Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Mt.Airy, N.C.
Posts: 3152

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.

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Registered: Jul 2007
Location: Magnolia Arkansas
Posts: 34

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

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Registered: Mar 2007
Location: Rocky Mount Mo. 65072 (Lake Ozark area)
Posts: 1095

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

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Fayetteville.Ga
Posts: 2167

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

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Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 19374

... 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

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: West Kill, NY
Posts: 2047

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!

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esp

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Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 19374

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

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Registered: Dec 2006
Location: California
Posts: 1867

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

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Nt.Ch. Tree Bustin Annabelle
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Gr. Ch. Nt. Ch. Squaw Mountain Goldie
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Last edited by ahallada on 07-26-2007 at 09:09 PM

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Mt.Airy, N.C.
Posts: 3152

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

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Phone (336) 648-3210

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

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: tioga co.pa
Posts: 1728

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

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Registered: Jan 2005
Location: BLOOMFIELD IOWA
Posts: 2439

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

---

Allen thats real nice you giving out info like you do. We all do appreciate it alot!

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Bryan J.

SAVE THE COON, HUNT WITH A HOUND!

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