10 Week Old Chocolate Labrador Puppy With A Yeast Infection In The Ear

[cara&lockie]

Hi Guys,

just hoping someone could shed some light for us. we have had our beautiful 10.5 week old chocolate labrador puppy, Oakley, for just over 2 weeks now. we took him for his second lot of vaccinations this Saturday just gone and our vet did a thorough examination. he discovered that Oakley had a yeast infection in his ears - very mild. which i noticed there was a slight redness on the thursday but no kicking or shaking of his head. he is on treatment for it, however, it has baffled me how he came to get this in the first place. - we are extremely careful and thoroughly check our dogs every day. Our vet said he could have came to us like it or its just one of those things that they get sometimes. We immediately notified the breeder who thought it was very strange, and excluded things like his food, and her vet gave all pups a clean bill of health etc. He is fed Royal Canin Labrador Junior. but we are just wondering is it something we did? its a real shame especially in this critical period, i don't want him hating his ears being touched for life!

[RuralPug]

It is extremely unlikely to have been anything you did. I would think a food allergy unlikely in such a young baby.

Young puppies do get ups and downs in their immune systems which means that common fungi, viruses and bacteria that they can normally fight off successfully can get out of control.

This one has been caught before it has gotten severe - big tick to you and your vet, so I would just be taking care to treat or otherwise reward him especially heartily for sitting quietly for treatment.

Also it may be a good idea to add a few supplements to his diet aiming to boost his immune system - discuss this with his breeder.

[Dogsfevr]

You cant exclude food ,every dog is an individual & can react as they get older .Royal Canin does have grains etc etc & you may find your pup is reacting,Did your pup come from a local breeder or interstate ,sometimes the various grasses can set puppies off

Does your puppy have yeasty feet ,often the ear isn't the issue but transmitted from feet which may be moist either way you need to treat the feet to stop the issue going on .

Humidity can cause moist ears .

Has pup been playing in rain ??

These things aren't your fault but just factors that can add to ear issues .

Dont tick anything off the could be list ,just pay more attention to whats around .

Also treats

[cara&lockie]

You cant exclude food ,every dog is an individual & can react as they get older .Royal Canin does have grains etc etc & you may find your pup is reacting,Did your pup come from a local breeder or interstate ,sometimes the various grasses can set puppies off

Does your puppy have yeasty feet ,often the ear isn't the issue but transmitted from feet which may be moist either way you need to treat the feet to stop the issue going on .

Humidity can cause moist ears .

Has pup been playing in rain ??

These things aren't your fault but just factors that can add to ear issues .

Dont tick anything off the could be list ,just pay more attention to whats around .

Also treats

thanks, the reason why we kind of excluded his food, was he has had it since he was weaned off, and already having a vet check in between that time with nothing there we thought maybe it wasn't that. His feet are in immaculate condition, which our vet commented on, there is no trace on his little paws thank goodness!! other than that he is extremely healthy looking. our breeder is local, literally 15 mins away from us (extremely lucky). he has been in the rain for no more than 5 mins at a time as its too cold, wet and dirty so its only outside for toileting thats it at the moment. the only other thing i can think of is he has had 2 baths, one from his breeder and one with us, but we didn't do his face or head. perhaps some water got trapped in both ears whilst having his coming home bath at 8 weeks and 3 days? i'm looking to wean him off the Royal canin, as we have found that it is soooo salty. can you recommend any other great dry food whilst you're here ? :p

[cara&lockie]

It is extremely unlikely to have been anything you did. I would think a food allergy unlikely in such a young baby.

Young puppies do get ups and downs in their immune systems which means that common fungi, viruses and bacteria that they can normally fight off successfully can get out of control.

This one has been caught before it has gotten severe - big tick to you and your vet, so I would just be taking care to treat or otherwise reward him especially heartily for sitting quietly for treatment.

Also it may be a good idea to add a few supplements to his diet aiming to boost his immune system - discuss this with his breeder.

thanks! yes, we have been taught from day one with our golden retriever taking him too dog training that even the slightest redness, kicking, head shaking, odor, discharge or temperature change in ears needs to be seen too asap. it was lucky we had the appointment on saturday. after putting the special liquid in his ears and massaging them thoroughly i give him his breakfast or dinner so the chewing also aids the medication to work its way right down into the canal with his chewing motions. i guess we just feel terrible, having our new baby and him already getting an infection. - We are sooooo thorough with both of our dogs (call us over protective to some extent) so im glad i did pick up that it wasn't right, but still feel awful.

[karen15]

Cara, sometimes things just happen. My westie was itchy when he came home but the vet gave us antihistamines and after we'd used the bottle he's been great ever since. I was paranoid too as I know westies can be prone to skin conditions.

I'd say treat and clear it up and then be mindful and vigilant, which it sounds like you are already.

[Dogsfevr]

The quantity of food a pup gets when being weaned to a full diet now can still lead up to a diet not working .

We do feed RC at times but it does have grains & the likes so if you have a dog that may be "yeasty" then it is a food that can add to the problem.

Talk with your breeder about maybe trying a different diet & see what they suggest its good to keep in contact with them.

We also feed ivory coat grain free.

Do you wish to feed just dry long term or add meat etc etc

[skip]

I think we need a photo of the puppy! Just to be sure ! Hint, hint :)

Edited October 3, 2016 by skip

[Rappie]

My advice at this point in time would be not to over think things. Common reasons for ear infections in young pups are ear mites, structural factors (small or narrow ear canals, floppy ears) and environmental factors such as humidity, ear cleaning, swimming, bathing etc. While allergies (particularly food and atopic allergies) can contribute to ear infections I would normally recommend treating this first infection to resolution (based on cytology, adequate duration of treatment and repeat examinations) and then considering further work up if there are repeat episodes. Although not unheard of, true allergic disease is uncommon is pups this young.

[sandgrubber]

Mild yeast infections are very common in dogs who (a) like water and (b) have ears that flop down. I've seen loads of yeast infections in Labradors. I don't think it has to do with food . . . just with their ears being ideal environments for yeast and the reality that many Labs are water-mad.

Yeasties like a warm moist environment; they do no like low pH. My vet recommends getting a ketchup bottle, filing it 1/3 water, 1/3 vinegar and 1/3 rubbing alcohol, and squeezing gently into each ear. ...then gently rubbing the outer ear to clean up any gunk and dry things out a bit. I've heard that the same treatment is used for swimmer's ear in kids. The vinegar brings down the pH, the alcohol is drying, and the water makes sure neither is too strong. I'm not sure I'd do this with a 10 week old pup . . . but it's a great way to control mild yeast infections, and a lot cheaper than the commercial ear douches.

[RuralPug]

Mild yeast infections are very common in dogs who (a) like water and (b) have ears that flop down. I've seen loads of yeast infections in Labradors. I don't think it has to do with food . . . just with their ears being ideal environments for yeast and the reality that many Labs are water-mad.

Yeasties like a warm moist environment; they do no like low pH. My vet recommends getting a ketchup bottle, filing it 1/3 water, 1/3 vinegar and 1/3 rubbing alcohol, and squeezing gently into each ear. ...then gently rubbing the outer ear to clean up any gunk and dry things out a bit. I've heard that the same treatment is used for swimmer's ear in kids. The vinegar brings down the pH, the alcohol is drying, and the water makes sure neither is too strong. I'm not sure I'd do this with a 10 week old pup . . . but it's a great way to control mild yeast infections, and a lot cheaper than the commercial ear douches.

I have a similar homemade yeast killer - 1/3 cup white vinegar, 1/3 cup witch hazel, 1/3 cup isopropyl alcohol plus 10 drops tea tree oil. A squeeze applied twice a day for 10 days it will clear out yeast in ears, on feet and in deep wrinkles etc. and a few drops used once a week as an ear or wrinkle cleaner keep them yeast free. It even works on dogs with a lot of hair in the ear canal!

I will also grab it as an antiseptic on cuts, mild abrasion etc. plus it cleared Athletes Foot from my teenage sons (I kid you not!). If you buy a set of make-up squeeze bottles from any travel section in a store, I find that the one cup you make up fills three of them, and they are a very handy size. ,.