Can anyone help or having be going through something similar: We woke up this morning to find that Indy had scratched his ear so much it had started to bleed, he is also constantly shaking his head from side to side and his head seems to be on a tilt. I check his ears quite regularly and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, however I gave them both a clean. He is however constantly scratching, I have checked for fleas, dandruff etc no sign of anything. He is also giving off a strange smell I thought it was because he constantly likes jumping in dirty puddles and muck however he has been washed in sensitive puppy shampoo, all his bedding has been washed yet 2 days later the smell is back. I don't think the 2 can be related but does anyone have any ideas. I am considering give the vet a call but he is fine in himself and I cant see anything with his ears to cause major concern. Thanks for any advice xx
Re: Health Advice It could be an ear infection. Our last Lab was prone to them, and the symptoms sound very similar. I'd take Indy to the vet just be be sure.
Re: Health Advice Sounds like he needs a trip to the vet to have a look, better to catch the problem early. Is it a yeasty smell? Might be ear mites or an infection if that is the case. Quite a few members have experience of dealing with ear problems on the forum I am sure one will be around to advise soon!
Re: Health Advice I would have a trip to the vet as he's scratched his ear enough to make it bleed and keeps shaking his head, and there is a smell there could be an infection. Best to get it checked. Let us all know how you get on.
Re: Health Advice It could be ear mites. I always try Thornit powder (on ears and feet, you only put it under the ear flap - not in the ears) then visit the vet if that doesn't shift it. If it's mites I find the dog stops the head shaking and scratching almost as soon as it's applied. I use a make up brush to apply it while she nibbles at a tasty treat in my other hand. http://tinyurl.com/llqsz9j
Re: Health Advice [quote author=Boogie link=topic=10562.msg156452#msg156452 date=1428996937] It could be ear mites. I always try Thornit powder (on ears and feet, you only put it under the ear flap - not in the ears) then visit the vet if that doesn't shift it. If it's mites I find the dog stops the head shaking and scratching almost as soon as it's applied. I use a make up brush to apply it while she nibbles at a tasty treat in my other hand. http://tinyurl.com/llqsz9j [/quote] We use Thornit too, Casper has had them once, and had a gungy, smelly ear. WIth thornit it cleared within days, and certainly a huge improvement within one day. If it hadn't I would have been straight to the vets.
Re: Health Advice Thanks everyone, Ill call the vets when they open see what they say, I didn't even think of mites etc. x
Re: Health Advice Mectin based spot-on treatments will take care of ear mites in one dose and with no need to handle sore ears. Advocate (containing Moxidectin) or Revolution (containing Selamectin) both work. But I'd go to the vet as if an infection is involved you will need something more. Hope you can get it sorted soon
Re: Health Advice I really would go to the vet's - if ear problems are left they can be very difficult to clear up. I spent nearly 10 months trying to get a simple yeast problem cleared up because it hadn't been treated effectively at first (and had disrupted the self cleaning mechanism in his ears) with £££s spent to see a specialist dermatologist in the end (which was the best value, and I would have saved money if I had gone earlier, in that actually got it cleared up properly).
Re: Health Advice Also a dog continually shaking his head will cause a haematoma on his ear flap (large blood blister) which will need an op. So best to go to vet to find out what the problem is in the ear canal.
Re: Health Advice Thank you for all the advice, we are all booked in tonight to go and get him checked over, will let you know what she says. Hopefully just a few drops and all will be better. xx
Re: Health Advice Bella had the same when she was younger and it turned out to be an ear infection, vet said it must have been very painful for her...she got drops and all was ok in the end. Good luck
Re: Health Advice Hope he's ok,I'd definately say a vet visit for anything to do with ears ,it's distressing to all and you can get in an awful mess if the problem isn't treated right ...let us know how you get on x
Re: Health Advice While you should definitely go to the vets and try to clear it up right away, I feel like it's worth noting that *many* long-eared dogs seem to have low-level itchy ears all their lives. Not necessarily right or nice for the dog, but my first dog was prone to ear infections so I got very good at giving "ear rubs" that helped itch the dogs ears (also helped rub medicine in if using drops) and most dogs I encounter really enjoy the ear rubs due to some low level itching. I think looking at the ears when you're in at the vets anytime is well useful, as that can help maintain healthy non-itchy ears. The scent you are smelling COULD be coming from the ears. If you lift up an ear and sniff, it's kind of.. hmm, if it's a yeast problem, sort of a sweet smell? Brown gunk will also be present (although maybe not early on in an infection) and that will have a "smell". Another way to tell if your dog has some sort of itchiness going on whether it is yeast or infection is if you rub your dogs ear and then they want to lick your hand or sniff it. And yes, the head shaking is worrisome. My old dog did have to get surgery after shaking her head enough to get a hematoma. If he is scratching his ear, that could open up a scratch which could then get infected (another dog had this happen). Good luck! It must be horrible to always have itchy ears so it's great you're going to the vet to start sorting it out. Hope it works out well.
Re: Health Advice Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice yesterday, we did go to the vets and he had a pretty nasty ear infection. He is on drops and antibiotics to clear it up. I was right about the smell it was from his ear not his coat or bedding so hopefully all will be cleared up in the next few days, just glad I went early as it could have gotten so much worse! Times like these I wish they could speak would make life a lot easier haha. xx
Re: Health Advice Its good to know what you're dealing with. Hopefully it will clear up quickly. I'd suggest that you keep monitoring it for a while as we found that ear infections can come back after they appear to have cleared.
Re: Health Advice Oh poor boy. Hopefully the drops and antibiotics will soon have the infection under control.
Re: Health Advice Great you went,ear troubles are horrible ,hope the meds kick in quick and he feels better soon x
