Ears, yeast infection - Page 2

hope this helps...i am in no way an expert, but i've dealt with a lot of these issues and this is what i've learned:

yeast infections in ears - eliminate all grains from the dogs diet, even the small amounts in the purina or other dry foods you mix in.  if you feed a lot of chicken, or if the main ingredients in the dry foods are chicken or turkey, it may be too much.  it turns out many gsd's have problems with too much chicken (or beef).  switch to lamb or some other meat for a while and see how he does.  you can clean ears with a water and white vinegar solution.  

if your dog has environmental allergies you can add some bee pollen (powder) as a supplement to his food.  

vets aren't going to do anything more than give you an ointment or antibiotic.  veterinary dermatologists are a waste of money.

if anyone has any questions you can always pm me.

 oh, and cut down on the fruits and veggies if you're feeding them...they turn into yeast

As most of you have stated vets usually offer little more than treatment for symptoms, I am going to see a different vet than I usually go to and plan on getting some real answers.  I usually agree with everything my vet says even when I dont just to avoid ruffled feathers.  Maybe some of you might understand why, but I wont have this same relationship to worry about with the other vet.  

These infections have come with no pattern that I can see, all the while I feed pretty much the same all the time. This is the first time I've ever had trouble with this and its only been this one dog, the other two have never had this.  Allergies may very well be his problem.

I thought the first one was caused from swimming in the ohio river which is not as clean as some like to think.   I dont eat fish caught in the river.

The second time I blamed it on my dog being in the kennel to long, I had a bitch in heat and needed to keep them apart.

The third time I considered mites, but what do mites have to do with yeast?  My vet did cultures.

This last time I didnt have a clue except that we had such a dry dusty year, dirt and pollen in his ear..  I dunno.

If I dont get any answers from the vet I will change his feeding habits to see if that makes a difference.

 A lady I work with who breeds Goldens uses a mixture of equal parts:  Polysporin (name brand), Vagisil cream, and Cortaid.  

My vet told me when I brought in a rescue GSD who's ears were so infected with yeast they were actually "floppy" to use a an ear wash and if that didn't help then 2:1 parts water to rubbing alcohol. Add yogurt to diet and clean ears daily if possible or at the least 3X's a week for about a month or until it clears. It cleared up and then I just had to clean his ears about once a week.

Vet told me that with some of the working lines that yeast infections in the ears is genetic and just try to be preventative about it. Clean ears about once a week and keep feeding yogurt.

hi..after spending tons of cash on vet visits(cultures,ect) and products that didn't work,i stumbled upon an ad for "ZYMOX"i use the product with hydrocortizone and the compatable "EARWASH",i used the product as per instructions and also use it maybe 2/3 times a year to keep everything looking good.maybe it'll work for you,maybe it won't...but it sure worked for me.i don't dump water down the ear canal..i saturate a cotton ball and dribble it down the canal as i press the ball against the earflap,30 second massage,then let him shake it out,clean what i can reach(without poking around in the canal opening)then apply the "ZYMOX DROPS",afterwards i crate the dog and give him something yummy and big to chew on(stops the head shaking and pawing)if he falls asleep...great,let him rest then turn him out...hope this helps

 Rubbing alcohol is to strong for a dog's ears.  Plus if your dog has been scratching at them she could have some really sensitive ears along with some open scratches.  Alcohol will burn, causing the dog to scratch more.

We've always used 50/50 white vinegar and water.

But again if it is a food allergy, cleaning the ears and applying all the ointments suggested(which are good ones),  with clear the infection for a short period, but until the root of the problem is discovered it will be a continuing problem.  I think your best long term solution if to follow the advice of making some food changes.

Dog's do have food and inhalant allergies much like us, the symptons just exhibit themselves in different ways.

Sometimes recurrent yeast ear infections are a sign of thyroid issues.  You may want to ask your vet to do a blood test.  If he does have thyroid issues, it can be corrected with medication.

Interesting topic.  This is a problem  with so many different dogs and different breeds, there's a reason for so many different ear washes available on the market.

Here's a question to go along with the issue.  Is this one of those problems that is considered genetic and the dog should not be used for breeding?  Or is this a non-issue?

I dont think dogs are supposed to be allergic to anything.   I wont be breeding him.

What would you do with a rabbit that was allergic to grass.    answer?   it will never happen, natural selection.