Hi all, Jax has been getting a yeast infection in his ears . He went a round of medications at the Vet and all was well for a bit . Well he jumps in a pool every chance he gets . Yesterday I noticed him shaking his head again like something was in his ear and I lifted his ear back and that smell my goodness that sMell again. We will be contacting the vet again but just curious if anything I can do at home ? Change his diet ? Something in his ears ? I've read that baking soda in his water can help him and I'm looking for a more natural route maybe not to heal him this time ,but prevent it in the future .
Can't help really but I sympathize... I seem to remember @JulieT 's Charlie had lots of trouble with his ears when a pup, so she may be able to give some advice.
Yes, Charlie had really dreadful ear trouble as a puppy, and it caused a lot of stress all round. I ended up seeing a dermatologist, and he got us on a routine that cleared things up, and still serves us well today and we've been clear of trouble for ages now. I'd say don't mess about with natural remedies, seek professional advice (and that might mean seeing a specialist and not just your normal vet). It's a serious business, continuous ear problems can lead to the skin in the ear becoming thick, and so the ear canal narrowing, ear drum damage etc. For what it is worth, Charlie's self cleaning mechanism in his ear had become disrupted, and the dermatologist gave us a regime of cleaning with saline, then cleaner to balance ph levels, and a non-greasy antibioctic ear drops. Then we stopped the drops, then the saline, and now I know the signs for the point at which I clean to keep ph levels right, and we are sorted. The money I spent with that dermatologist is probably the best dog related money I have ever spent. The other thing is watch Jax doesn't become frightened of you treating his ears - this makes the stress even worse. Have a look at Chirag Patel's bucket game, this is the best thing ever as a handling technique: https://www.facebook.com/thebucketgame/
Jax trusts me we have I don't know hard to explain bond ,call it a trust I've never had it with any other dog before . When he was a little pup he fought me doing his nails, but I sat him in my lab and pet him and he caught on . Now if something that I need to do like put ear meds in I just sit in floor and call him and let him lay in my lap . I'll let him for a few minutes and have my wife put the meds in . He doesn't run away he sits there until i let him go but boy we I let him go he takes off. Does your dog get In water a lot ? If so what did you do about the ears and water ? Jax is in the pool every chance he gets , don't want to take that away from him unless it's doing him harm.
Hi there, I had a period of ear problems too ....starting from a yeast infection and getting into a right mess with over medication and what I consider bad treatment protocol from a vet. In all the mire of getting it sorted out we did a food trial and diet change to eliminate allergies as a cause ( I don't consider this was a factor but I did it to be sure) Recurrent ear problems can indicate allergies. In the end I found a great new vet and had some help from the UK and we cracked it and settled on a regime very similar to what JulieT is describing.I am very careful to dry Dexter's ears every time he is in water,that was advice I was given by the new vet.....occasionally I will see a very slight build up of browny oily residue and I will clean with saline and put the ph drops in,I was told to do this as routine every week but I don't ,this isn't me going against the vets advice,I just feel you can upset their ears so easily I don't mess around with them unless I notice a change . Because our climate can be so hot and humid at times we give him what we call 'airy ear time' so when he is lying next to us relaxing we lift his ears up to let a bit of air flow in them....he doesn't seem to mind!
Snowie is in the pool at least twice a day. He doesn't swim, just wallows on the steps, but his ears do get wet. I dry him off when he gets out the pool, including his ears. I also clean them every now and then with an ear cleaner I bought from the vet. I don't squeeze the ear cleaner into his ears, but I put it on cotton wool and clean the external ear. There are crevices in the external ear that I can't get into, so I use an earbud, also with the ear cleaner on it. So far, so good. His ears don't smell completely yeast-free, but what with his allergies, I think they are pretty good, with this cleaning regime they are more often a nice pale pink rather than a fiery, allergic red.
I use good ear wash that helps dry up moisture in there ear , excellent for dogs that like to swim or have long floppy ears ! I use it every time they go swimming or bathe ! It does the trick ! Also you can add a little bit of plain yoghurt to their food once a day or give it to her as a treat ! Hope this helps !
Tilly has had yeast infections in her ears for years. There are several ear cleaner products that will help prevent them, and some other medications that will clear them up. Tilly appears to be pretty hard of hearing now at 10 years, and I wonder if the repeated yeast infections were part of the cause. Our vet thinks she probably has some food allergies that contribute to the yeast infections, but it is very difficult to isolate the cause when you have more than one dog, or dogs that visit other dogs and eat their food. We have changed the protein base in her dog food several times, but have not come to a definite conclusion about allergies.
