The Dirt on Ear Infections - Page 1

Please click on the following link to view the article: The Dirt on Ear Infections. 

The article says nothing that has not been said before, Anyone can help there dogs by not feeding a kibble with Grains certainly the ones mentioned Wheat, Soy Maize etc , Oats are okay but none is better
Steve1

Uvw, you must be the author.  Good article.  I find it interesting, I groom dogs and most ears are pretty nasty with dark residue, but I clean my dogs ears and the cotton balls come out with almost nothing on them, even my older dog-- raw diet.

I also have an article to share from Examiner.com,The 10 WORST breeds of dog for children

The only ear issues I ever have had are due to the dogs swimming, whether lakes, ponds, rivers, channels.

Many ear infections.
The Good part is they are easily treeatable.  Usually its 1 part vinegar and 1 part alcohol and generally keep them dry.

If anyone has further questions, let me know, or PM me. 
Hope that helps


Uglydog aka Bill Wanke

Interesting side note, but several years ago there was an archeological discovery on some bluffs overlooking the ocean, somewhere in Peru, I think. They found some mummies, there, from indigenous people, maybe several hundred years old. They were mummified in the sitting position. At any rate, the men had very calcified ear canals. From that, the researchers knew that these people made their living from the sea. Apparently long term exposure to water can set up inflammatory processes that cause cartilagenous and soft tissues to thicken and calcify.

Water spray ia absolutely the worst thing for dogs. When cleaning / hosing out kennels, the dogs must be removed from the area, or they will be subjected to water spray, even if it just bounces off the concrete at an angle. Worse, some with high prey drive want to bite / chase the water spray. It's funny to see, but disasterous long term effects for the dogs. Especially if you live in a high humidity area, the water that gets into the ear canal will just stay and harbor infection and inflammation. One help might be a dehumidifier, if you kennel the dogs inside. They work quite well. I have used a dehumidifier to help dry out water in a carpet after a washing machine overflowed in the house and completely soaked the entire carpet. I never got so much as any mildew.

Mummies you say......

Hi Bill.

Nothing new here.


Moons.

I've used this formula and it really works. You might want to read this and print it out or save this link:
http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/EarCleaner.html
I've also added gentian violet to the mix. GV is a wonderful natural antifungal agent.
Ear infections are usually complicated, involving concurrent overgrowths of bacteria, fungii, yeasts. Some of the fungii may actually irritate the tissues so as to cause serum to weep, contributing to the moist environment they need to flourish.
One bitch of mine, many years ago, developed a nasty chronic ear infection, following a veterinary surgery that drained into the ear canal. It doesn't take much, just a start, and inattention. The longer you wait to treat it, the more thickened and narrow the ear canal becomes, and the less chance to keep it dry, naturally. That's why these ear infections become chronic, with lifelong flareups.
If the dog rubs their head or shakes it hard enough, they can pop a blood vessel in the ear and get a huge hematoma, which will permanently disfigure the ear. There's not much you can do about it. A blood pocket will form between the two skin layers and the blood will clot and lyse (break down) releasing fibrin, which will grow scar tissue. Eventually, it will reduce on it's own, whether or not you seek veterinary treatment.. but it will always look crumpled. All the veterinarian can do is to lance the ear flap to get it to drain, and they will try to keep it open.. or it will simply fill up, again. Any drainage will likely get into the ear canal, aggravating the original cause.. the ear infection.
If you use kennel helpers, watch them and don't let them squirt your dogs with the hose. This is almost guaranteed to cause big problems.

Good morning, John LT.. Nothing to do, as usual, I see. Cut and paste peanut monkey. Tell us something new. By the way, you were the one that first sent me the link on the cocker spaniel ear infection treatment page. Thank you! Yes, it is a big help. I guess you have had problems down in Florida with the heat and humidity.