tramissa Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Hi all, Hoping someone can help. Minnie has yeast infections in both ears. It is under control using antibacterial drops from the vets (very expensive) but the bottle is nearly finished. Initially I was doing her ears 2 x per day for nearly 4 weeks (vet advised 21 days). Currently I am doing her ears 2 - 3 times per week and she seems comfortable. The vet has advised that her ears will never completely clear as the infection has been there for years (before you yell at me - I've only had her a few months) and that once the drops were finished just to do her ears with ear drops. My question is, what drops should I look for? Since the medicated drops have it under control quite well, should I go back to the vet to get another prescription and keep her on it for life (she's 8 1/2) or will one of the store bought drops do okay at keeping her comfortable? I don't mind doing her ears daily if that is what is needed. I've been looking at http://www.thevetshed.com/catalog/index.ph...6c338fdd50c04bb but I can't work out which is better for my needs. One reason I'd like to get this sorted is that I'll be moving up to Cairns this year and obviously, the heat and humidity are going to increase any yeast production she is currently having I hate it when I can see her rubbing her ears. I just want her to be comfortable, so if I have to buy the expensive drops and do them daily - I don't care. But if I don't have to do this, I'd be happier Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Clean them once a week with an alcohol based ear cleaner, such as Leo. This will keep them dry and, therefore, no yeast infection. If they are still yeasty then you will need to do them once or twice (depending on how bad they are) a day for about a week, then they should be fine to do once a week. The trick is to keep them dry, a lot of ear cleaners and drops keep the ear moist which incourages yeasty infections. An alcohol based one helps them to dry out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 My latest foster dog is old and had badly neglected ears, the vet says there's nothing can be done for them except to keep putting in drops every 2 days. He found a month after the first examination that her ears looked a lot better and said that as long as I keep it up, they will be fine. I find if I don't do it at that interval she starts rubbing them. The smell that comes from them is fairly strong and yeasty I think. Her whole skin is bad and smells too. My other dogs have snippets of cheese (lots of meds to consume!) so I am avoiding giving her that and she's just gone on to Ultra Z/D to see if that makes a difference. The other biscuits for sensitive skin have made things worse I think. I don't think she'll be finding a new home any time soon as she has too many probs and I wouldn't trust too many people to keep up the regime she needs. She's a sweet old sausage but quite a lot of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy beagle lady Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 (edited) Have you tried usuing epiotic- you can get it @ your vet. Great for assisting with yeasty ears Edited February 9, 2006 by crazy beagle lady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tramissa Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 I think Epiotic is the one she has now? I'd have to double check when I go home. So, an alcohol based cleaner and at least every day seems to be what is suggested so far. I can do that Ceilidh - her ears are so far gone that the vet says there is no way of ever getting her ears right again. The best is just to control it so it doesn't get worse, and doesn't cause her discomfort. It has already narrowed her ear canals etc. dogmad - what drops are you using? This sounds like the same story as my girl (ears at least). I've got her on a barf diet and that seems to be helping overall. Thanks all so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Epi Otic is NOT alcohol based and keeps the ears moist. If you use Leo twice a day for a week you will see a quite considerable difference. Then use it every other day for a week and they should be just about clear. Then use it once a week religiously to keep the ear dry and therefore not a haven for yeast growth. I am not a vet but see many many dogs come in here with bad ears and I always recommend Leo (yes I sell it but that is only because I believe in it). When they stop the Epi Otic and change to Leo the ears clear up. OK the vet has said they will never get better so what have you got to lose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 My Siamese had a lot of ear problems and even needed them flushed, antibiotics the whole works. I've gone from cleaning them daily, weekly and now monthly with Aristopet ear cleaner (after he finished all his medication). I also use it on Jimmers, but he doesn't need his ears cleaned all that much. At work we use Leo ear cleaner too, so that is also a good one - I will probably buy it next, but I still have plenty of the other stuff left :thumbsup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturallyWild Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Along with trying to maintain your dogs ears with a cleaner, i would seriously suggest looking at your dogs diet to reduce the cause/aggrivators for the infection (eg-removing yeast, high levels of sugars and carbohydrates and giving herbs etc to help the situation). Try find yourself an animal naturopath (both vet or not) who could help assess this better. Cheers Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tramissa Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 Tim_m99 - she's on an all natural diet now (don't know what she was on before I got her, I suspect kibble though). She doesn't get any sugars except the natural ones contained in fruit and vegges as part of her barf diet. She doesn't get any grains/cereals etc at all, nor any starchy vegges. I really don't think it's diet. I will look into a naturopath, however, I will be moving to Cairns so I don't know what the chances of finding one able to treat animals up there will be. Will give it a shot though Ceilidh - I was wrong about what I'm using, it's actually antibiotic drops, so I won't be able to continue using them anyway as they would lose effectiveness over time (and I hate the idea of antibiotics anyway, especially long term.) Leo seems to be the most highly recommended. Will give that one a try and follow your directions And I agree with you - vet has said they'll never get 'good', but I'm going to try my damndest to get them that way - any improvement is a bonus Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 No worries Tramissa. Don't forget to be very strict with the routine and I almost bet my booty you will clear those ears up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sivvy Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Although Leo ear cleaner is one of my best, its not the drops that you need to use. My vets gave me a cream to put in their ear, and you also have to find out what foods your dog is allergic too. The cream goes into the earcanal, but only can get from vets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tramissa Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 Would a food allergy have any other signs? And can a food allergy cause yeasty ears? Is the cream something that can be used long term or just short term for improvment? The stuff I have atm is Surolan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Our Huntaway has yeasty ears for years & has been really bad this year, which I have put down to moist/humid wheather conditions. I have added to her diet 2 tspns of garlic powder, the dog smells of garlic, but the ears have cleared up really well. This week all our dogs will go onto GMC - Garlic, Manuka Honey, Cider vinger added to their food, keeps them in tip top condition for winter. And the dogs that sled race do really well on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 my holistic vet recommends a vinegar rinse . ""It acidifies the ear environemnt and keep bacteria and yeast under control. Use 1/3 organic apple cider venegar ( 2 - 2.5% acetic acid) with 2/3 water. using a syringe gently douche the ear canal with between 1mm and 5ml of the solution. This solution can be used for long term prevention of infections in dogs prone to mild ear infections. It is also useful to douche after swimming"" Dr. Barbara Fougere " Healthy Dogs A Handbook of Natural Therapies"" Also I will add that my boy Casper had very yeasty ears . Then he was diagnosed as hypothyroid and started on thyroxine ...his ears cleared up . Food wise i would eliminate all grains if not already done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girl05 Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Maybe it could be from a mild vaccination reaction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trishm Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 The apple cider vinegar and water mix works really well. Trishm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tramissa Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 (edited) Going to google it, but what are the signs of hypothyroid? edited to add - okay, googled it and she doesn't have any signs whatsoever, infact she seems to be the opposite to most of these signs, in a good way And what is douching? I think I know, but want to make sure I get it right girl05, definitely not a vaccination reaction. She was vaccinated months ago and was diagnosed with yeasty ears at that appointment (first vet appointment with me). She was not vaccinated for years before that. Edited February 11, 2006 by tramissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturallyWild Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Along with diluted vinegar to aid with cleaning the ears, grape seed extract (internally) can be useful in gaining control over the yeast infection. A food allergy would generally (but not every time) have other signs such as excessive licking/chewing (paws/skin), scooting, skin reddness/irritation, lethargy, muscular pain, etc and can be any or all of these. There is also another ear rinse now being used by vets that is natural based (from milk) that apparently works well for these situations (?Zymox Otic?). Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 douching is just gently squirting the liquid into the ear. afterwards the base of the ear is massaged ( you should hear nice squishy sounds LOL) then step back and the pup will vigourously shake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Hi all,Hoping someone can help. Minnie has yeast infections in both ears. It is under control using antibacterial drops from the vets (very expensive) but the bottle is nearly finished. Initially I was doing her ears 2 x per day for nearly 4 weeks (vet advised 21 days). Currently I am doing her ears 2 - 3 times per week and she seems comfortable. The vet has advised that her ears will never completely clear as the infection has been there for years (before you yell at me - I've only had her a few months) and that once the drops were finished just to do her ears with ear drops. My question is, what drops should I look for? Since the medicated drops have it under control quite well, should I go back to the vet to get another prescription and keep her on it for life (she's 8 1/2) or will one of the store bought drops do okay at keeping her comfortable? I don't mind doing her ears daily if that is what is needed. I've been looking at http://www.thevetshed.com/catalog/index.ph...6c338fdd50c04bb but I can't work out which is better for my needs. One reason I'd like to get this sorted is that I'll be moving up to Cairns this year and obviously, the heat and humidity are going to increase any yeast production she is currently having I hate it when I can see her rubbing her ears. I just want her to be comfortable, so if I have to buy the expensive drops and do them daily - I don't care. But if I don't have to do this, I'd be happier Thanks in advance. my food allergy dog had yeast infections in his ears, I also used the Leo Ear Cleaner daily along with the Surolan, twice daily adn changed his diet. The diet did the trick and the ears cleaned up, he is on once weekly ear treatments now and his owner has to be careful to watch what his dog eats Holly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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