# Dog ear question?



## fortheloveofgoats (Aug 10, 2012)

Does anyone have problems with their dogs ears? I take Jude (my dog) into the vet every time that he gets this. They send me home with ear cleaner and antibiotics for him. They say to do it twice a day every day for 7 days. I am lucky to get to the third day. He starts to cry at me, throw his ear to the ground, and eventually he gets to the point where he starts to bite. Not hard, he is just letting me know it hurts. The smell is horrible. It's black goop, some a light brown, sometimes their is blood as well. The vet told me that some dogs just get ear infections more then others. I just hate seeing him in pain, not to mention the smell is getting horrible. Any suggestions would be great! Thank you.


----------



## secuono (Aug 10, 2012)

Sounds like out bulldog, but her issue went away. Are you actually cleaning the ears out fully every day? It's easy to say you have, but really just get lazy instead. If he is biting, get him a muzzle and keep at it. I also dry the ears after, don't let them roll in dirt or dig in their ears using a cone collar.


----------



## fortheloveofgoats (Aug 10, 2012)

secuono said:
			
		

> Sounds like out bulldog, but her issue went away. Are you actually cleaning the ears out fully every day? It's easy to say you have, but really just get lazy instead. If he is biting, get him a muzzle and keep at it. I also dry the ears after, don't let them roll in dirt or dig in their ears using a cone collar.


Nope his issue doesn't go away. I have had him for 12 years, and this all started when he was about 8. I did for the three days that he let me. I don't get lazy when it comes to cleaning or taking care of the thing's that I love. I don't like to keep going because it gets so painful for him. The inside of the ear gets all red, and starts to bleed. He doesn't roll in dirt. I will have to try the cone collar. Thanks.


----------



## fortheloveofgoats (Aug 10, 2012)

Just found a vet that has an antibiotic wax that they put in the dogs ear. I guess we will be trying this, and seeing if it works.


----------



## Cricket (Aug 10, 2012)

Have you ever considered feeding raw?  My Brit that I had 20 years ago had constant ear problems, dislocating elbow, etc from puppy hood to about 4 years when I changed her diet.  I don't do bones, just 'cause I'm a wimp, but there's some foods out there where you just add meat.


----------



## bonbean01 (Aug 10, 2012)

I had this problem and it turned out to be an allergy to corn...she was put on prednisone (dose pack) for ten days, and I got a medicated ear powder and liquid ear cleaner.  After getting food for her with NO corn, problem went away and hasn't come back....same deal with our second poodle.  What kind of dog do you have?  You might try changing her diet to a no corn diet.  Some dogs are just allergic to corn and it often affects their ears.


----------



## Ownedby3alpacas (Aug 10, 2012)

I was going to say what Bonbean01 said. infections can often be a result of the food. what are you feeding him? has he been eating the same thing since the infections started? Could you change his diet and see if they clear up?


----------



## BrownSheep (Aug 10, 2012)

I disagree with the food opinion. If he is a breed with heavy ears...take my saint Bernard for example. It is easy for moisture to become trapped in the ear making  it humid and moist. The warm moist climate with in the ear is perfect for a) fungus an b) bacteria. My old vet did just what yours does same treatment every time even thought it obviously doesn't clear it up. We visited another vet in another town. He ran a culture from our dogs ear and gave us a course of treatment based off that. Riley only get an ear infect very rarely


----------



## SheepGirl (Aug 10, 2012)

My dog Grizzly is a cockapoo and when he was a puppy he would get yeast infections in his ears. As he's gotten older, he gets them less, but when he does we clean out his ears thoroughly with a solution the vet gave us.

The vet said that cocker spaniels (what Grizzly's mother was) are notorious for getting yeast infections in their ears. And as BrownSheep said it's because moisture gets trapped in the ear canal. The dark (because the floppy ear hangs over it, prohibiting any amount of sunlight from entering the ear), moist environment is perfect for incubating bacteria.


----------



## Hillsvale (Aug 11, 2012)

we have several rescue dogs, one of them is a shepherd with a missing ear because he was so neglected it rotted off...

http://www.ehow.com/way_5663441_blue-homemade-dog-ear-cleaner.html

this is a liquid we made and use it when he seems to be getting itchy, it works like nothing the vet prescribed! we put it is a bottle that has the twisty end on it. We found that our shepherd had skin allergies which got worse in the warmer weather so you may need to observe that, they can also be very allergic to ingredients in their food especially that with a lot of corn in it.

I would certainly make sure via your vet that there is nothing wrong with the inner workings of your pooches ear and if clear try this stuff... it was a god send for our poor boy. When you squirt it in you need to massage the ear on the outside to make sure the liquid moves down inside... ours groans so its pretty funny (he used to cry when we first started it years ago), we then take cotton balls and mop out the liquid getting as far into the ear as possible. If yours is really infected you may not be able to get as far into the ear as we do at first so I would then use it more frequently until things start to settle down.

WATCH OUT WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE DONE>>>> doggy head shaking occurs and the blue liquid will fly especially when you first start, farm cloths suggested! 

Hope your doggie feels better soon!


----------



## Goatherd (Aug 11, 2012)

> http://www.ehow.com/way_5663441_blue-homemade-dog-ear-cleaner.html
> 
> this is a liquid we made and use it when he seems to be getting itchy, it works like nothing the vet prescribed! we put it is a bottle that has the twisty end on it. We found that our shepherd had skin allergies which got worse in the warmer weather so you may need to observe that, they can also be very allergic to ingredients in their food especially that with a lot of corn in it.


Hillsvale, that is an excellent brew that you offered to remedy an ear infection.  The only thing I would ad, and it is mentioned in the article, the use of witch hazel, in place of alcohol, should seriously be considered.  Most folks don't start treating an ear infection until it's usually bad and the alcohol would cause the animal more pain and problems due to it's irritability in an infected ear.  The with hazel would be more appropriate as it's chemical composition is far less irritating than alcohol, yet achieves the same result.

As a side note...as a kid we had a Basset hound that had constant ear infections.  Hers were so bad that our vet did a surgery on her external ear canal (removing tissue) whereby the moisture and problematic debris drained out easily on to the side of her face which allowed us to cure and prevent ear infections more easily for us and the dog.


----------



## Hillsvale (Aug 11, 2012)

we added the witch hazel as well


----------



## Squirrelgirl88 (Aug 11, 2012)

Food Allergies. Our Beagle had constant ear infections and yeast infections. We eliminated Beef, Corn and Wheat from his diet. No more itching, no more ear infections. We buy dog food that is grain free and the primary meat is either duck, bison, or fish.


----------

