water in ears

[laneyandme]

laneyb. my little 8mtns old aussie/ dausch mix loves to swim... so she's had two ear infections since i've had her. are there anyways to prevent the water getting in the ears?

my neighbor told me to use swimmers ear... stuff swimmers use to dry out the ears.. it's mostly alcohol i think..

what do you think?

 

[Roxy's CD]

Hmm. What are you feeding her?

My dogs swim a lot, and the way Roxy jumps into the pool I'm sure she gets water in her ears... I don't dry them out or anything and they've never had a problem. (They do run around in the murky, lake water as well, not just the chlorinated pool! LOL)

I believe they say a healthy dog won't get these sort of infections.

If you have them on a low-quality food, perhaps that the real issue.

 

[Debi]

I wouldn't use alcohol, it's too drying and can cause irritation. any chance she'd let you put a cotton ball just at the entrance of the ear canal? I'm not familiar with dogs that swim, but haven't heard of it being much of a problem either. I'd suspect the infections from another cause too.

 

[Jaimie L]

As a groomer I know that a cotton ball will not stay put inside a dog's ear canal for any useful length of time, and even if it did, it would just get soaked anyway. I've often used a few drops of alcohol in my clients' ears as well as my own ears with great success. I've never had any complaints or experience with the alcohol over-drying. Still, if that's a concern for you (and it may be especially if this is a daily routine) I suggest using a professional ear cleaning solution. Browse petedge.com for some options. Most of what you'll find there will be an alcohol based solution with skin conditioners and some fragrance.

 

[MomOf7]

I have the perfect solution for you.
We call it the purple potion. Works great for dogs who swim alot or get re-occurring infections that arent effected by diet.

16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol/witch Hazel
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution

Mix all ingredients in the alcohol bottle & shake. (make sure you shake before every application).

Treatment: Fill ear with solution & massage gently for 30 seconds and wipe with a tissue. Fill a second time and just wipe without massaging. The dog will shake the extra out. The gentian violet will stain so be carefull.

Treatment:
2 times per day for the first 2 weeks
1 time per day for the next 2 weeks
1 time per month thereafter

You can subsitute the alcohol for witch hazel if your worried about the alcohol.

I have found all the ingrediants at walmart. For the boric acid ask the pharmacist.
I have used this treatment for yeast and ear infections with great results. Always seek advice from your vet first As there may be a underlying condition you are not aware of.

 

[bubbatd]

Last summer when EliN and I and Hunter and Chip did our doggy lake trip , I bought a bottle of Flush .... Chip had never gone swimming ,but when I got him , I was told he was prone to ear infections. I'd dry his ears and apply after each swim . It's drying and we never had a problem.

 

[laneyandme]

i feed her innova puppy food.. always have.