Chronic Ear Yeast Infection - Page 1

After years of fighting and treating a chronic ear yeast infection and trying many different things and several vets I finally have cleared my girl's ear up.

All I did for treatment this time was clean her ear twice a day for two weeks. No medications period.

But after 20 years of feeding Exceed Lamb and Rice I switched over to Nutro Natural Choice and within 3 weeks the bacterial yeast infection cleared totally up. It has now been  two more months and they have remained clear.

I have spents hundreds of dollars on vet bills and medications and never went more than 3-4 weeks without the yeast infection coming back and having to start new treatments.

Without a doubt the different food has made a huge difference imo.  Opened my eyes to the fact that while I thought the lamb and rice was  a excellent food maybe it was not and really thought any lamb and rice was good. Looks like I was wrong. I would have switched foods years ago if I had thought it would help.

Posting this for anyone else having this type of chronic ear problem.

I'm definitely NOT a vet,but have been told by GSD folks that adding Lactobacillus acidophilus to daily rations would stave off chronic otitis externa caused by common fungal flora(the offending organism has a name like an elephant's...Pachaderma something; help me out here!) of the external ear canal. Whether this is true, I don't know. Just throwing this out after reading this thread.  What do you folks say? I'm curious.

Berte's Ultra Probiotic Powderhttp://www.b-naturals.com/product_info.php?products_id=23
This blend contains beneficial bacteria, including acidophilus which helps to fight yeast and keep the system acidic. It is sprinkled on the food with each meal. Be sure not to apply this to very warm or hot food, as it will destroy the good bacteria.
Berte's Zyme
A full spectrum mix of enzymes that helps with the breakdown of fats, proteins and carbohydrates for easier and quicker processing by the body.
HAC Yeast  and Fungal
An herbal blend that helps fight yeast and kill yeast . This tincture is given at one drop per five pounds of body weight, two to three times a day for two weeks. Give one week off and repeat for two more weeks. Give with a small amount of food.
Tasha's Olive Leaf Extract
This herb helps fight , bacteria and virus. Give for one month on, a week off, and then repeat for one more month. It comes in a handy dropper top bottle.
Salmon Oil Capsules
Omega-3 fatty acids help to regulate the immune system and aid in coat and skin problems.
These products can be purchased separately or they are available in a convenient Yeast Fighter Starter Pack.
It is important to keep the skin and coat clean. Oatmeal shampoos are soothing to the skin and work as an aid against itching.  A good companion to the shampoo is Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe. The Witch Hazel helps to temporarily stop the itching, while the aloe vera helps cool the area and aids in the healing process. It comes in a handy 11-ounce plastic squirt bottle and has a fresh, clean smelling odor.

I am keeping my fingers crossed but if it comes back will give this a try. My girl is going on 8 years of age and I have treated her ear for the last 6 years. Very frustrating as three different vets tried all types of medications and treatments and none ever worked for long.

thanks for the suggestions

I'm not vet, however an easily solution that was given to us by an old time vet several years ago that worked for chronic yeast oriented ear infections is... 1 part alcohol and 2 parts white vinegar, used as a wash. Let the dog shake the solution out after squirting some in.

Our vet doesn't like this, as he feels the alcohol is too harsh. But we had a friend of our's dog at our house for a while that had routine ear infections. After continued maintenance of this wash 2-3 times per week, she didn't  continue to have problems.  (it doesn't cure an infection, it is maintenance) Check with your vet, for his/her opinion before beginning anybody's anecdotal advice. 

Southtexan:   Surprise surprise    glad you got off Exceed Lamb and Rice       l......do you know who makes the infamous  Eceed , that  Sams is suppose to exclusively own the right to tell them how to make it,, so you get the best....

Purina dog chow.......and you were buying the same thing that is the bag of nonsense , at Walmart or the grocerystore,.,I proved it...

last Feb  I opened a bag of Lamb and rice ,by Exceed   used it for years , when I lived in Gal. and started about two years ago,,,back on it....and out of the bag I dished up for the evening , were little red hearts   and I still have them , btw...saved half a bag.....for three bags I kept getting little red hearts and several other people in Dallas did too...I contacted the number on the bag, and since the recall scare , they had a recording , to call a different number.....so between both numbers,,,I was talking to Nestles who is the producer of Purina dog chow......I called the other number on the bag back and sams rep wouldnt tell me who makes it...said she didnt know    ,,,,,Hogwash   they were told not to tell....Finally I got a rep after getting to the top that told me Purina makes their dog food....

I went to Walmart , looked at the choices and to petsmart ,and found the dog food, exactly with red hearts, and the next bags of dog food , from EXCEED. had different colored pieces , and it is the same thing they charge 16.99 for and is nothing more thatn what you get when you buy Purina dog chow..

I really think they changed manufacturers along the way, because it use to be good.....and then my dogs coaats started showing that something wasnt right   even with the raw added to it....

They did reemburse me the price of two bags since I had little red hearts in it...I havae a pic and I posted it several months back on the site here when someone else used exceed......The only thing I dont like about Nurto   is the menadione in it and exceed had it also....I dropped them both like a lead balloon...The Schutx club in houston is the one that email all of us that the menadione study was found in both of those brands......Bil Jac and  Avoderm ,,Blue Buffalo and Ecanuba dont have menadione.. in them,,  or Royal Canin  

Feed certainly plays a significant role.

I duck hunt often, my dog is always swimming and ears show it.   Best treatment is  White Vinegar/Alcohol 50-50 mix (Not Peroxide), pour small amount in ear, massage, tilt dogs ear slightly and let drain out-which it will naturally.  Wipe clean  with a Qtip, problem solved.

Southtexan,which food are you using?eg-chicken,venison,cat fish.Also ,do you know where to find the ingredients for the Exceed Lamb-Rice cause i cant find it and im curious to see what could of been making your dog react.Yes i am dealing with the same thing in one of my boys.I just want to compare the two foods.Thanks

I was using the Exceed Lamb and Rice. Had no complaints as my girl loved it, never had a health problem her whole life except for the one ear. She has a short coat but very thick undercoat and health and shiney. I tried all the treatments I heard about including all kinds of homemade solutions(yes the vinegar and alcohol) and many more plus all the medications from the vet.

I have fairly well convinenced the switch in food is the main reason for the improvement. My dogs problem first started when I was taking her swimming all the time.

I don't have a bag of exceed to look at but maybe someone else here does.

Also, the Exceed I used never had little red hearts in it and it was about $20.00 for 40 lbs.

Also, she has always had extreme drives and never ending energy. Drive wise most males had nothing on her plus her food drive was extreme which is why she is such a superior scenting dog. Never had a coat or skin issue or any type of allergy, just the ear.

Now the other thing I did was use no medication and cleaned her ear twice a day with a Q-tip for two weeks along with switching food. The reason I switched food was she was getting alittle overweight and plus being almost  years old I wanted her on the gluos....for her joints.  She is OFA good but had orked so hard all her life I am trying to protect her joints. She still moves like a youngster and hope to keep her that way.