Yeasty dog ear - HELP

amother

Goldenrod ↓

Mon, May 09 2016, 1:25 pm

My dog has one 'problem' ear, the vet says it's yeast. It's full of dark goop and it smells.

I buy an ear treatment from the vet at $50 a bottle, and I didn't think it was working but over Pesach I didn't apply it and the ear actually looks a bit better. I wonder if the constant moisture from the medication is actually making the dogs ear worse.

Looking online, there are some people who say to use a solution with one part 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with one water, but there are other sites that say NOT to do this.

I don't want to hurt my dog but I'm worried the chronic infection is causing damage too!

Help!

PAMOM

Mon, May 09 2016, 4:22 pm

Don't use peroxide--lots of reasons why. The moisture from the ear medicine is to help the actual treatment get into the ear. Did the vet shoe you how to apply it )massage it down into the ear canal )? Yeast infections can be very painful and hard to get rid of II you don't treat them correctly. The pain can also make a calm dog bite if you accidentally touch the ear in a place that hurts. Use the medicine for the length of time the vet said. Are you supposed to also flush it with anything? You can wipe it out with a clean dry cotton ball before you put the medicine in if not. When you've finished the dosing, see how it looks and smells.

Amarante ↓

Mon, May 09 2016, 4:39 pm

I feel for you and your dog as the dog we had when I was a child had this problem. He had dangly ears and fur that grew in them which created a fertile climate for this kind of ear infection.

I would follow your vet's recommendations and I second Pamom's advice regarding massaging the drops in. My mother would also warm the drops the way you would do for ear drops for a child.

She would also very carefully clean the exterior of the ear - you don't want to probe the ear just as you wouldn't probe a human's ear.

As I recall, the vet had also given us some kind of antiseptic powder which was supposed to keep his canal dry. My mother used to joke that my canine sibling and I had the same ear tsuris since as a child I always got terrible "swimmer's ear" infections which are essentially the same thing for a human - bacterial or fungal growth in the outer part of the ear canal.

The worst part of the treatment was that theoretically we were supposed to pluck the hair from his ear. None of us had the heart to do this as he was a very stoic good natured dog but this would cause him to yelp and whine. He was so traumatized by the plucking that if anyone even opened up the drawer in which the dog ear tweezers were kept he would bolt and hide under a bed. For better or worse, we relied on the groomer to clean his ears - I have a feeling they probably sedated the dogs somewhat as he always napped as soon as he came home. I doubt his groomer is still there - it was on Avenue K between CIA and East 12th Street.

Poor dog - you should try to stay on top of it as the infection can really make the dog miserable. The first time he was diagnosed by the vet, he actually had tiny mites who had taken up residence.

FranticFrummie

Mon, May 09 2016, 5:26 pm

Ugh, I had this problem with my old pug, and it was awful! We battled the yeast for years, and never did much except keep it from getting worse. We tried everything the vet could give us, cleaned every day, the whole deal (except pulling hairs). It was a nightmare for everyone involved.

I swear, I am never getting a dog with fold-over ears again. That's part of why I got chihuahuas after my pug died.

Good luck, I wish I had a magic pill for you!

amother

↑ Goldenrod

Mon, May 09 2016, 6:29 pm

I got instructions to massage it in from the vet, and I do. Dog makes a deeply contented noise and shakes out his head. I clean outer ear with cotton ball.

I don't tweeze because I am afraid to hurt him but I do trim the ear hair with clippers to help give them air. I just feel like the liquid medicine is more wetness that won't air out.

I will ask about this ear powder, maybe that will help.

Greenfire thank you for that video.

↑ Amarante

Tue, May 10 2016, 7:20 am

If you google poodle and ear infection, there is a recommendation by many of the people who seem to be very knowledgable (they are long term owners or breeders) of a homemade ear wash that consists of boric acid and some other elements. I don't remember the exact recipe.

Now I wouldn't use this without consulting a vet especially since you have a bad infection now which I think would require anti fungal medicine. However, it might be good for maintenance. There is absolutely no recommendation for hydrogen peroxide and I think it might be too strong for delicate ears. I have had to wash some lacerations with it and I can't imagine pouring it in my ear especially if it was inflamed in some way.