My 8 month old female lab was just diagnosed with yeast in her ears. I also supect she has it on her skin because she has a strong smell to her that bathing doesn’t seem to cure. What is the best way to deal with this? Thanks.
I found a product called Ecoears that actually works to cure ear infections in my lab. I followed the instructions on the bottle and haven’t had a reoccurring issue as I had in the past in another lab. It really works. I would also try a vinegar water bath treatment for your dogs skin.
Tilly has had yeast infections in her ears of and on for years. We treat them with both meds and ear flush/cleaners, but the come back often, especially in the summer when she swims. We suspect she may have a food allergy that makes her more susceptible, but we have never figured out what it is.
Hmm. How many times are you washing her? It is not a good idea, in fact it is a bad idea, to wash or shampoo dogs. It strips out all of the natural oils in her coat and can actually irritate her skin. By all means wash her bedding (which is something that does smell) as much as you like, ensuring the soap is completely rinsed out. Instead try to restrict your grooming to brushing her coat with a furminator deshedder for short haired coats. Of course, I would wash my dog if it was part of vet's treatment. I scrubbed one of the my Labs, with a sponge, when she had developed a "hot spot".Otherwise avoid the washing
Since Labs don't have pricked ears, the water and moisture from swimming never dries. The warm moist environment is a haven for the yeast which of course is in the air. Try capturing the Labs shaking after a swim as a cued behaviour. When taught you can cue them to shake a few more times than they normally would. That and wiping dry the top part of the ears with a very soft cloth will help to promote a drier environment.
One product used widely by doggie folks in the UK, is called Thornit. It's non-prescription and you can order it online but I don't know if it's available outside the UK: https://www.viovet.co.uk/Thornit-Canker-Ear-Powder/c13949/ I've used it many times and recommended it to training clients and it has fixed the majority of smelly ear problems, including on dogs which were about to need a general anaesthetic according to their vet! It can also be used on the skin, although I haven't used it in this way myself. When our Weimaraner was a puppy, she had literally black gunky ears and the stuff from the vet only made them worse. After about 4-5 days of using Thornit, the black stuff had dried up, cracked and just flaked out the ears leaving them clean and pink Since then, we have it in the first aid box and use it at the first sign of any ear issues.
Tilly's ear issues seemed to start after she went to a practice session with the Cascade Dock Dogs. With all the jumping she probably got more water in her ears than normal when swimming. We have had to deal with it of and on ever since. We can get rid of it for a while and then it comes back. She has textbook Lab ears that lay against her head. Cooper has more forward facing ears (see my avatar) and she has never had any ear issues. We try to use the ear cleaner/dryer after she swims, though we don't always remember to do it. It does not look like Thornit is available in the US. I would try it if I can find it.
@Ski-Patroller Perhaps you can get it delivered from http://www.thornitearpowder.com/ I'm not recommending the product. I've never seen it in stores here in Australia. A check on-line reveals it is possible to buy it here too. Fortunately the Lab I have at the moment does not have any ear problems.
From the comments on the website, it does look like they must ship to the USA. I think I'll give it a try.
