Ear infections - Page 1

When I brought my 3 mo female home, and brought her to the vet for her "checkup" I was told she had ear mites. After treating them, they went away. About 2 mos. later, I noticed her ears are always "dirty". I'm constantly cleaning them. Last week she starting scratching her ear and crying - so back to the vet - she has a double ear infection. Anybody ever have this problem, and what causes it?

Sorry, no expert here. But treat it with everything you can and clear it up once and for good. Your pup may loose hearing over this condition. Antibiotics helped my dog. The problem with our breed, they never show their true pain and we really have to take care of them. They just keep going on. Until it is too late to be proactive. Watch out for your little GSD.

what food are you feeding? when the Vet treated your ear mites did he/she give you injections as well as topical ear ointment? you can email me directly if you like. fumi@schutzhundgsd.net

The initial treatment may not have rid your pup of the mites completely. There may have been some left on the body or the environment your pup lives in (house, kennel, crate, bed/bedding, car, another pet in the household including cat, etc) Check out this link for some pretty good info on earmites and treatment: http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dearmites.html Good luck.

Ear infections can be a syptom of food allergies.

As well watch out for foods that have higher concentrations of yeast, and soy.

A smear of the exudate in the ear canal may help to identify the organisms present. This is useful in identifying yeast infections in particular. Culturing the ear for bacteria is sometimes beneficial as well, although it is easy to miss the bacteria causing most of the problem with cultures. When a pathogenic bacteria is identified, sensitivity testing allows the veterinarian to choose the proper antibiotic with more certainty. The ear canal should be cleaned thoroughly. In some instances this will require anesthesia since the ears are often very sensitive when infected. Medications appropriate for the infectious organisms found should be used long enough to eliminate the problem. It often takes treatment of the ear topically and systemic treatment using oral antibiotics to eliminate a stubborn infection. It is sometimes necessary to clean the ear two or three times during the course of treatment. It may take several months of treatment to control an infection that has been present for some time. Identifying the underlying cause will help to prevent recurrences of the ear disease. It can be difficult to do this in some dogs. In some dogs ear infections are the only visible sign of food allergy or inhalant allergy. It often seems like too much work or too much expense to try elimination diets for food allergy or skin testing for allergies when persistent ear infections are the only problem. It is worth it in many dogs, though.

A smear of the exudate in the ear canal may help to identify the organisms present. This is useful in identifying yeast infections in particular. Culturing the ear for bacteria is sometimes beneficial as well, although it is easy to miss the bacteria causing most of the problem with cultures. When a pathogenic bacteria is identified, sensitivity testing allows the veterinarian to choose the proper antibiotic with more certainty. The ear canal should be cleaned thoroughly. In some instances this will require anesthesia since the ears are often very sensitive when infected. Medications appropriate for the infectious organisms found should be used long enough to eliminate the problem. It often takes treatment of the ear topically and systemic treatment using oral antibiotics to eliminate a stubborn infection. It is sometimes necessary to clean the ear two or three times during the course of treatment. It may take several months of treatment to control an infection that has been present for some time. Identifying the underlying cause will help to prevent recurrences of the ear disease. It can be difficult to do this in some dogs. In some dogs ear infections are the only visible sign of food allergy or inhalant allergy. It often seems like too much work or too much expense to try elimination diets for food allergy or skin testing for allergies when persistent ear infections are the only problem. It is worth it in many dogs, though.

Hi, Yes I have a female that came up from the South. It seems since I got her last summer she has had ear problems. I took the problem on myself, cleaning, drying, digging, ear wash then dry and dry. Cleared up to come back. I even tried some drops of antibiotic my husband used for his infection. That did mostly clear it all up, but not completely. I never totally believed in dog allergeries, but now I am beginning to wonder. So hence, I changed her dry kibble, up the supplements I use and now she is fine. So, it must of been coming from her food, she has had not problem, but I clean out my dogs ears weekly as I brush their teeth too. Try changing the pups food, put some hot water over it so it does not stick to its teeth just a little.

Yes, the vet gave her drops and a shot for the mites. (She is 11 mos old now). When I brought her there Sat. and asked if the mites may have returned, he didn't see any- also stated that using Frontline Plus (which I do) can control mites that may have traveled out of the ear onto the dogs' back. He gave me some "animax" cream to use 2X a day for 10 days. I was wondering about the underlaying cause, alot of people have brought up food. That was my thought, also, but wasn't sure. She is eating (don't yell everyone - it's what my breeder started her off with) Science Diet, I was thinking of switching to Chicken Soup or Canadie...which one would be lower in Soy and Yeast? Thanks for everyone's help!