Posted on 02/25/2009 8:45:42 PM PST by txroadkill
Need Freeper Help. I have a 3 yr old cocker spaniel that has really bad ear infections. I knew it would probably be an issue when I got him but for the first 2 years he never had any problems. Now, however, he has had re-occurring infections and now the vet says that his ear canals have calcified to the point that they need to be “scraped out”, a procedure that will leave him deaf. Does anybody know of a better solution?
Second opinion?
Second opinion
Possibly H202, dog will probably hate you for it, and if you want to understand why pour a little into your ear.
Hydrogen peroxide?
We use an old family recipe on our ears. You may want to try it on the dog.
Mix half and half peroxide and sweet oil or olive oil.
Insert 6-8 drops in the ear and massage the ear to work it in.
This has cured our kids ear infections for years and years. It should help, I don’t think it would hurt a dog especially if we use it in infants ears.
Mix half and half peroxide and sweet oil or olive oil.
Get another opinion, We have a 4 year old Pomeranian/Maltese mix and he has had pain in his ears before, they gave him drops. Never heard of scraping, I’d get another opinion before doing anything drastic. That procedure sounds like too much work for something minor as an ear infection
Tea tree oil might be helpful, but be very cautious and research it’s use thoroughly beforehand. Quite the effective, natural antibiotic and antifungal, but topical only. Dilute it in warm water for an earwash. Can be fatal if ingested, especially at full strength. It’s derived from melaleuca. Another potential drawback would be strong odor.
My wife (a former vet tech) is telling me you should definitely seek a second opinion. Also see if the ears can be cleaned often enough to prevent the necessity of scraping.Basically make scraping the very last resort.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/eartrouble.html
http://www.dermapet.com/articles/art_ther_ear.html
http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/HealthConditions/SmallAnimalTopics/OtitisExterna/
Ol’ Yallar was a Ridgeback we rescued from...long terrible story of abuse, so won’t go there. Had ear problems as you describe. The Vet told us about the scraping, but insisted it was a last resort option. He gave us a bottle of VET Solutions Ear Cleansing Solution for dogs and cats. Put a few drops per ear, and stand back as the dog shakes its head and the stuff flies allover. Do it outside LOL. (actually no LOL, I’m serious, do it outside.) It worked for the old dog whom has in years since departed this World. Miss him terribly.
We’ve had over 30 dogs the 31 years we’ve been married, but only one was a Cocker. We heard they were susceptible to ear infections, but we lucked out with our guy. Another rescue as was Ol’ Yallar, but actually all of them were either rescue, or they just found a pair of suckers in us.
So my recommendation is to get the dog to another VET for a second opinion, and tell the Vet it’s a second opinion, and you really want to try an alternative first if he tells you the same thing as the first Vet. Better to try than to commit the dog to deafness for the rest of his life IMO, but do what ya gotta do.
I would always suspect yeast if the dog has been on any antibiotics prior to having this disorder.
Ask the vet if it’s safe to clean a dog’s ears out with hydrogen peroxide. I know it’s safe for humans and it works well on cerumen. Not sure if it’ll dissolve calcifications, though.
Are they outer ear or middle ear infections? Is your vet treating it with ear drops or oral meds?
Many times a chronic infection that won’t clear up with antibiotics is actually a fungal infection. Antibiotics may appear to help because there are opportunistic bacteria who will join the assult.
A culture would tell the tail, but a trial with antifungals/antibacterials would work as a cheaper test.
Your dog may also have resistant bacteria that won’t respond to typical medications. Again, you may get a bit of an improvement, but the infection won’t go away.
Peroxide (50/50 with warm water) helps, too. Twice a day for a week.
No matter what, I’d get a second opinion.
http://earthclinic.com/Pets/ear_infection.html
www.onlynaturalpets.com (also call them for advice)
(I spent $3K on vet visits to no avail when my cat fell ill with a bad crystal problem. The vets said surgery was the last option. I researched natural remedies after exhausting all traditional therapies. These two sites provided a gold mine of information. Today my cat is totally healthy and has not needed surgery or another vet visit after using the “natural” treatments recommended at these sites.)
I concur, this is a great site and the information has been very helpful for me and my pets.
I would definitely get a second opinion. If it’s bad enough to require veterinary help, then follow their instructions.
Here are general techniques for cleaning a dog’s ears which I have used after extensive research. Remember that every case is different and follow your vet’s instructions over anyone else’s. This is not a good system for dogs with open sores in their ears:
Buy a couple condiment bottles with narrow spouts. In one bottle, mix hydrogen peroxide (the weak stuff from the pharmacy) and alcohol 50/50. In the other, vinegar and alcohol 50/50.
In the bath tub where you can rinse any overflow off the dog when you’re finished, point the tip of the peroxide/alchohol spout towards the dog’s ear canal. A dog’s ear turns downward, so you need to make sure you’re pointing the liquid in the right spot. BE CAREFUL NOT TO CRAM IT IN!!!!! You don’t want to injure the dog. Fill the ear to overflowing. Don’t let the dog shake it out unless it’s in real distress. You want to fill both ears up and massage the ear canals the best you can from the outside for a count of 60. Let the dog shake it out. Then repeat with the vinegar/alcohol, really flushing out the ear canal. No massage is necessary with the vinegar.
The peroxide cleans out the crud and disinfects the ear. The vinegar rinses the crud out, disinfects the ear, and resets the pH to fungus unfriendly levels. The alcohol disperses the water in the other chemicals from the ears and disinfects.
You should check before the ear washing to see if the dog has a fungal infection. You can tell by the smell. Healthy dog ears don’t smell bad at all. If the ears are infected, then after your dog’s ears have dried out, put in a few drops of antifungal medicine from your vet and massage the ears for a count of 60. If you have no medicine from the vet, you can use athletes foot cream, vagisil, or other antifungals.
I would advise against tea tree oil. It’s very powerful, absorbs immediately into the skin, and could harm your dog.
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