I have used…for years…a mixture of 1/3 apple cider vinegar and water sprayed into my dog’s ears, followed by a swabbing of gauze to clean any debris. I just can’t seem to cure the problem. I do run a 7 day treatment with anitibiotcs when the problem gets worse. I LOVE Vetrycin for cuts on dogs, horses, humans…anybody use it in ears?? Thanks.
For my dog with chronic ear issues, a diet change cleared them up and they never recurred. I didn’t allergy test him, but at the suggestion of my vet, eliminated the most common food allergens: corn, wheat, soy, chicken and beef. The only downside was not knowing which of these was the culprit, but the infections stopped almost immediately. I fed a fish-based dog food, which he loved and looked great on. He didn’t show the typical skin issues of allergies, just the ear issues and itchy feet.
Vetricyn does make an ear formula.
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This was going to be my suggestion as well - check for underlying allergies. It’s my understanding allergies are a pretty major driver of chronic ear issues in many dogs.
Thank you for that info!! This dog is a SA Boerboel/Rhodian Ridgeback cross…a 140 pound air fern!! When she isn’t eating a good dog food I feed…she’s pilfering cat food and horse feed!! I can try a different food!! ps…a week of anitibiotic treatment clears up the problem…if that makes a difference!
My son has 2 huskies who swim a lot in natural lakes, swamps, ocean and they always have ear problems.
He uses the Veterycin Ear solution and Banixx- both work quickly to clear it up.
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My saint bernard is incredibly prone to yeast ear infections. When the weather gets wetter (luckily we’re in so. California) or when she gets baths, I try to keep her ears clean. I just use a solution that the vet gave me. In addition, she has had to go on yeast meds to help with her aheam yeastiness in general.
We had a nutrition specialist work with her recently. She had me start her on Pau d’Arco supplements. Apparently it helps with fungi/yeast. She’s been on it for about a month now. It will be interesting to see how it goes this winter with her.
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Thank you for that info. I’m LOVING Vetrycin for cuts and sores!! I use on hubby’s diabetic feet every day!! I’ll try the “ear formula”.
Another vote to change diet! I started feeding raw recently due to one of my dogs getting an ear infection and the other having some skin itchiness. My vet recommended at least eliminating grains from the diet and trying a single protein source plus adding an omega3 supplement. I went a step further and chose to go raw. I am not saying you have to do that but I’m seeing a huge improvement in my dogs. It can be overwhelming initially but once you figure it out it’s actually easy and much less expensive than most people think.
My vet said that chronic ear infections are nearly always related to a food allergy.
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Antibiotics can make yeast worse. My Pei can be an ear mess because they have tiny ear canals that don’t get any airflow. I really like Liquid Health K9 Ear Solutions. It has gentian violet in it, so it will stain EVERYTHING, but it works wonders.
Grain free alternative protein food.
blue power ear wash worked when i had one get an ear issue.
My dog gets ear infections if he eats chicken. Or if they get wet inside and are not promptly dried because his ears flop over and there’s lack of airflow. The ear wash we use contains gentian violet; I can’t remember what it’s called off hand. Hasn’t had any ear infection that needed antibiotics to clear up.
My dog’s ear problems are caused by a wheat allergy, so we avoid that. I wish I had stock in the Zymox company. I use a ton of that stuff. She doesn’t like me to use drops so I put it on a cotton ball and rub it around her ear.
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Thanks.
Ditto for food allergies. My dog is severely allergic to chicken and eggs so my cats don’t even get food with chicken or eggs since they vomit occasionally, drop kibbles, and the dog says cat poop is sooooo tasty. I’m very careful to minimize any/all allergen exposures.
My Lab gets ear flares ups, mostly in the spring or if she’s had too many cheap quality treats for training. I’ve found that the easiest for us both (though not necessarily the cheapest) is to go to the vet where he fills her ears with a medication. Of course, at this hour of the day I can’t remember the name of it, but it’s a thick goo that stays there and is slowly absorbed. Not horribly messy, doesn’t seem to bother her at all, and clears the itchy stinkies up overnight.
I like that it’s a one-dose treatment and neither of us has to deal with the drops, swabbing, splatter, etc.
Sounds like either Claro or Osurnia
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Definitely would explore the allergies. My basset would get ear infections all the time, the vet said it was either a food allergy or environmental. We treated our basement for mold and she never had an infection again.
Multiple dogs throughout my life seem prone to yeast infections in the summers, mostly. Always attributed it to multiple trips to the creek/pond throughtout day to cool off and being super humid in South. Vet swears by the below formula.
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ears.html
The above link also has instructions. Note that I am not affiliated and do not know anything about Woodhaven Labs. It’s just the same instructions that my vet gave years ago and I linked so I wouldn’t have to type all that up myself.
