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Ear Problems

I have a young male with ear problems. Tilts his head from side to side constantly. I have treated him with all of the "over the counter" products I can find; have given him penicillin shots (3cc) for seven days and nothing seems to help. I have used several different meds for ear mites, but I don't think that's what it is. I believe it is some type of infection. I had a dog several years ago with the same problem, spent several hundred dollars with the vet, and she still had the same problem. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

__________________
Phone (336) 648-3210

Home of Mayberry Blueticks
Jhn. 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

ears

Call your vet just took mine in with infection put on steroids and prednizone says flop eared dogs have to be cleaned once a week more if they go in the water much Good luck hope all goes well

clean his ears with peroxide then a mixture of iodine&mineral oil poured in the ear twice a day, My grandad swore by it.

__________________
Saline Creek Kennels
Black&Tans since 1977
#573-392-7119 cell 573-286-0431
Home of bunch of lowbred culls;
Saline Creek Smokin Sheba (DualGrCh Osage Stinger Joe x DualGrCh Schenker's Smokin Cindy)
Saline Creek Reba II (GrCh North Rivers Hard Cola (albert, medicine man bred) x Saline Creek Reba (Sheba's sister)
Saline Creek Beau (Millers Midnight Harry, (Eads bred) x Beauty, Myers/ Sting bred) co owner Will Simpson
GrNiteCh Chenoweths Cheyenne
NiteCh Party Queen (GrNiteCh Duelin Dan x GrNiteCh Ruby 2)
Mandy (littermate to Thunderstick & Lil Ann)
Saline Creek Jenna Jameson (GrNiteCh Kansas Hayes x GrNiteCh Dixie Gem) co owners Scott Rodden, Kyle Sears

He may have a food allergy

Check to see if there is corn and beef in the feed.
Changing feed types , not brands cleared up our problem
and we had spent lots of money and time at the vet.
MS H.L

__________________
SHAWNEE HILL'S BLACK AND TANS

Allergies...

... we had to go Wheat free diet with one. The diet we used was probably similar to the one the Meyers have used. SOme dogs are allergic to Lamb(which is one of the foods used for Some allergic dogs) It can be hard to find the correct food for Your dog. It depends.We have 2 foods here Both wheat free, one is Lamb and rice, the other is Venison and rice.I think they are corn free too but I'm too lazy to look. I'm sure there are lots of choices. For US this works. The allergic dog has died but our current hounds do fine on these foods so we Wont switch(but we WILL go broke! ) Also used the "Purple Ear cleaner" to keep ears clean and dry. I've posted the "recipe" for that before on here. It was Vet Approved. If you can't find it... I can re post it. It is CHEAP to make and easy to use, doesn't bother even the most sensitive dog but I cannot emphasise enough how badly it stains...esp. the surface of a WHITE clothes dryer....LOL... and good clothes as well!
If you need it posted let me know, Good luck, bad ears are a tough one. Sadly a dog can be ruined if the ears aren't cared for.
I would be careful. If my guys have "an ear thing" going on I see our vet first. Then treat. It can be so many different things. WIth our "allergy hound" it was a terminal illness that simply had ear infections as a symptom.
Hope your hound clears up quick,Craig,Good luck, Heather

__________________
Home of the BIGCASTLEDAWGS
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i71/BIGCASTLEDAWGS/Websters%20First%20coon/IMG_0045.jpg

here's a link

to the purple solution:
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ears.html
ignore what it says about q-tips. dog ear canals have a bend that makes it almost impossible to get the ear drum.

I had a problem with ears and head shaking that lasted over a year and defied all vet remedies. His ears started going bald on the outside.
What eventually stopped it was a daily massage with oil on the outside of the ears. We used a horse product called Calm Coat: http://www.calmcoat.com/
Not sure why this worked, but my theory is that it was some sort of mange mite that the oil suffocated.
The fur grew back after months of baldness, and there's no more head shaking.
Good luck!

__________________
esp

Thanks Emily...

I used cotton balls or a rag.... I would LOSE the Qtip in an ear here! LOL...
I use the purple stuff regularly on the coonhounds just to keep the ears clean and dry. It may prevent problems down the road and it's not time consuming. Even a dry kleenex once a day per ear does the trick and keeps you Alert to any problem before it turns ugly. Mine are "just" pets here at home but a working dog cant work it's best if it's distracted. WIth coonhunting the hounds are apt to get wet ears(like the labs do in their jobs)... so keeping them dry helps keep them healthy. I think people who raise pus should do TONS of ear handling too... so I't will be easier later on for people who buy them and handle them. Nothing worse than a dog who doesn't like ear cleaning and NAIL clippings... out bluetick needs to be Tranquilized to do his nails...
Sorry, I'm rambling.... How unusual....
Heather

There are so many things that lead to ear infections (0titis externa/media/interna) that it is best to at least get a veterinarian to diagnose the organisms involved ie. bacteria/yeast/mites or a combination of these. Obviously ear mites are going to be treated different than a straight bacterial infection. I think it would be worth it to see a dermatologist if your veterinarian is having difficulty figuring it out. Here in CA a common cause is foxtails in the ear canal that need to be removed first. No amount of medication is going to remove a foreign body from the ear canal. In Texas and some southern states you will find dogs with ear ticks as well. These are interesting to see through the otoscope believe me.

It is really important to know whether the ear drum is intact prior to treating any ear infection with some of the solutions mentioned above so that permanent damage is not created from the medications. For example you wouldn't want to put isopropyl alchohol, hydrogen peroxide in an ear with a ruptured ear drum and iodine could cause some issues as well at higher concentrations Some of these dogs with ruptured ear drums are better treated with systemic antibiotics/steroids/anti-fungals and diet change first to allow the ear drum to heal.

That being said, if it isn't related to ear mites, and the ear drum is intact, I've had the best luck culturing the ear for pseudomonas bacteria first, changing the diet to Hills Prescription Diet Z/D Ultra (Hydrolyzed Chicken protein) and using a combination of Virbac's Epi-Otic ear cleaner followed by Mometemax ointment once a day for at least a month. You need to use a good drying ear cleaner in liberal amounts with good massage action of the ear for 2-5 minutes to pave the way for the medicine to work first, then apply the ear medication. If pseudomonas bacteria is cultured, then I add Triz EDTA 16oz. solution with 2400mg of Baytril antibiotic added to the bottle to the treatment as well. This is about the only thing I've found to get rid of nasty chronic pseudomonas type infections (combined with a hypoallergenic diet). Pseudomonas bacteria are one of the most resistant bacteria on our planet and can be very difficult to clear up.

Many chronic ear infections are a result of food allergies as mentioned above and corn is not the number one cause of food allergies as everyone thinks. Based on food trials and immunologic testing at Spectrum Labs, Wheat, Beef, Soy, and Dairy are the top 4 ingredients found in dogs with food allergies. I'm not saying that Corn doesn't cause problems for some dogs, but it is far over accused as the culprit here. When a puppy presents to me for bilateral (both sides) ear infection, the first thing I look for is mites and the second is food allergy.

There were some companies that bashed Eukanuba and Science Diet for using Corn in their diets as a way of pushing their way into the market and one of these was Innova/California Natural diets. This was an unfortunate rumor that worked and as seen here has hurt many really good diets. Some of the worst haircoats and teeth I've seen were dogs that have been on Innova and California Natural. They may not have corn, but they do have some very poor quality fillers and carboyhydrates that are leading to faster plaque and tartar accumulation. Not sure why we see so many bad hair coats however, and it may be from a phosphorus imbalance.

Many of the proteins that lead to problems in diets have large molecular weights as seen with Wheat and Soy. These larger proteins are recognized by the body as foreign and many dogs develop immune responses toward them. Hills Z/D Ultra is the first diet to utilize hydrolyzed protein that breaks the protein molecule down to a very small size that isn't recognized by the body. It is the only true hypoallergenic diet on the market for dogs at this time but there are more coming.

Another diet I've had good luck with over the counter is the original Canidae. This diet works well in about 70% of diet sensitive dogs. It takes a month or two to notice a difference with the diet however so make sure you buy enough to last for at least 2 months to rule out food allergy.

For ear maintenance, I recommend Virbac's Epi-Otic ear cleaner. It is non-irritating and a great drying cleanser for routine use in the ear canal. It can be applied weekly for prevention. It is non-irritating with no alcohol and very gentle on the ears.

Be careful placing hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alcohol in an inflammed ear. Just try it sometime on yourself where your skin is inflammed or cut and you will see what I mean. This can be very painful to the dog and aggravate the inflammed canal more.

Allen

__________________
Dr. Allen Hallada (Doc Halladay)

Current:

PKC Ch. Gr.Nt.Ch. Cat Scratch Fever
(Gr.Nt.Ch. PKC Ch. Moonlight Aftershock x Gr.Nt.Ch. PKC Ch. Moonlight Outlaw Breanna)
2016 Finished to PKC Ch. in one week!

Dual Grand Champion CHKC Ch., PKC Gold Ch. All Grand Outlaw G-Man
(Gr.Nt.Ch.Glissens JJ Jr. x Gr.Nt.Ch. Outlaw Billy Jean)
4 Generations of All Grand Nite Champions!
Timber Jack 3X and Timber Chopper over 30X
2019 Southern National Redbone Days Champion
2016 National Grand Nite Champion Redbone
2016 CHKC Redbone Days Champion
2016 PKC Super Stakes Reserve Champion
2016 CHKC Elite Shootout Winner - Texas
CHKC All Time Money Winning Redbone

Bodacious
(Gr.Nt.Ch. Gr.Ch.PKC. Gold Ch.CHKC CH. Outlaw G-Man x Gr.Nt.Ch.Gr.Ch. CHKC Ch., PKC Gold Ch. Classy Cali)


Past:
Gr.Nt.Ch.Ch. Dawns Timber Jack
1988 American Redbone Days All Red Hunt Winner
1989 UKC World Champion Redbone
1989 Purina Outstanding Redbone Coonhound
#2 Historic Redbone Sire/ Top 20 All Breeds
American Redbone Coonhound Assoc. Hall of Fame

Gr.Nt.Ch. Bussrow Bottom Brandy II
1991 American Redbone Days Champion
1992 AKC World Champion Redbone
1992 ACHA World Champion Redbone
1992 Wisconsin State Champion
1994 US Redbone Days Opposite Sex
Produced 2 Nt. Ch. , 1 Gr.Nt.Ch. out of 2 litters and two Redbone Days Winners

Gr.Nt.Ch.Gr.Ch. PKC Gold Ch. Layton's Classy Cali
2012 UKC World Champion Redbone and 7th Place Overall
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 UKC World Champion Redbone Female
2015 PKC Blue Ribbon Pro Hunt Winner - Goodsprings, AL
2015 PKC Blue Ribbon Pro Series Race - 3rd Place Overall
2016 PKC Blue Ribbon Pro Hunt Winner - New Albany, MS
2016 PKC Texas State Race Winner
2016 PKC Redbone Breed Race Winner
PKC All Time Money Winning Redbone

PKC Ch. Gr.Nt.Ch. Coffman's Smokin Red Buck
2016 UKC World Hunt 5th Place and World Champion Redbone
2016 National Redbone Days Overall Winner

Gr.Nt.Ch. Reinhart's Central Page
(Gr.Nt.Ch. Timber Jack x Gr.Nt.Ch. Brandy II)

Gr.Nt.Ch. Too the Maxx
(Gr.Nt.Ch. Timber Jack x Gr.Nt.Ch. Jenkins Crying Katie)
1992 National Redbone Days Champion

Gr.Ch.Nt.Ch. Ambraw River Rock
(Gr.Nt.Ch. Timber Jack x Gr.Ch.Nt.Ch. Hersh's Huntin Red Kate)
1992 US Redbone Days Opposite Sex

Nt.Ch. Tree Bustin Annabelle
1986 American Redbone Days All Red Hunt Winner

Nt.Ch. Timber Mace
(Gr.Nt.Ch. Timber Jack X Nt.Ch. Tree Bustin Annabelle)
Mother of Gr.Nt.Ch. Babb's Hazel

Nt. Ch. Timber Shock
(Gr.Nt.Ch.Timber Jack x Gr.Nt.Ch. Outlaw Jessie)

Gr. Ch. Nt. Ch. Squaw Mountain Goldie
(Direct Daughter of Gr.Nt.Ch.Smokey Mountain Brandy)
1990 Autumn Oaks Best of Show Winner
1988 Indiana State Champion

Thanks everyone for your advice. I will keep in touch and let you know how things work out. Thanks again.

__________________
Phone (336) 648-3210

Home of Mayberry Blueticks
Jhn. 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Craig

We have been super successful with this....1/5 white vinegar...1/5 betadine...3/5 alcohol ...tony

quote:

---

Originally posted by ahallada
There are so many things that lead to ear infections (0titis externa/media/interna) that it is best to at least get a veterinarian to diagnose the organisms involved ie. bacteria/yeast/mites or a combination of these. Obviously ear mites are going to be treated different than a straight bacterial infection. I think it would be worth it to see a dermatologist if your veterinarian is having difficulty figuring it out. Here in CA a common cause is foxtails in the ear canal that need to be removed first. No amount of medication is going to remove a foreign body from the ear canal. In Texas and some southern states you will find dogs with ear ticks as well. These are interesting to see through the otoscope believe me.

It is really important to know whether the ear drum is intact prior to treating any ear infection with some of the solutions mentioned above so that permanent damage is not created from the medications. For example you wouldn't want to put isopropyl alchohol, hydrogen peroxide in an ear with a ruptured ear drum and iodine could cause some issues as well at higher concentrations Some of these dogs with ruptured ear drums are better treated with systemic antibiotics/steroids/anti-fungals and diet change first to allow the ear drum to heal.

That being said, if it isn't related to ear mites, and the ear drum is intact, I've had the best luck culturing the ear for pseudomonas bacteria first, changing the diet to Hills Prescription Diet Z/D Ultra (Hydrolyzed Chicken protein) and using a combination of Virbac's Epi-Otic ear cleaner followed by Mometemax ointment once a day for at least a month. You need to use a good drying ear cleaner in liberal amounts with good massage action of the ear for 2-5 minutes to pave the way for the medicine to work first, then apply the ear medication. If pseudomonas bacteria is cultured, then I add Triz EDTA 16oz. solution with 2400mg of Baytril antibiotic added to the bottle to the treatment as well. This is about the only thing I've found to get rid of nasty chronic pseudomonas type infections (combined with a hypoallergenic diet). Pseudomonas bacteria are one of the most resistant bacteria on our planet and can be very difficult to clear up.

Many chronic ear infections are a result of food allergies as mentioned above and corn is not the number one cause of food allergies as everyone thinks. Based on food trials and immunologic testing at Spectrum Labs, Wheat, Beef, Soy, and Dairy are the top 4 ingredients found in dogs with food allergies. I'm not saying that Corn doesn't cause problems for some dogs, but it is far over accused as the culprit here. When a puppy presents to me for bilateral (both sides) ear infection, the first thing I look for is mites and the second is food allergy.

There were some companies that bashed Eukanuba and Science Diet for using Corn in their diets as a way of pushing their way into the market and one of these was Innova/California Natural diets. This was an unfortunate rumor that worked and as seen here has hurt many really good diets. Some of the worst haircoats and teeth I've seen were dogs that have been on Innova and California Natural. They may not have corn, but they do have some very poor quality fillers and carboyhydrates that are leading to faster plaque and tartar accumulation. Not sure why we see so many bad hair coats however, and it may be from a phosphorus imbalance.

Many of the proteins that lead to problems in diets have large molecular weights as seen with Wheat and Soy. These larger proteins are recognized by the body as foreign and many dogs develop immune responses toward them. Hills Z/D Ultra is the first diet to utilize hydrolyzed protein that breaks the protein molecule down to a very small size that isn't recognized by the body. It is the only true hypoallergenic diet on the market for dogs at this time but there are more coming.

Another diet I've had good luck with over the counter is the original Canidae. This diet works well in about 70% of diet sensitive dogs. It takes a month or two to notice a difference with the diet however so make sure you buy enough to last for at least 2 months to rule out food allergy.

For ear maintenance, I recommend Virbac's Epi-Otic ear cleaner. It is non-irritating and a great drying cleanser for routine use in the ear canal. It can be applied weekly for prevention. It is non-irritating with no alcohol and very gentle on the ears.

Be careful placing hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alcohol in an inflammed ear. Just try it sometime on yourself where your skin is inflammed or cut and you will see what I mean. This can be very painful to the dog and aggravate the inflammed canal more.

Allen

---

__________________
Bryan J.

SAVE THE COON, HUNT WITH A HOUND!