Guest Pixel Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 I am so sick of this. Again her ear is itchy. She has been scratching it and it is red raw. So much so that when you either scratch it or she does she grinds her teeth :p What the hell is with that. Not 4 months ago she had an infected ear. Nothing has changed and she hasn't gotten it wet. Damn sick of these $80 vet visits. Stoopid dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peibe Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 I can understand how you feel. Maybe she needs a longer course of antibiotics or stronger ones, I would also invest in an ear cleaner and start cleaning her ears weekly. I have found that this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pixel Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 What kind of ear cleaner? Are we talking a lotion or a device? I would definately be interested I have just never heard of it. I am guessing you can't use aqua ear on a dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 Also perhaps look at what she is being fed...she could be having a slight reaction to the food she is on...sometimes wheat can cause problems etc...or yeast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 The ear cleaners are often an alcohol based liquid that you squeezeme in the ear squidge it around and then let them shake it out, once that's done you wipe out with a soft cloth. Leo ear cleaner is redily available pretty much everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peibe Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 Did the vet suggest preventative treatments? Leo is great, but i use 1/3 cup apple cidedar vinegar and 2/3 warm water. I would only use the Leo though unless you wish to experiment (i do not recommend this) I only tried the apple cidedar vinegar because it does not burn sore inflamed ears like the alcohol based ones do. Diet plays a huge factor in my dogs ear infections, they can only eat Advance dry food as it is low in yeast and preservitives. Something that really makes their ears play up are pigs ears. So I do not give them pigs ears anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 As has been said, it could be a food allergy - does she have other skin problems? The other thing is that the previous ear infection may have got deep into the ear and while the outer part looked clear it was still festering deep down and has flared up again. Could she have got ear mites? Yeast/fungus infection? Bacterial infection? Sometimes bad ears have more then one cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 (edited) Leo is great and backing it up with a Canker ear drop or Suralan and using a flea control that also has a mite component, such as Revolution I have found did the trick. Revolution is what my vet recommended to those that couldn't afford more expensive mite control and it works. Advantix is more affordable then Revolution, does mites, but I am not sure if it does ear mites, others maybe able to answer that one. With so much scratching, you would also need to be careful that she does not get a Aural Haemotoma, which is where the scratching and head shaking breaks a blood vessel in the ear and the ear fills up with fluid, it is very painful. Diet can also be a trigger for ear problems too Edited December 25, 2005 by holly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 but i use 1/3 cup apple cidedar vinegar and 2/3 warm water. I would only use the Leo though unless you wish to experiment (i do not recommend this) I only tried the apple cidedar vinegar because it does not burn sore inflamed ears like the alcohol based ones do. I am interested in this, do you squirt it into the ear like Leo Peibe? How often can you use it, daily/weekly? How did you ear of this mix? thanks in advance Holly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloss344 Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 Did the vet do a smear to see if it was yeast or some sort of bacteria? Yeast is common but also can be hard to clear up. I use Surolan for Bob, 3 weeks minimum treatment. His ears do flare up because of seasonal allergies. The vet also gave him cortisone to control the inflamation and itching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peibe Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 (edited) but i use 1/3 cup apple cidedar vinegar and 2/3 warm water. I would only use the Leo though unless you wish to experiment (i do not recommend this) I only tried the apple cidedar vinegar because it does not burn sore inflamed ears like the alcohol based ones do. I am interested in this, do you squirt it into the ear like Leo Peibe? How often can you use it, daily/weekly? How did you ear of this mix? thanks in advance Holly I use it weekly normally after baths and swimming. You need to make sure that you dry the ears out well though. I got it from an old Chinese man that I know that had Shar Pei years ago and that is what they used. I then went and did some research on it and it is mentioned in the CSIRO natural therapy book for dogs. It works for me but I would be careful just in case it does not work for you ETA. Yes you squirt it in the ear like Leo Edited December 26, 2005 by peibe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pixel Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Did the vet do a smear to see if it was yeast or some sort of bacteria? Yeast is common but also can be hard to clear up. I use Surolan for Bob, 3 weeks minimum treatment. His ears do flare up because of seasonal allergies. The vet also gave him cortisone to control the inflamation and itching. No, the vet just had a look and did a sniff test and went "Here use this" and it was gone within a day or two. She has been on hills since we got her and is still on the puppy diet. I know it isn't mites because there is no black gunk in the ear. I could tell she was getting an infection because one ear had more 'water' in it than the other when I would give her ear scratches. Sadly it didn't fix itself up. I hope the vet is open over the break :p Thanks everyone. I still have no idea how she gets it. Her diet is fine (as far as we know) and she hasn't gotten her ears wet. It is always confusing when nothing changes and yet something happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 She has been on hills since we got her and is still on the puppy diet.Thanks everyone. I still have no idea how she gets it. Her diet is fine (as far as we know) and she hasn't gotten her ears wet. It is always confusing when nothing changes and yet something happens Food allergies develop over time, they are most likely to develop to the things the dog is exposed to as a young pup, therefore, it could well be her food. People get confused by this, thinking that they have always fed the food, but because the allergy develops they will not react for a while. Its common for dogs to be around 1.5 yrs. before they manifest a food allergy and they have been on the same food the whole time. Although we are finding that dogs are manifesting now at younger and younger ages. Recurrent ear infections are a common indicator of allergies. Go to the vet and find out exactly what kind of infection it is, and also talk about the posibility of allergies. Many vets are not au fait with allergies and you may need to look around to find a vet that does have a good understanding. Oh, Staffords are prone to allergies too (most of the Bull Breeds are). If you have an allergic dog be prepared to spend some money. A referral to a dermatologist is the best way to get good results on allergies and that's not cheap. Try to remember though that although it is painful for our hip pocket, it is a lot more painful / uncomfortable / itchy etc. for our poor dog! I have two allergy dogs... Once you have it sorted out its not that hard to deal with... but you need to put in some hard work and money to get it sorted out. In the long run you will spend more money trying to treat it without addressing the allergy than if you do and your dog will thank you for sorting it out for them :p Good luck Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Oh, its also best to find out what sort of infection the pup's ears have as different cleaners and treatments can actually make the infection worse depending on what type it is... ears are really difficult and delicate... :p Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pixel Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 Thanks everyone. Next vet visit we will definately be bringing up the issue of allergies. She had some welts on her tummy a few months ago but they have all gone down. We got some Leo's so we shall see how we go. Wealth of knowledge :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 Hey Pixel, don't put anything alcohol based into her ear if the skin is broken - it'll really hurt her. Maybe even the Leo will hurt too... Try the apple cider vinegar first. You'll notice if you put some on your own skin, that it kind of dries out. That's what it will do in her ear. Unfortunately, sometimes even just having a drink and then shaking her head can get water into her ear. And ear infections can be notoriously difficult to clear up, even for vets. Get some recommendations for really good DOG vets on your side of Brissy and take her there. I know West Chermside Vet Clinic has heaps of doggy specialists there. It will cost a bit but they should be able to get it right quickly and you'll save all the money stuffing around buying useless preparartions. Also. it's beem damn hot and humid in Brissy lately - good enough to catch in folds of ears and to drink heaps, shake head, get a hose off from Mum, lie on a wet blanket..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pixel Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 thanks for that advice tt. We gave her a clean last night and this morning. I think my OH getting annoyed at her and running after her with bottle in hand is far more discomforting to her than it in her actual ear I told him I would do it from now on........ Even when he had a treat in his hand she refused to come near him after that little episode. tsk tsk.. naughty boy and I don't blame her It definately isn't getting worse so that is a good sign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 (edited) . Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Damn sick of these $80 vet visits.Stoopid dog. What has the vet suggested is wrong, and what have they prescribed to fix the problem? I wouldn't put anything "wet" into her ear, including vinegar or Leo. If you use a cleaner or vinegar, put it on a cotton wool make up pad and wipe the ear out with it. filling her ears up with liquid will only make them worse. If it is an infection, yeast or otherwise, the vet should give you an ointment product such as Dermotic or Otomax which is inserted and then the external base of the ear massaged. Also be careful you are not pushing any gunk further down the ear canal when you clean them. Does she have any gunk there you can see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusky Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I found the vinegar recipe on a site earlier this year and son has not had a vet visit since with his dog, cost was getting silly. We use an almost dry solution, don't use cotton wool we use those make up remover pads. Was trying to find another link too which we used then went on to the apple cider wiping ok found it ear cleaner consult your vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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