Chronic Ear Problems

[westiemum]

Thanks Kamuzz,

I was really hoping to avoid needing to go to that extent - but will certainly discuss with the vet and good to know it worked for Elliot. Thanks very much for your post.

Cheers,

Westiemum

We had a rescue Cocker who had repeat ear infections. The vet mentioned if they didn't clear up, he might need surgery to open up the ear canal. As a consequence of this he would be deaf in that ear but he was pretty hard of hearing anyway from the ear infections by then.

Anyhow they put him under GA and gave his ears a really good flush. Then we had drops etc every day for three or four weeks to be 100% sure the infection was gone. Finally as a preventative measure, we had to clean his ears out twice a week with (i think) epi otic

He also benefited from a change in diet.

However it was "deep cleanse" that made the difference for Elliot.

[Dackel]

Hi

An oldie but a goodie

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%)

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, 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) Warm the solution (as instructed above) and 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.

Schedule of treatment:

• Treat TWICE a day for the first week to two weeks, depending upon severity

of ears.

• After the second or third day you can clean out the ear with a soft cloth or cotton

balls

• Treat ONCE a day for the next 1-2 weeks.

• Treat ONCE a month (or even less frequently, depending on the dog).

Petra and Felix

[westiemum]

Hi Dackel,

Thanks very much for that - really appreciated.

Will look at all these good ideas after we've been to the vet1

Thanks again

Cheers,

Westiemum

[karly101]

We never found a solution for my old dogs ear problems (he was a poodle cross).. all that we found helped was good diet (seemed to lessen the no. of infections), keeping the hair around his ears shaved to allow the air to circulate- ear dryers would have definitely been useful!) and apart from that for most of his life he was on the ear drops on and off and malaseb. Frustrating.... but don't loose hope as he did live to 18 despite this problem!

[westiemum]

Thanks karly101,

The one thing I am confident about is my boys diet!!

Yes there have been some really good ideas here - so thanks for the post.

I soooo hope my boy lives to 18+++++ (as long as he's healthy and happy!) - congratulations - a major achievement.

Cheers,

Westiemum

[~Anne~]

I had a little rescue Pug that had surgery to remove the canals(?)..Rappie, you might be able to elaborate on this maybe as I really don't understand what exactly was done. I do know that it was done at the Specialiast Centre and it was due to her having incredibly narrow canals and chronic ear infections. From memory, she lost her hearing but was finally out of pain after the surgery.

[westiemum]

Hi PRS,

Thanks very much for your post and the info - I sooooo hope we don't get to that stage but its good to know about if we do. I don't think he is in pain - he just has a yeasty smelly ear which he scratches on and off.

So I think the next step is back to my long-suffering vet!

Cheers,

Westiemum :thumbsup:

[puggy_puggy]

I think you probably need to have a CT scan done of your dog to really work out what is going on.

Because you have said it is a constant chronic ear infection I am betting that the inner ear is not cleaning itself properly which over time leads to the debris hardening and the bones of the ear even growing over to completely close off the ear. This in turn can cause Vestibular syndrome.

A CT scan will show what is going on in the ear and if surgery is required to drain the ear and even cut some of the overgrown bone away.