Urgent: Please help- Dog with Ear Infection

The best advice is to find a better vet! Much as I dislike antibiotics, it sounds like a course of ingested antibiotics, rather than topical antibiotics, would have been a better choice.

The brown stuff could be from ear mites, too, which a vet should check for.

The best thing you can do for her immediately is to support her immune system with top-notch nutrition. And I'd go to www.greatdanelady.com to read up on that, as well as possibly finding some good information on ear infections and discharges.

Ear Problems

GO TO THE HEALTH FOOD STORE OR HERB STORE ASK FOR (( Pau D' Arco Extract )) COMES IN A 2 fl oz BOTTLE. ABOUT $12. I USE THIS ON MY DOG. GOOD FOR ALOT OF OTHER THINGS TOO. CLEAN THE EARS WITH IT REAL GOOD THEN SQUIT SOME IN SWISH AROUND. CAN GIVE ORALLY ALSO. TO GET RID OF INFECTION (but according to my dog's looks dont taste that great) HOPE THIS HELPS YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS E MAIL ME AT [email protected] JUST PUT ATT: SOMETHING ABOUT EARS AND ILL KNOW ITS YOU. THX HAGD.

I'm agreeing with Renee....FIND ANOTHER VET. My vet won't automatically prescribe oral antibiotics, which I appreciate...however when the ear drops won't work, it is necessary. Ear infections are painful when severe, and if not treated properly it will harm his hearing, impair his balance (which is a huge danger...falling down stairs, etc.). Did they do a culture?? Did they clean out his ears at all? The pus can become impacted when combined with alot of debris. The drops would have at least loosened that so that the vet can properly clean the canal. The antibiotic drops will not be effective if the ear isn't cleaned first. Your poor pup...it must be driving him crazy.

Thank you guyz SO much. I will look into that ear cleaner you talked about and i will be seeing a new vet asap. Again thank you so much for the advise. Im sure my baby wil b feeling better in no time. O and another question, can water in her ears be causing this infection? Like when i give her a bath, and water gets in her ears? Thanx!
~**Shanna**~

Water can harbor bacteria and encourage its growth. If you have a problem getting water in her ears when you bathe her, get some surgical cotton (not cotton balls - they're too small) and tear off a wad big enough to gently put into her ears, being very careful not to push it into the ear canal. You should ask the new vet about this and ask him/her to show you how to do it. Dogs' ears are extremely sensitive and you just have to be so very careful when you're dealing with them.

I think of it the same as people's ears.......keep the water out. If you've known anyone with 'swimmers' ear....it is awful..sometimes the water doesn't drain out, even when you tip your head. Never get water in your pup's ear. As Renee stated......they are extremely sensitive. Gently wipe the entire ear with a cotton ball...gently being the key word here. And, gently wipe out the ear canal with a fresh cotton ball. Look online for a diagram of the dog's canal shape........so that you will know how to clean his ears. Keep his ears cleaned after you have the infection cleared.

Will oral anibiotics be more effective than ear drops? i think it was mentioned above. And again thank you guys so much for the help- i really appreciate it

A newfoundland with ear trouble? my mom has one thats 12 with cronic ear problems! Used to be because we couldn't keep him on land! he was always in the water! now she cleans them weekly and treats them with otomax. could be a yeast infection...they can be treated internally or topically or both depending on the severity. Mite would have a black really waxy appearance. The yeast will stink terrible and be normally brownish rather then black. Have had a vet prescribe Miconozole for the yeast infection topically along with Fulvicin p/g antibiotic internally GOOD LUCK! PS: get a new vet! lol

I, too, have a Newfoundland. She did have ear problems when she was younger.

One of the best solutions is a mixture of gentian violet, alcohol and boric acid see this web site www.woodhavenlabs.com/ears.html

Moisture can definitely be a problem, as can diet. Diet is what caused my girls problems - specifically, carbohydrates.

Good luck - I do hope the ears clear up quick.

I knew I'd seen something about this on Linda Arndt's site: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/reoccuring_ear_infections.htm

This should give you some help!

I have a golden 12+ years old that's always had ear problems his whole life. I do an at least weekly regime of ear cleaning with him. I will lay him down on his side, put a small flashlight in my teeth, and just scoop out as much as I can (with Q-tips) deep down into his ear canal. Need to be careful of how deep you go. He usually groans in ectasy as I'm doing it because it feels so good. He always seems to get a big black waxy buildup down in there. Then I'll give him an ear wash with an ear cleansing solution you can buy at a pet supply store. Let it sink down and he'll shake his head and more crap from below will come out. Swab it out with Q-tips again. But if it gets really bad and he seems to have an infection (usually a yeast infection), I get an ointment called Otomax from the vet. After I clean his ears out, I'll put the liquid gel stuff down in there daily for about 7 days and it clears up. Hope that helps...

I had a lab once that had the most lethal yeast...it was a constant effort to keep her clear and symptom free. I asked the vet if there wasn't something like the drug diflucan for dogs..an oral tab that fights it from within...i was told no..it would make so much sense if a person could go this route for a cronic situation. Anyone heard of anything like that?

Another thought..anybody ever tried adding yogurt with live cultures to diet..I didn't think of it til now...would it help? Does for people....

It does help, smkie! And most dogs just love yoghurt. Anytime antibiotics are used, especially, yoghurt should be added to the diet. Even old fashioned buttermilk is good. Linda Arndt addresses yeast at length in several articles. There are better ways to deal with yeast than with drugs - for people and animals.

Get a new vet and stop washing his head,if water goes in all the time,the problem won't go away.
When you want to wash his head,do it with a wet towel,and put some water on your hand not with the water hose on his head.

Good luck!
Hope your pup will get well fast!!