Her ears are very red on the flaps which obviously troubles her as she drags them against walls and the furniture. The vet says it's not an infection and she is on steroids and hyperalergenic food but it's no better. The vet is talking about checking bloods for an allergy. Anyone experienced this before. Be grateful for any tips.
Hello, and a very warm welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your dog's ears, that sounds very painful. It is quite common for Labradors to suffer from ear troubles - is your dog a Labrador? Do tell us a bit more about her, and where are you based? The UK? It often isn't an infection - or at least that's my experience and have heard similar from quite a few other people on the forum. My dog suffered a lot when he was younger, my vet failed to resolve it but just kept giving me more and more antibioctic oily drops, which made it worse I think. In the end I asked for a referral to a dermatologist, who prescribed a cleaning routine with a cleaner that (he said) would restore the ph balance in my dog's ears, and only once the ear was clean were ear drops applied. It did work, and thankfully my dog now has comfy ears. I don't know if this helps with your dog, but if you can't get it cleared up with the help of your normal vet, seeking an expert opinion from a dermatologist is the way to go (who will also help you if it turns out to be an allergy).
Thanks, she is a Labrador based in Somerset. I will speak to her vet regarding referral to a dermatologist as I am not keen on keeping her on steroids long term especially with no affect.
I hope it helps you. In the UK your vet cannot refuse to refer you to a specialist if you ask and the right specialist to see for ear troubles is a dermatologist. It's expensive, but when I looked back at my bills, I'd have saved money overall if I had just gone to a specialist sooner - because the problem was solved so much quicker. Best of luck with it.
