Posted on 01/21/2011 2:41:39 PM PST by Nachum
So good to see freepers recommending professional care. There was a freeper here a couple of weeks ago asking for information about his infant’s ear infection. About half the responses recommended home remedies.
Yeast infection.
First clean dog’s ears with witch hazel on gauze.
Ask vet for ear drops *or* go buy some lady’s “yeast infection cream” or “jock itch cream” at Walmart.
Seriously.
If you didn't guess, I live in a rural area, so we have a feed store in every direction. Plus, my dogs are as big as livestock anyway.
Good answer.
A Bernese Mountain Dog (100# plus) used to be a playmate for my 38 pound Lab. They would bump chests and it would knock Shelley sprawling, and she would jump up and go back for more. They had a wonderful time together - Labs are quite durable.
Yeah, my Labs are on the small side for Labs (38, 52, and 56 pounds) and probably all three of them might make one of yours!
Almost, but a little shy. My smallest dog weighed 166 lbs at her last weigh in. My biggest boy is 228 lbs.
Try Neem oil instead.
Works better and isn’t toxic like tea tree oil is.
It consistently rates 5 stars on dog food quality websites.
Odin eats the “High Prairie” formula.
It is excellent for dogs who have food sensitivities since there are no allergenic grain products in it and the protein sources are “exotic” which means the animal has less chance of being sensitive to them.
High Prairie is bison/venison based, for example.
They also have a salmon/fish formula, lamb formula and a “Wetlands” variety that has waterfowl as protein.
Great stuff, IMO.
Neem oil kills all mites [including demodectic mange mites] and is totally safe and effective.
[and very soothing to itchy, inflamed skin]
Diluted, it is a safe and hypoallergenic flea and tick repellent for use on the animal or in your yard and garden.
Try “Taste of the Wild” kibbles.
Really great grain-free stuff.
Thanks, I have Neem Oil in the house. I will try it.
You’re welcome.
My one old Ibizan has skin issues and it’s the only thing she actually enjoys having me massage onto her.
It must feel very soothing.
I hope it works for your fur kid....:)
Raw is what we have our three yorkies on. The two girls have ear problems all the time even with raw. I have to watch what kind of chicken I buy. No enhanced - the sodium has to be low and WalMart chicken legs & thighs are enhanced. In fact, anything from Walmart has broth added. Adds weight. We feed our venison as well. They still have ear problems. :(
I’ve always wondered how wild dogs/wolves/coyotes etc can along without a vet. We have yorkies (one is worth over $1500) and heelers and used to have Great Danes. Have very low vet visits as we do what people used to do. Also wondered why wild canines don’t get ear infections. I also don’t believe in all the vaccinations that vets recommend. Lowers their own bodies resistance.
I have a mutt mostly black lab. Even though he will not swim he had ear problems. We had gotten a prescription from the vet which seemed to work. We ran out and he started shaking his head and smelling. We checked on line and did the whole peroxide, vinegar thing. Dump some in then clean with cotton balls and q-tip. It always seemed to work but we had to keep cleaning. Now it is winter and I know he is not able to get fresh dirt in his ears (black ,brown stuff). I knew it must be something else. Saw an article on ear mites. Looked like the problem. Solution, vegetable oil. Just a few drops for 3 days in a row. It worked great. It soothed the ears and smothered the mites. We did it a few weeks ago and he has been fine since.
Ear mites can be gotten rid of with mineral oil or such as that. They breathe through their bodies and it suffocates them.
My pups are on TOTW High Prairie formula. They are not BIG Labs - the small one eats a little less than 2 cups/day, the middle one 3 cups/day, the big one 4 cups/day. That will burn through a bag pretty quick though.
They die like flies and breed like rabbits, that’s how they get along.
Vet will give tou ear cleaner, pills (yeast infection), and ear drops to heal and prevent them from scratching.
Not going to read the whole thread, so this may have been covered, but after lots of years of raising and breeding goldens, best suggestion I have is, yes, a vet visit certainly to get this cleared up because it is probably an infection (my guess is yeast). However, in the future, I recommend a food without grain, or at least without corn or wheat. Even better is a raw food diet, but most people are not willing to do that. I have tried various concoctions throughout the 20 some odd years I’ve been doing this, and most things will work as far as keeping them clean if are religious about doing that, and your Vet will certainly be willing to sell you something specifically made for that.
But, when I feed a food without grain, I simply don’t need to worry about ears and only clean them when I bathe the dog, and I do use something in them when the dog goes swimming, just in case.
That’s my best advice.
Good luck.
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