Ear Infection - Page 1

Gsd are really prone to ear infections, right? The erect 11-shape ears of a female of mine seems to be in a V-shape lately. I suspected that she might be suffering an ear infection. What are the best medications for such an ailment? What are the materials to be used for cleaning the ears? Thanks in advance.

Hi im a veterinary nurse from the UK. We recommend cleaning the ears with Epi-opic and for the infection side of things we would use either Otomax or Canaural as seem to have the best results from these drugs. Hope this helps

Are Epic-opic & Otomax/Canaural available at drugstores? Are these for human use also?

Wok, Yes German Shepherds are prone for ear infections. My poor Zambi had a severe case of ear infection, twice. The bacteria was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (A hard to get rid of bacteria) My vet even mention possible surgrey to my poor girl if the Pseudomonas aeruginosa doesn't go away soon (It can cause a dog to go deaf). It was really bad. My suggestion is to not allow your dog to play with anything with water (because the ears are erected) and to clean out the dirty wax at times. I'm not a vet nor a nurse but at times when Zambi's ear became infected my vet gave me the medication, Otomax (She gave me the Epi-opic solution) and Baytril (to kill the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa) my vet also packs Zambis infected ear.. I don't exactly know what this packing stuff is called but it's a pretty stiff jelly type stuffs that looks like vaseline (feels like it too) My vet would pack the ear every week until the ear looks somewhat healthy again. Maybe Flipper might have an idea of what this medication is called..

Wok quoted "Are Epic-opic & Otomax/Canaural available at drugstores? Are these for human use also?" you may want to speak with your current vet and doctor to get a promising answer. Some medications that you can get over the net requires a prescription.

Hi, I did some interning at a vet clinic so I know a little about ear infections. First, sniff your dogs ear and if it is an unpleasant smell, it may be an ear infection. If it it swollen, red and inflammed, it may be caused by an ear infection too. Allergies can cause ear inflammation though. When we see an ear infection at my clinic, it is important to figure out the source of the ear infection. Typically, there are 2 types of infection one caused by yeast and the other caused by bacteria. Either yeast or bacterial infections can be a secondary infection caused by a parisite such as mites. Each of these infections have different treatments. So, first, have your vet do a swab of the ear. Don't clean it out before you get there because they will need to be able to swab something. Once the cause of the infection has been determined, the vet will give you epi-otic or another ear flush to flush the ears out and then give you a medicated cream to put in after flushing and drying the ears. I'm sorry my advice is only have the vet see the dog, but if you don't know the cause of the infection, it is hard to treat. For instance, otomax is usually used for bacterial infections, but not necessarily yeast infections. If the problem was first caused by the mites, you have to clear up the mites problem which is a whole different approach. For mites, it you look in the ear and take a cotton ball and get out little black dots, mites are your problem and you can go to a local pet store and get mite treatment, usually R-7 stuff works great if you can't go to the vet. If the gunk is just brown/reddish/black and it doesn't seem to be individuals, it isn't mites its either yeast or bacterial. In regards to if GSDs are more prone to ear infections, I don't believe so. Mostly because their ears are erect, yes stuff can get in them such as water, but because their ears are erect, it dries them out and is not as dark a place. Dogs with floppy ears, labradors, bassets, etc, have more of an ear infection problem because their floppy ears provide a nice dark place for the bacteria to divide and for mites to multiply.

Brittany, do you use Dr. Cindy Bossart? I know she packs ears in Ft. Lauderdale area.

GSD12 is correct. The ears should smell of healthly ear wax only and should appear clean at the lower part of the ear canal. An offensive odour is cause for concern. Or, if the wax in the bottom portion of the ear canal is medium to dark brown there should be a sample taken for a culture. Of course the brown colour can merely be from dust or tree pollen. I may add that in addition to bacterial or yeast infections there is always the chance for ear mites as well. Only a veterinarian can examine the culture from the ear and make a correct first diagnosis. As GSD12 said, it can be a combination of mites and other organisms. In all of the years with the GSD we had an ear mite infestation once with one (1) bitch. That said, I do nowadays have one (1) male who is sensitive to ear infections of either the bacterial or fungal type. He has a normal weekly maintenance routine whereas I squirt two (2) cc's of T-8 solution in each ear and allow him to shake them dry. This maintenance solution is formulated to combat both fungal and microbial infections and soften hardened wax. But if I see any dog shake their head more than once, I do the same thing for two (2) days. With the others it is usually caused by a small piece of dirt or a stray hair. I also do not think that the GSD is prone to ear infection moreso than any other breed. Their ears are erect which allows plenty of air circulation. I think that most of the problems we see are caused when less than clean water enters the ear canal, there is a high concentration of dust or pollen in the air, or all three (3) issues. The ear canal is nearly vertical, but then makes a sharp bend towards the skull. Just past this bend is the point where this water will linger and irritate the ear tissue. My advice-please go to the veterinarian for this first diagnosis just in case it is ear mites. It's just my advice to practice a normal ear inspection weekly for all of the dogs. Bob-O

You can buy Veterinarian's Choice at Pet Smart. There is a cleaning solution and a drying solution that works well with ear problems.

I have a senior male that has allergies and is prone to yeast infections if he gets ahold of something that sets them off. My vet had me try Zymox last time. Great stuff!! It's enzyme action based. Site is here: http://entirelypets.stores.yahoo.net/zyotenso.html I used the ear cleaner and the otic with hydrocortisone but they also have hydrocorisone free. Don't need a prescription (which i used to have to get meds solely from the vet as well as the ear cleaner.). Angela