Posted on 01/21/2011 2:41:39 PM PST by Nachum
We have a black lab/golden retriever mix. We noticed that there was a smell coming from our dog's ears recently. After inspection, there was a lot of black ear-wax like discharge on the inside of her ear. She is not digging or scratching at her ears, but there is the discharge and smell.
After doing some research, the consensus seems to be that she may be suffering some kind of ear infection. Do the FReepers here have experience with ear issues? The site I linked to generally speaks of a remedy of apple cider vinegar and water in the ear.
After a long week of politicking and Obamanations, why not talk about something important- our pets. :)
Bacterial and/ or yeast infection. The vet should be able to spray something in his ears or give him a shot. Unless you are good at giving medicine to a dog whose ears hurt do not opt for the medicine you have to give in the ears. I can pop a pill down an animal in no time flat; but ears are the worst.
You might want to keep boittle of Epi-Otic around the house. You can squirt that in his ears to keep them clean. Dogs just get these infections; some more than others.
Don’t use vinegar until you know what the problem is. If there’s an open sore or a lot of irritation, it will sting and she won’t let you near her ears again.
Your vet needs to examine your dog’s ears.
She doesn’t do the head-ear shake thing.
We did do the que tip thing on the outer portions, very very gently. Then a damp tissue a little deeper, but I was not going to go into her ear canal. We will take to the vet and ask advice. The smell is really only noticeable when your head is near hers. Not bitter that we we can see.
But the vet will tells us more.
Great advice. Thanks.
We switched to Taste of the Wild when we got our new puppy.
Best thing to do is for now, wipe a little mineral oil in the inside of the ear, while waiting to get in to your regular, good vet.
Mineral OIL, not mineral spirits.
Yeh, a vet. The flop-eared dogs can have terrible ear infections. My Border Collie had a lingering one. The vet kept giving him some goopy medicine. It did not clear up until another vet who really knew what he was doing treated it with yet a different medicine. It was already goopy/ no need for more.
It was a while ago, do not remember the meeds, but they can go deaf if it is not treated.
Bacterial and/ or yeast infection. The vet should be able to spray something in his ears or give him a shot. Unless you are good at giving medicine to a dog whose ears hurt do not opt for the medicine you have to give in the ears. I can pop a pill down an animal in no time flat; but ears are the worst.
You might want to keep a bottle of Epi-Otic around the house. You can squirt that in his ears to keep them clean. Dogs just get these infections; some more than others. I have been through this. It’s usually what it is.
I also find the GNC vitamins for dogs are great.
Hydrogen peroxide works because it is the best thing around that dissolves ear wax. Works great on human ears too. I use it.
The trick is (1) get on top of the cleaning/medication and (2) find a better dog food. Check the label - if she's getting a lot of grains (especially corn) she may be allergic. You could have her allergy tested, but it's easier just to try different foods to see what helps.
Seriously, when my Lab was 2-3 years old we just could not get on top of this thing. As soon as we switched to the AvoDerm it started clearing up, and about 2 years ago we switched to the TOTW and it has never come back.
I can't remember the last time I cleaned her ears. I just got up, went over to the sofa and lifted up one of her ears and took a good look and sniff. Maybe a faint odor, but the ear is beautiful, pink and clean all the way down.
That is kind of how I did it. I will be more careful now with it. Thanks.
What dogfood do you use?
We use the Costco kibble for adult dogs. She seems to be doing OK with it. I will mix in various wet dog foods in very small amounts for taste, or chicken soup, or an egg. The kibble does have rice in it. I tried an kibble that was 'no grain' and it affected her bowels negatively, so we went back to the kibble we were using. I will have to try other dog foods if that seems to be the problem.
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_productlist_Nav_614_N_22+4294956713.aspx
Has a big list of them. I use Hartz Advanced Care Ear Cleaner after every bath, and when Rock gets his ears wet from trips out in the rain. It’s like he gets swimmer’s ear if I don’t.
Use a couple of times a week keeps his ears clear until it is time for his yearly check up/shots.
Interesting that one of the key ingredients in that product are acetic acid. That is the primary ingredient in vinegar.
Apple Cider Vinegar
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/applecidervinegardiet/a/applecidervineg.htm
It’s a yeast infection. My dog has the same problem. Typically caused by food that includes grain. I have a boxer/pitbull with the same problem. I switched him to Evo, a high protein, grain free food and it didn’t cure. Then I put him on a completely raw diet (all raw chicken). He likes it and he’s been on it about 7 weeks but the ears are getting worse. People told me it would but I’m certainly hopeful it stops.
I cannot put ANYTHING in my dogs ears anymore; he’s completely jaded. Particularly for anything that stings and ACV WILL sting.
Alot of labs & lab mixes have ear problems. I have to take my yellow lab in every 3 months to have his ears really cleaned out plus I use ear cleaner about 3 or 4 times a week. He took over our swimming pool which causes more ear problems. Finding a vet is great advice. Also, there is various online dog catalogs that carry ear cleaning solutions.
Avoderm? I will look into that one.
I got her off of a dog food that had corn. Our current one does have rice though.
Ah well.
Thanks!
Easy. Ear mites. Get some drops from the vet to get rid of them.
It's worth shopping around to get the best price (wow this stuff ain't cheap). We've seen it as high as $50 a bag, but we found a place that carries it for $38 a bag, plus you get the tenth bag free. With three hungry Labs, they burn through that stuff in a hurry!
Any of the premium/boutique dog foods are going to cost you. The Blue Buffalo is as expensive as the TOTW, the AvoDerm is a few dollars cheaper.
My dog gets that, too. The vet says it happens when dogs with floppy ears get water in them, and the water can’t evaporate. He recommended ear drying agent drops which I bought at PetSmart. Use them after every bath or swim. The ears and discharge cleared up and the smell went away.
Clean your dogs ears with ear cleaner once or twice a day until it clears up, and then make sure you clean them every week. Ear cleaner can be found at any pet store.
If your dog shows signs of pain or if it doesn't clear up after a few days, then call your vet.
AvoDerm is made by Breeder’s Choice. It’s another high-end boutique food. Places like Red Bandanna and Bark Avenue carry it.
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