ShepherdAngels

Update......... i went back to original vet, the 2nd vet was an emergengy vet from another town. Well my vet gave me ear drops which cleared it up straight away. She was checked over on friday everything good. Yes still allegery dog but not as bad as the 2nd vet like to have made the issue to be. She had a fungal infection in the ear. We have finished the prescription diet no we are trying eukanuba brand to see how that goes. I think we would be looking towards enviroment for an allergy I brought her a new brush today which has made a big diffence to her coat. A furminator which removes dead coat by the roots. Im really loving the results at the moment.

Thanks Rappie, You wrote: One significant problem I face is cases where an ear infection is not treated to resolution, it looks better but is not treated completely - and it keeps smouldering on because it just looks better on the outside - thats when we get a big problem that is much harder to treat (and sometimes impossible to treat medically). - I did spoke to the vet about the ear infection not clearing up 100%, but she just asked me if someone had snuck her some food. Could Ants cause this? She hasnt been in the back yard since yesterday afernoon and she hasnt been scratching, my vet say no and they wouldnt have biten her in the ear. My yard out the back is LOADED with little ants i put bait down so shes not allowed out there. If a dog can be allergic to a flea why not an ant? I am going to try the diet for another large bag, see how we go with her on it a bit longer. She was 2yrs before any of this started happening, it was only after her mate passed away. Could it be possible that her immune system hasnt recovered 100% from when she got sick then. She doesnt have ear infections in the winter and she ate the same food. Thanks everyone for the input it has been really helpful and certainly given me some things to talk to the vet about and to think about. So thanks again everyone.

She has skin scrapping done and no mites. Blood tests have not been done. well she's been on this vet prescription food and the itching has not stopped the ear has cleared while on antibiotics and then returned about two an a half weeks later so is back on antibiotics. So the diets not really impressing me. Cost a lot of money and haven't seen any real results. She is eating more now thou but i put that done to the ear infection clearing up. I am sceptical about going to a vet that has there own food brand to push.

Well i heard back from the Dermatology centre, Allergy testing is expensive. I will take her back to the vet and have a chat to them about the next step. i need a referral to go to the melb clinic. Does a raw diet help if it was a food allergy?

Thanks everyone, Glenrowan is near where i am. i have been in contact with Melbourne Veterinary Specialist Centre they specailize in this area, so there web site says, i havent spoken to anyone who has been there. I really think skin test are the only sure way to find out whats going on in there. I only said to the vet last week, i feel like im not getting on it 100% and it just keeps coming back. so skin test or what ever test i think is they way to go so i know for sure and can make her better. JED: i agree with you about her system being out of whack, all this started just after her mate passed away and she fretted for a while, she went off her food, Her fur is sort now and no longer falling out. It has been suggested i put her on eukanuba brand food. I have gone with the vets for the moment.

OMG that's terrible. I hope he has a speedy recovery and that the guide dog is ok and able to still work. When I see a guide dog I always move away and give them room to do there job. How disrespectful of the dog owner.

I have read about the apple cider but have never tried because i dont know how much to use and have never spoken to anyone thats used it. Have you used it? Her hair is no longer thinning shes just itchy. And the floppy ear infection the other ear i fine.

Good luck, hope its not the cruciate. One of my girls done this and it was repaired and she was mending really well. She passed away from liver failure a week after the op, her liver never recovered from being put under from the op. I didnt know about the tests they do before being going into an operation, i do now Sorry to put a downer on your post.

oh ok spottychick. Thats sounds good, i wash her in that and have good results. But i might talk to the vet before washing her ears out as shes on meds and i dont want to make it worse. I liked the first vet so i think i'll go back and see her, she was open to all ideas and theory's and tests the 2nd one was straight up , food allergy buy this. The 2nd vet got involved because i was at work and asked some one to get her in anywhere they could she had to be seen today and straight away. (i didnt want her waiting around she'd been haveing dramas all that weekend) And i will talk to her about a referral. Showdog, i have hope for this in my dog too. Thanks everyone for your help i feel like i'm on the right track and not barking around the wrong tree now. Thanks heaps

1st vet done skin scrap and ruled out ear mites, fox mange (just to be sure, her hair was falling out) said it was fungal.

She does swim, but hasnt been this time around and she doesnt get her head wet she just paddles in the shallow end. i have and orange tree wich i notices flowered a few weeks ago. But its not in flower now. I used Matacetic wet wipes to clean her ears and was told not to put anything in her ears. Id make it worse. So how do i clean down in her ear then? malaseb ? is that the same stuff i use to bath her or is there a ear product out there? Thanks everyone for your help. i really need it. i do agree with the vets pushing there own products, yes its sad.

No sore feet. she doesnt chew of lick her feet. Just remembered she did have a lump removed last april from her neck, we had it tested and it wasnt cancerous. The lump was where she scratches on her neck, they think the lump may have started from her scratching. im so confused i really am trying but im not winning.

She has been on pet mince from a supermarket which made her vomit. I didnt realise it was left overs from the deli and all sorts. Will never do that again. They say is would have had lots of preservatives from hot dogs and sliced meat. I put her on a home delivered all naturall chicken mince, she wouldnt touch that and no matter what flavour i ordered everything smelt like garlic. She Wont eat raw chick carkess or necks. She wont even eat raw bones as a regular thing . Tried her on ox tongues, cooked. She liked them. Vet said to stay away from red meat and try chicken. I tried just chicken fillets cooked she loved them but the scratching remainded but the ear was ok, little dirty but not smelly. She used to get denture sticks but all treats have been stopped. Now shes on the special diet for 6 - 8 weeks Im so confused with all of this i just want some to look at and tell me "this is the results" but i dont know where to go. and dont want to go to the wrong place and pay $500 and be no better off than i am now.

Can you recomend a Dermatologist in the melbourne , shepparton , albury , wangaratta area. I dont mind travelling for her. I just want her well.

I have a German Shepherd who has a floppy ear. She started out in life to be a show dog but that was not meant to be when her ear dropped. So I purchased her because a floppy ear didn't matter to me I wanted a pet to spoil, cuddle, walk n talk with. She's a great companion. I love her to bits. She's just turned 3 yrs old and last summer her mate passed away and she got really down in the dumps. At the same time she started scratching, got smelly and her hair went like wire and started to come out and got an ear infection off to the vets she went and was treated. No ear mite present was a fungal infection which may have started in the ear due to it being floppy and also as she was fretting for her mate and had gone off her diet, her immune system was low. This all happened around the same time so - mate dying, sad, off food, immune system low, yeast infection or just a coincident I don't now but problem was solved so I thought. For the rest of the year I washed her in malaseb shampoo and cleaned her ears and the whole year has been an on going itchy ear cleaning struggle. She has just got another ear infection and was taken to a different vet who put her under and flushed her ear, antibiotics and antihistamines and put onto Royal Canin Canine Veterinary Diet - Hypoallergenic the vet thinks she may have become allergic to her food, she was on science diet. All was good for about 3 weeks while she was still on the meds and then about a week after the meds where finished scratching, smelly dirty ear. So where back on the meds. I am at my wits end my poor dog and her condition I just want her to be health and happy. I have consulting two vets - one says food allergy and the other says fungal infection due to the ear. The summer is worse than winter for the ear and the scratching seems to be less in the winter. My back yard is covered in ants and today i put ant baits down - she has been locked out of the back yard completely while the baits are down. Vet say no ants wouldn't be the problem. PLEASE can some help? Has one got a shepherd with a floppy ear. Sorry to make it a long post but I wanted to give you as much info as I could, I want my baby to be itch free. I have Google for a vet who specializes in allergies but its so hard to pick one off a Google search I don't want any vet I want THE vet. Thankyou