German Shepherd dog

I have a 6 month old male pup that has had chronic ear infections. He's been on Canidae (original formula) since he was 8 weeks old. The breeder had him on Royal Canin Baby Dog from his start of solid foods.

I've taken him to the vet several times she says it's an irritation but never a yeast infection. Bloodwork and allergy tests all negative.

I live in SW Missouri and we've been extremely wet here. I don't know if this would have anything to do with his condition or not. He stays in the house for the most part.

I've been cleaning them out with a blend of alcohol, witch hazel and peroxide as directed by the vet and given a ear drop called Tresaderm.

This problem seems to be chronic though, I get it cleared up then it comes back again.

Any suggestions?

It starts out as an itchy irritant then turns into an infection.

I don't notice it until he's rubbing his ears on the side of his crate. Needless to say, his ears are always drooping which is frustrating, mostly because he rubs them everytime this flares up.

Vet gave my  Dad's lab a product called Zymox Otic. I found later it was available without a prescribtion. I used it for 4 weeks, but it cleared him up. This dog had a chronic infection and had scratched his ears bloody.  It also has hydrocortisone which helps itching. Lots of info on this product if you do a search.

Best, Rik

At app.  one year of age my girl (now nine) was swimming alot and got a chronic bacterial yeast infections. I battled this for years going back and fourth to the vets. It would clear up for awhile but always came back and I hated to keep giving her medications all the time.

I now treat her daily with the bio-groom  with boric acid and it worked great. (someone on this board suggested it) , Took a couple of weeks to clear up.  After about three weeks of a daily cleaning with the bio-groom and I alternate with a 50/50 mix of white vinager and water as the alcohol mix was too painful for her.

I miss a few days but still treat her at least 5 days per week except for one week on vacation. Her ears are clear and stand up perfectly now(her right ear was the bad one).

My plan is to slowly taper off and try to clean once a week but taking my time because I am hoping eventually to totally eliminate this problem.

Good luck

my dog(ENZO VOM DUNHILL) battled cronic ear infections in his early years....the vets did cultures(ect)and sent me home with expensive medications...which never really worked...i found a product called "ZYMOX",used it according to the directions,along with the compatable EAR-WASH(I USE THE PRODUCTS WITH HYDROCORTAZONE),it worked for me...maybe it'll work for you,you can get both products for less than the price of a vet's office visit...good luck!

Rainhaus

What do you think about the treatment I am doing?  I am trying to keep her off the medications so the bio-groom is just a cleaner and then I use vinager and water.  I don't want to do anything harmful and thought this was a good natural way to keep clean. I have been battling this for 7-8 years now.

Good advice from Malshep.

And what do you think vinegar is? A chemical, a dilute solution of what is called ascetic acid. And what do you think Zymox is and do you know how it works (if indeed it will work)?. 

If you have recurrent infection, something is not right. Either you don't have the right medication, or the medication is not being administered long enough, or deep enough to get to the seat of the infection.

In such cases, stop being cheap, take the dog to a vet, get a culture and sensitivity test done to identify the organism and get a proper medication that will kill it. Otherwise, you have a dog with infection going on for years (as some of you say here). That cannot be too comfortable for the dog...... I doubt you would tolerate an ear infection for a week, let alone years!

Hodie

You need to know what you are talking about before you accuse me of being cheap!  You are mouthing off and do not have a clue about how I take care of my dogs. If you would like a personal referance from my Vet I can get you one.  I will tell you point blank to YOUR FACE that my dogs ALWAYS receive the best of care and if I could not afford to take care of them then I would not have a dog period. I have also rescued and paid for treatments of strays and found them homes all apparently in spite of my being so called cheap!

I resent your remarks very much as you can tell!

I have had 3 vets tell me exactly the same thing that these bacterial yeast infections are hard to keep from re-occurring and I have researched and found lots of people have this issue and I myself have addressed this numerous times as many of us keep fighting this problem.  You can almost always count on someone jumping on and being insulting.

Hodie

You mouth and ego are getting way oversized just like your big fat ass!

NOT A SHOCK DR and no, there are many things I don't know. But you are the one who can't keep your dogs or relationships by your own account, has consistent ear problems with your dogs etc.....I don't. People know I will help, if they have an open mind. You don't. So let your dogs suffer.  If you know so much, why ask those of us here for solutions?

Also ole wise one Hodie who said anything about my dog suffering? You think you are so smart you did not even understand nor did you ask !  Any normal intelligent person would have read and understood that I always have to be treating her off/on to keep the yeast infection from coming back! Go back and re-read you dummy!  The MAIN ideal of my post is to find a treatment that keeps if from coming back. The longest she has ever went is about 3 months and then it comes back.

Geez  Hodie, you are so full of yourself!

Hodie you are so wise how can I ever survive without your help!  Oh no the sky is falling as the old wise one is refusing to help me! She is the only one in the whole wide world that can take care of a dog!

You are so full of yourself it is pathic.

I did not ask for your help nor do I want it!  

You came in with your big EGO and started running off at the mouth without knowing the facts and now you keep throwing your smug attitude at me.

We all know you have alot of dog knowledge but trust me you are starting to be a real bitch and full of yourself and full of shit. You started this by attacking me as you seem to think you are better than everyone else on here but I have news for you. You are not the only person on here that cares and takes care of their dogs.

My advise to you is to go fuck yourself as I am sure not many men would do that for you.

Hodie

Kindly remove your head out of your asshole orfice as we all know this. Many of us have worked with vets for years without success. You are not enlightning anyone here.

Like I said I have went to three different vets and worked with them over the last 7-8 years without success. I have researched on the interent and many many people have the same issue.

True some ear infections clear up easier than others but many people here have this same problem and my vet whom  I consider excellent confirms what I am saying as did the previous two.

You are trying to save face but throwing out more BS that is not helping anybody as we all know its hard to get rid of forever.

What is also interesting in all other ways this is an extremely healthy girl, at nine she is still like a pup and has not slowed down. Has nothing else wrong with her at all, had ofa good hips at 2.5 yrs of age and still high drive and runs all the time.

I hesitated to post, due to all the ruckus and ill feeling. But here I go: I had a GSD who was prone to ear infections from the time she was about 18months old until the end of her life (13 and a half years.) She went to the vet countless times, had ear swab cultures just about every time. I washed her ears and medicated them as directed for as long as directed each time. She'd be fine for a few months, then the infection came back. I did elimination diets, changed her to various foods and finally settled on a raw, organic diet. She still got ear infections a few times a year. She also developed a few immune disorders later in life which required constant treatment with prescription meds, which I gave her faithfully.

The point of this story is that some dogs have faulty immune systems that don't repel unwanted organisms and sometimes those immune systems turn against the dog's own cells. I hope the OP doesn't have a dog like this because it is a LOT of work to keep such an animal comfortable and as healthy as possible.  My experience was that some vets don't prescribe the medication for a long enough period of time to kill ALL of the bacteria/yeast organisms. Some vets don't give you enough meds to do the job for the time they prescribe. You have to insist that the dog's ear be swabbed and cultured and that you get enough medication for the large dog you have. I've had a  vet not give me enough meds for a GSD. I had a vet who didn't see anything in a culture and refused to treat an infected ear. Naturally I didn't see either of those vets again.

If your puppy continues to get ear infections, you may have to have him sedated and his ears cleaned by a vet. The vet should also culture the junk he removes from the ear. He should pack the ear with a broad spectrum antibiotic/antifungal/cortisone preparation. The animal may also need an oral medication depending on the type of organism the vet finds in the ear. You should go home with enough meds for the length of time the vet wants the infection treated and you should use all the meds. If you are not happy with your vet, ask fellow dog owners in your area who they like (especially if their dog's ear infection was successfully treated) and make an appointment with the new vet for a second opinion.  Second opinions are given all the time in medical practices. It shouldn't offend your vet and if it does, move on.

 Excellent summary Sam.

Thanks, Hodie. Unfortunately I had to become something of an expert on ear infections and elimination diets.

We had a ten minute thundershower - sound and fury signifying nothing. I'll have to water tomorrow.

Go Look for your Dancing shoes!!!

Here in the Red dirt state, we need rain , also.  I'm gonna call up the local Cherokee and Choctaw chief and see if he can help.

Birdy and uvw,  In the case of the dog I mentioned above, she had a serious food allergy that was at least partially responsible for her constant ear infections. Once I isolated the foods she couldn't tolerate by doing a series of elimination diets, and once I got her on a healthy, balanced raw diet her ear infections mostly cleared up as did the mysterious itchy patches on her skin. Yes, sometimes a malfunctioning immune system inside the dog causes external symptoms. I struggled with this problem years ago with an Am. showline bitch I had planned to show - that didn't work out since she got sick young. And there weren't blood tests for allergies back then, so I had to do it the hard way. Nor were there ready made patties and chubs of complete raw diets like there are now. But I figured I got the dog and she was my responsibility to care for to the best of my ability, so I did all the work required.

However, it isn't always or even usually the case that allergies are the culprit in ear infections.  A dog can get a foreign substance, like a weed or grass seed deep in the ear and have recurring infections from that if it is never removed. Even a very experienced owner may not see the seed if it is buried deep in the ear; often only a vet can see something like this in a sedated dog. Sometimes the problem will be a bug bite that got infected. Sometimes vaccinations can get a dog's immune system just enough out of sync that the animal gets an ear infection it would not otherwise have gotten. There are many possible causesfor recurring infections including as I mentioned above not getting enough medication or not giving medication long enough. If the infection is deep inside the ear, then just putting a few drops of medication on the smooth part of the ear you can reach isn't going to do the job.  Good luck on isolating the cause of your puppy's ear infection, Birdy, it may take repeated trips to the vet and being firm about getting enough medication.

AhSighEE, I see you are an Okie but I have to tell you that we Choctaws don't do rain dances although we can improvise with the best of 'em. A Lakota or a Navaho or a Hopi would be a better bet for a rain dance. And we sure do need one here.

Good post Sam,

I to have a dog with faulty immune system that constantly had ear infections untill I have finaly found a diet that suits, plus he is now on long term steroid use at a low dosage as apart from the food allergy he also has a dust mite allergy.  For the last 3mths his ears are finaly clean & healthy. He was on Cyclosporine for 9mths but that did not control his skin or his ears and he developed muscle wastage etc.

Pam

Wildmoor, glad to hear you got your allergic dog's problems under control. It's a challenge to care for a dog with a faulty immune system, isn't it. Sounds like you are doing a good job.

I have to chuckle when my blode hair, blue eyed baby girl walks into the Indian Education office. Boy those Germans sure ate her up over in Europe though! LOL

DR what do you feed your dog?

DR-I get what you are saying. You're going out of your way to prevent further infections for your dog and get slammed for it.     When I was a kid one sibling and I got constant ear infections while the others didn't.  When my four were little two of them had the same problem. The ear/nose/throat doctor said that some people have ear canals that were not shaped properly and the normal fluids that would drain from other ears won't for these type ears.

My point being, it may just be the shape of the dog's ear canal and prevention might be the only thing that would be effective. 

I've always gotten the impression that you are top notch with your dog's welfare.  Good luck with your dog.

Dawgs

This is the one where Hodie started all the bs