She is a Daschund with these adorable floppy ears, so I know that's why the infections are so hard to treat.

I have tried different foods (Wellness, Innova, EVO, California Naturals, and now Innova Senior) but the ear infections don't stop. I asked the vet about allergies and she didn't think that was the cause. It breaks my heart to clean her ears because she runs and hides, and when I do clean her ears she thumps her leg because it's so uncomfortable.

I'm upset because it's a financial burden, stressful to Susie and I, and I hate seeing her scratch her ears like that. I'm tired of getting the same thing to treat her ears at the vet, only to have it not work!

I am thinking about trying Zymox with Hydrocortisone. I ordered some already. I realllly reallly hope this works. I have heard good things about it and was wondering if anyone on here has tried it? Also, what else can be done to prevent these ear infections?

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spotted nikes

· #2 · Mar 26, 2009

Maybe this link will help-

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

You might try feeding a grain free food like taste of the wild, Fish and potato formula. Some dogs are allergic to beef or grains, so that might be a good option.

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TomN

· #3 · Mar 26, 2009 (Edited)

Rizzo, what are you cleaning the ears with? If you haven't already check out the Blue Power Ear wash on this thread. Good stuff for preventing and treating ear infections and would be a good addition to any medication your vet is prescribing.

http://www.dogforums.com/13-dog-health-questions/6964-blue-power-ear-wash.html

If your dog is sensitive to alcohol substitute with Witch Hazel.

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rizzo

Discussion Starter · #4 · Mar 26, 2009

spotted nikes said:
Maybe this link will help-

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

You might try feeding a grain free food like taste of the wild, Fish and potato formula. Some dogs are allergic to beef or grains, so that might be a good option.

Thanks. I've been doing that for about a year now because her skin was getting itchy. It's helped so much, but not with her ears, unfortunately. I feel a lot better giving my dog all-natural food, especially after that whole tainted dog food scare a while ago. Geez, my dogs eat better than I do

TomN, my vet gave me something. I forget the name but I have it here. It must burn her ears or something because whenever she sees the bottle, she runs in the other directions. I'll check later, but it's a white bottle with a red tip. I don't know if it really does much...

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FilleBelle

· #5 · Mar 26, 2009

You can buy a gentian violet ear cleanser pre made from several sources, too. Just Google it. Works pretty well on my big boy, who gets chronic ear infections. I don't use it as often as I probably should, though, as it is messy.

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TomN

· #6 · Mar 26, 2009 (Edited)

rizzo said:
TomN, my vet gave me something. I forget the name but I have it here. It must burn her ears or something because whenever she sees the bottle, she runs in the other directions. I'll check later, but it's a white bottle with a red tip. I don't know if it really does much...

If she is sensitive to that it may be that there is some alcohol in it. It may also be that she just doesn't like anything in her ears, which is not uncommon with many dogs. The Blue power ear cleanse is something that YOU pre-mix (see my link above). It really works well. The whole concoction works as an antiseptic cleansing solution. Gentian violet is widely used in hospitals for preventing infection. Should you decide to try it just substitute the Isopropyl alcohol with Witch Hazel. All ingredients you should be able to get at most pharmacies.

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Marsh Muppet

· #7 · Mar 26, 2009

Yeast and bacterial infections are common in flop-eared dogs. The Blue Power ear wash (aka: Purple Stuff) works really well if it is used regularly. If my dog goes in the water, he gets the treatment after a toweling. If he stays dry for a while, he gets it once every week or two. Some dogs get the funk worse than others. Point is: it is a chronic--even if minor--ailment. Like nail trimming, it is something that you do for the dog's whole life.

Active culture yogurt is reported to be of benefit when a tablespoon is added to the dog's food every day.

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