ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I noticed Diesel was shaking his head about a week or so ago & have been checking his ears for mites, infection or even a bad smell, but found nothing. So we took him to the vet last night & she managed to get a swab, but he hates his ears touched with anything other than hands (an ongoing issue from his ED treatment is that he gets scared is he sees someone approaching with something in their hands) & the vet said his ears are very clean, but she did find a small amount of bacteria consistent with infection though she also thought it was only an equal amount that she would find elsewhere on his body. She also said that his ears didn't look inflamed & it could be just a skin irritation on his whole body that was making his ears itchy & thus causing him to shake his head. She gave us the choice of trying to rub drops into his ears using the tip of my finger for a few days to see if it is any better or coming back on the weekend to sedate him & have a good look, but end result would be that we needed to use the drops anyway. So I am giving the drops a go & will go back next week if there is no improvement, but I am unsure if smearing a bit of the drops inside his ear will suffice. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to whether there are any herbal remedies that may calm him enough to let me put the actual drops in his ears (I know, a long shot) or any additives I can add to his food that will help fight the infection. He is already on Ester C for his skin & arthritis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 (edited) Did she say what sort of bacteria (yeast / staph / rod shaped)? What's the drops? Are they runny or viscous? Will he let you near him with anything like cotton balls? ETA: and what's his skin look like atm? Welcome to 20 questions with Dan lol Edited October 22, 2008 by zayda_asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) She said a small amount of rod shaped bacteria, but if he wasn't shaking his head she wouldn't think that it was suss. He let her use a cotton ball, but as soon as I put the drops on my finger he smells it & doesn't like me doing it. Though I have managed to smear some in there last night & this morning. Aside from that he seems in good health, his skin is good & he's not itching. The drops are quite thick yellowish colour and come in a small bottle with a thin flexible nozzle. eta she said definately no yeast. Edited October 23, 2008 by ILuvAmstaffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Ok, its worth knowing that rod shaped are the harder of the three to get rid of often... Ok, since they are viscous you can try what I find works: load a cotton ball and then you can get that in the ear and squeeze... Gets more of the drops in. Helps if the dog is used to having their ears cleaned with plain balls / tissues so you may want to practice that as well if he's not. As you approach with the cotton ball feed him a really high value treat as you put it in his ear keep feeding and when you remove it stop feeding (two people help for this, or you can smear paste like liver, peanut or cheese on the fridge in a thick line for one person). This way you are starting to associate it with good things and desnesitise the process. Practicing continuously when you don't have to do drops will help too. You can do the same with it on your finger too if that's easier. Pau D'arco can work orally for bacterial infection and you can make an infusion of it (buy the tea) and put it in mineral oil as an ear cleaner (I can dig up instructions probably). Some people also find that Grape Fruit Seed extract orally (or again as a topical application on skin, I wouldn't use in ears) can help... I've mostly used these for Staph, so that's my experience with them, but you could try for Rod Shaped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Oh, and be careful not to push air into the ear canal... that can hurt! Good that his skin seems good... What's the weather been like there? That can effect things like bacteria growth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Thanks Dan. I will give the cotton balls a try. I have just been putting a thin surgical glove on so my finger nails don't scratch him & rubbing it around in there. He's used to me cleaning his ears with tissues, we've actually come a long way from where he was to get him used to that, but now that the ear is sore he's not so keen. I will google the Pau D'arco & the Grap Fruit seed extract to see where I can get them. Might as well throw it all with his usual supps & see if it helps. If the drops don't help, do you think sedating him & flushing the ear would help? I'm reluctant to have him sedated to check it out if the treatment is likely to be the same anyway, though if it needs to be done I might get the full overhaul of teeth cleaning as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 The weather has been horrible. Stinking hot followed by rain & freezing cold. Was high 30's out west on Sunday & Diesel just wanted to stay inside when we visited mum & dad & then yesterday it was snowing on the blue mountians & it's so cold at home he won't leave the heater. All perfect weather for bacteria, ear aches etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Its been crappy up and down weather like that here too Given he has had other skin issues its worth keeping this all in mind, as ear infections can be connected... so if you get a recurrence it may be something more, but certainly could just be the weather too - fingers crossed! How old is he now? If it persists or gets worse it is worth getting it cleaned properly as if he starts really scratching and worrying at it you may end up with yeast infection as well (and other damage too if he shakes a lot). Sometimes they find out it was worse deeper down too... might be worth having a good look if it persists... but I'd try clear it first certainly!! And yeah, get teeth done at same time... We will be doing that soon... <sigh> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Yeah, I was thinking it might be allergies because being spring I am having a bad time with them as well... but his skin has been fine for around a year now. Evcer since he's been on the ster c, no scratching or bald spots, so I was hoping that was all fixed. As well as the fact that the new house (we have been there over a year) doesn't seem to have anything that irritates him like the old house did. I have had my finger right in his ear with a tissue a few days ago & there was nothing, but yesterday there was a slight discolouration. I think I upset it by using epi otic on his when I had him in the shower last weekend. Don't worry, if he has to be sedated they will be giving him the complete overhaul, teeth, nails & anything else that I can think of while he's there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 good luck with him.... I've been crappy this season too with my allergies... Could he have got water down his ear in the shower? That can cause infection too... You might be interested in this thread: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...p;#entry3105678 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Thanks Dan. Yeah, spring has brought about a lot of allergies this year. I don't think water would have went in his ear because I'm quite careful with the hand held shower, but I guess a small amount could have. Though he has been shaking his head for around 1.5 weeks now. I don't think the epi-otic helped the cause either. Will check out the other thread when I get home. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 It was this thread that inspired me to start the other one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 How do you get the epi-otic in his ears?? I'm surprised he lets that near him! I suppose it may not have helped if they were already irritated... Let us know how you go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 It was this thread that inspired me to start the other one! How do you get the epi-otic in his ears?? I'm surprised he lets that near him! I suppose it may not have helped if they were already irritated... Let us know how you go! Normally he wouldn't but what I did was get him in the shower & made him think I was just washing his face then quickly stuck the bottle in his ear & squeezed, then when he went to shake got a squirt in the other ear. I had to be very sneaky & quick,. ;) Will update in a few days time to let you know if he's any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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