So it’s 1:45 am here and there’s no way I’m calling the emergency vet but my 2yo Beagle/Aussie is miserable right now. She can’t get comfy and keeps shaking her head and wimpering. I checked her all over and her right ear seems to be a little red/inflamed. When I stuck a q-tip shallowly into it (to check for ticks and stuff) she yelped.
Could this be an ear infection? If so, is there anything I can do tonight to help her get comfy until I can get her to the vet tomorrow?
My last aussie had several ear infections in her life. The vet gave me several types of ear drops and cleaners to use for her. One of the cleaners had peroxide in it. Maybe flushing with some peroxide and water or saline would help.
She seems to have settled for now. If she starts fussing again I will definitely try that. Thanks!
This was recommended on dogforums.com
Blue Power Ear Wash
Blue Power Ear Wash
INGREDIENTS:
16 Oz. Isopropyl Alcohol
4 Tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1%
Mix together in alcohol bottle and shake well.
Please shake this solution every time you use it to mix the Boric Acid Powder. Either a baby ear syringe or a plastic squirt bottle work well for putting the solution in the ear.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
Evaluate condition of ears before treating and if the are inflamed and sore do not attempt to pull hair or clean out ear at all. Just flush and then wait until inflammation is gone, which will be about two days. Warm the solution and shake the bottle each time before using. The dogs will accept the treatment much better if you warm it up for them.
Flood the ear with solution (gently squirt bottle).
Massage gently, wipe with 100% cotton pad.
On first treatment: flood the ear twice, wipe with a pad, and leave alone without massage.
The dog will shake out the excess, which can be wiped with a tissue. (Note: the Gentian Violet does stain fabrics so you’re best to do this outdoors.)
Treat 2x per day for the first week to two weeks, depending upon severity of ears.
After the 2nd or 3rd day you can clean out the ear with a tissue or cotton pad.
Treat 1x per day for the next 1-2 weeks.
Treat 1x per month (or even less frequently, depending on the dog).
If she’s settled for now, call your vet in the am and ask what they recommend.
Your puppy probably has a yeast infection or ear mites. I’ve had problems with both in our little house dog and they are the devil to completely get rid of. They’ll die down for awhile and then crop back up. Your puppy really needs to see your vet; first so that you know for sure what it is, and second, so that you get the right meds.
A simple solution of distilled water and white vinegar 50/50 mix is a good home ear cleaner.
Do NOT use alcohol in inflamed ears as it will BURN irritated tissue.
Usually ear infections are the result of allergies of some sort; you’ll need to get to the vet ASAP for the proper medications and cleaners, and figure out why this happened (usually allergies to food or the environment).
Do not use alcohol!! White vinegar diluted with water will do if needed, but your best vet is to get into the vet for an ear cytology and prescription treatment.
I am not a vet nor do I play one on TV (and you should check with your vet before doing anything 
but I do deal with ear infections in most of the incoming dogs that come into our breed specific rescue. Our breed is known for having lots of ear infections. I acknowledge that the way we treat the ear infections is not how the vets do. I tell our adopters once the ears are clear, if they will use the Blue Power Ear Treatment once a week, I can almost guarantee that they will not have any more ear infections in their dogs.
For the dogs new to the rescue I replace the alcohol in the treatment with Witch Hazel to minimize the chance of irritation to the ear. Having said that, there seems to be something in the mixture that mitigates the stinginess of the alcohol. After a week or so of the modified mixture, I switch over to the original formula and a batch of this, along with the link to the website is sent with each adoptive family when they take their dog home. I believe in it that much. This mixture has helped several dogs who were at the brink of having ear canal ablation surgery (a very nasty and painful surgery), back to having normal healthy ears.
The key is consistancy and only you can control that. You must get the ears clear and then you must use this treatment once a week, every week, for the rest of their lives. I can do it in one minute flat and the dogs love it. I have found that most of the black/brown ear gunk is caused by food allergies. Since we feed a high quality, non grain food, those allergies tend to clear up just by the dog being on our food for a month. Sometimes you have one that is even allergic to that and we switch them to a single novel protein food. 95% of the time it will clear up. Remember you want to treat the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms.
Here is the link to the whole article on the treatment:
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/Adobe/Blue%20Power%20Ear%20Treatment.pdf
Again, I am not a vet, I acknowledge most vets will not give you this same information and I respect their opinions, knowledge and beliefs. At the same time results don’t lie. So do what you want with this info. Good luck!
I discovered this product five years ago. I used it in rescue and have ever since for my own dogs. It cured one of the most severe cases of black, oozing, painful infections (of both ears) in a basset/beagle who was crying in pain when he arrived. 3 x/day with that extreme case, cured in 4 days, and it did not reoccur (I checked with the adopters).
K-9 Liquid Health 800 995 6607, www.liquidhealthinc.com of Murrieta California.
Ingredients:
Isopropyl Alcohol, Boric Acid, Gentian Violet, Colloidal Silver
I agree with others that believe a vet visit is necessary. The vet will take a swab of the ears and determine what the infection is. Treatment differs between ear mites and infections (although ear mites also can generate infections) and you’ll need to treat according to what it is.
Please seek professional treatment as soon as you can. Untreated infections can cause deafness and are extremely uncomfortable for the dog.
It’s important to know too that you’ll need to be very dilligent on doing the treatment for the exact number of days the vet prescribes. To lessen the days can bring back the infection again so it goes round and round.
Good luck!
My Shar-pei would occasionally get ear infections probably because of those tightly closed ears, and every once in a while one of the other dogs will get one. I never had any success with any OTC meds. Just like Banamine for the horses, I try to keep Otomax (or Mometamax) on hand “just in case”.
[QUOTE=shakeytails;5715050]
My Shar-pei would occasionally get ear infections probably because of those tightly closed ears, and every once in a while one of the other dogs will get one. I never had any success with any OTC meds. Just like Banamine for the horses, I try to keep Otomax (or Mometamax) on hand “just in case”.[/QUOTE]
Otomax would have never touched that infection, it was at the very least ear mites and a yeast, probably a dab of some type of other “crud” bacteria or some such. My dog’s case was living proof that OTC, in the case of the product I used, will work. It was sold and recommended by a lifetime breeder who also showed her Kerry Blue Terriers to championships. She knew her stuff. Many vets could learn a thing or two or a million from breeders like her.
[QUOTE=Calamber;5716666]
Otomax would have never touched that infection, it was at the very least ear mites and a yeast, probably a dab of some type of other “crud” bacteria or some such.[/QUOTE]
While Otomax/Mometamax wouldn’t have done anything for ear mites, it sure would have taken care of a bacterial & fungal (yeast) infection.
Otomax is an antimicrobial, corticosteroid and antifungal combination used on dogs for the treatment of acute and chronic otitis externa associated with yeast and/or bacteria susceptible to gentamicin.
Having said that, my vet is having GREAT results with a new med called Posatex. Worked wonders on my Lab who previously had chronic yeast infections in the ear.
I don’t doubt that the OTC treatment you mentioned worked for your rescues & your own dogs, but a vet needs to look at a swab of the ear under a microscope and/or send a swab off for a culture.
We have a dog that had repeated yeast type ear infections. We used the meds as instructed that we got at the vet and they would go away for a few weeks and then be back. We seen great improvement using the blue powder ear wash (with witch hazel). However, we have not had a single case in two years by sprinkling just the boric acid powder in his ears a few times a week when it’s humid or after a bath. I put it in a salt shaker type bottle with a tight lid and it keeps it very handy. Boric Acid cost me $5.47 at the pharmacy and lasts a very long time as you don’t need to use much. We all know vet bills can get expensive so we try to keep vet visits to a minimum and only as needed. Be sure to keep it out of his eyes!
As others have said, be sure to take your pup to the vet to find out what you are dealing with. If it is a yeast infection, once you have it cleared up try to prevent another from occurring.
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