Hi all I have a chocolate lab and for years he's had smelly, itchy ears with LOTS of black gunk. No matter how many times I clean them (which he hates) it just never goes! After repeated trips to the vets all I'm told is to clean them, he gets given a steroid jab and sent on our way a few hundred pounds lighter. Bearing in mind he will not allow the vet to go near his ears so he's never even had them inspected. Now they seem really bad again and he yelps in pain if he knocks them or I try and clean them. The only thing I can think of to do is to have them inspected under sedation to finally find out the real problem as his constant shaking of the head is driving both me and him insane. Anyone got any helpful advice please. Tia
Re: Repeat ear problems Hi and welcome to the forum If it was my dog I would insisting they examine his ears somehow, especially as it is a persistent problem. I wouldn't be happy with anaesthetic, but that is only my personal opinion. maybe do some densentitivation on having the vet just touch his ear, then build up to an examination??
Re: Repeat ear problems It is virtually impossible to examine painful ears in a conscious dog. I would speak to your vet and arrange a proper ear workup, with sedation or GA, sample collection, flushing etc and get to the bottom of it. Good luck!
Re: Repeat ear problems 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.
