A few months ago Pongo had some sort of ear infection - they were smelly (sort of vinegarry), and lots of black gunk; and obviously very itchy. The vet gave him a steroid injection, and then some drops which combined fungicide, antibiotics and other stuff - they were designed to sort it out irrespective of whether it was caused by mites, fungus, bacteria or whatever. So we never really found out what the cause was (although the vet said she didn't think it was mites). So now his ears have got smelly again (same smell). No black gunk this time, and they don't seem to be causing more than minor irritation; but they're a bit itchy, and sensitive when I try to look at them, and I'd rather catch the problem early if I can this time. I'm a little reluctant to go straight to the vet again, because to be honest I was rather taken aback at how very quickly she prescribed steroids and antibiotics (I've always been told that ABs should only be prescribed when you're pretty sure they are going to work). Also he reacted badly to the steroid injection - he got very high-strung and frightened - so I don't want to go down that route again. Does anyone know of any other / milder treatments that I could try? Or am I being stupid about the vet?
Re: Smelly ears....again Elsie had a ear problem - smelly gunk a few weeks ago we had drops for her ears and it cleared quite quickly but the vet said swimming we need to dry her ears as much as possible or preferably don't let them get wet and gave us some ear wash to use after she has been in water or once a week or so just to keep them clean.
Re: Smelly ears....again I think you should go to the vet before it becomes a real problem. You could express your fears re steroid injection and antibitotics and maybe he/she can find a different approach. You might find this time you have caught it early and ear cleaner may be enough, but I would most definitely recommend you take Pongo to the vet or at the very least talk to him on the telephone for advice.
Re: Smelly ears....again Hi Rosie. My old lab had a similar problem. He had a couple of ear infections. Ears smelly, black stuff, red and itchy. The second infection the vet said was ear mites although by then he was about 5 so unless he'd always had them I've no idea how he picked them up as the vet said they get them when in the litter or from cats. Anyway he had the antibiotic drops I think it was canaural (not sure if I've spelt that correctly :) and the vet also gave me Sancerum ear cleaner which is antiseptic and anti fungal. The vet told me I could use it to clean murphys ears whenever they looked a bit grubby. He never had another ear infection and I would only clean them when they looked like they needed it not on a regular weekly or even monthly basis. You can buy it online along with other makes of what looks like similar products but it might be a good idea to check with the vet first. PS I think another ear cleaner solution I was given by the vet was Clean Aural. It was basically the same I think the vet had just changed product.
Re: Smelly ears....again Our breeder recommended Thornit for Benson, she has been using it for many years for her dogs, I don't know if anyone here uses it?
Re: Smelly ears....again [quote author=Beanwood link=topic=8473.msg119884#msg119884 date=1414340186] Our breeder recommended Thornit for Benson, she has been using it for many years for her dogs, I don't know if anyone here uses it? [/quote] I've heard it mentioned before on here Kate.... We've got an iffy ear at the moment...not smelly or infected, the vet said just congested ??? I didn't even know,there had been no scratching or shaking :-\ she just noticed it when I took him in for his gunky eye last week...we are washing and then putting a product down that she said dissolves the 'debris'....Dexter is now shaking his head :'( so I'm thinking I've made it worse,although the vet said the shaking will loosen what is in there.His ear has been dirty the last couple of days so maybe that's right and gives dislodging it... but I'm thinking I'll leave it alone tomorrow,just clean with cotton wool and after 24 hours if he's still,shaking his head I'll take him back ... Poor Pongo,hope he's feeling better soon Rosie x
Re: Smelly ears....again Thornit powder acts against ear mites. I don't use it, as Charlie is on advocate which provides ear mite protection. I just posted this on another ear trouble thread.. [quote author=JulieT link=topic=8477.msg119908#msg119908 date=1414344588] Maybe try a different vet, or see a specialist? Charlie had ear troubles when he was young. I messed about going back to the vet and in the end asked for a referral to a dermatologist - it wasn't cheap, but at least it worked. The problem was yeast - it had been treated with oral anti-bioctics (useless) and anti-bioctic ear drops (also useless) which kept the ear damp and oily (perfect for yeast : ). Twice a day we flushed the ears with water, cleaned with soft gauze. Then ear cleaner, then drops (less oily than the original ones). After a month we had removed enough gunk for the ears to be inspected and went to 3 times a week routine, then once a week. There had been various theories put forward about why it was happening - an over growth of yeast, something odd with the conformation of the ear etc. turns out it was none of these things. Just poor treatment of the original problem had disrupted the natural self cleaning mechanism of the ear. It took months to get to the bottom of it, and a simple routine did clear it up - I do not believe it would have been resolved but for seeing a specialist who did a proper examination and tests to find out what he was dealing with, and monitored progress properly. Best of luck resolving it, it is miserable for dogs to have painful ears, so I hope you get some good help soon. [/quote]
Re: Smelly ears....again I would probably head for the vet to be honest. You can talk to them about what happened with the steroids last time and they should be able to find something else to at least try first. You never know it could be caused by something different this time that doesn't require quite as much treatment as the time before - especially if caught early!
Re: Smelly ears....again You're probably all right. Will take him to the vet tomorrow. It is not a big deal - there is no sign of any inflammation or discharge in his ears, he is just shaking his head a bit (and also scratching a little at his ear and at the side of his face). But it could be the beginning of something else so we'll take him in. I just really don't want any more steroids or strong meds unless the vet is very sure they are necessary!
Re: Smelly ears....again Neither do you want your dog to shake his ears too much, can end up with an aural haematoma which means and op to release the 'blood blister'.
