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Yeast Infection In Ears


Guest Dragonmom

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Guest Dragonmom

My friends has a cute mix dog that has constant ear infections. the vet it is yeast infections. She has tried the meds and they work for a little while. Is there anything that might work better than constantly putting meds in the poor guys ears. I saw them tonight and they are red and scabby. he is always scratching his ears and shaking his head. I feel so bad for him and i told my friend that i would ask the collect awesome GT for advice :)

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It sounds as if some type of allergy (especially food) is causing recurrent infections. But I wonder if it's truly ear infections as opposed to a chronic dermatitis from scratching. If the vet hasn't already cultured inside the ear, that should be done, so the presence of yeast or bacteria can be proven. And I'd think seriously about trying the pup on a novel protein, such as duck, venison, etc. - one of the diets designed for dogs with food allergies, and with only one protein source and one carb. Or, perhaps feeding raw?!?

 

If the vet says that it is indeed a recurrent yeast infection, in addition to the diet change, oral ketoconazole can work very well. Dandi had recurrent, very painful ear infections that were not improving with drops (and putting drops into his ears was traumatic for everyone). A 2-week course of ketoconazole completely cured the infection, and it has not returned.

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It sounds as if some type of allergy (especially food) is causing recurrent infections. But I wonder if it's truly ear infections as opposed to a chronic dermatitis from scratching. If the vet hasn't already cultured inside the ear, that should be done, so the presence of yeast or bacteria can be proven. And I'd think seriously about trying the pup on a novel protein, such as duck, venison, etc. - one of the diets designed for dogs with food allergies, and with only one protein source and one carb. Or, perhaps feeding raw?!?

 

If the vet says that it is indeed a recurrent yeast infection, in addition to the diet change, oral ketoconazole can work very well. Dandi had recurrent, very painful ear infections that were not improving with drops (and putting drops into his ears was traumatic for everyone). A 2-week course of ketoconazole completely cured the infection, and it has not returned.

 

:nod I agree & would add that some dogs have grain intolerance and a grain-free food could make a big difference.

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Guest sorenkkg

I third the motion about allergies... We got Haka right from the track, and within a month or so he had a raging ear infection... We got it knocked out, but he continued to have them (and bumps on his chest, some paw licking, and useless soft poops) for quite a while until we figured out what worked for him.

 

1) we found a food that worked for him.. No wheat, no chicken. We settled on Eagle Pack Holisitic (they changed their name a bit, but still around) Duck and also Fish (we mix 2 together).

 

2) For the immediate ear situation: we found Surolan works great-- it's antifungal and antibacterial. Sort of thick like a lotion, and you squeeze it in the ears.. They shake it out, and their heads get sort of oily, so cover your furniture rolleyes.gif

 

Also, we have a "maintenance" solution we put in his ears 1x a week for a LONG time, now we do it only 1x a month... We were using Burrough's solution, but our vet here switched us to Malacetic HC, which has acetic acid, boric acid, and hydrocortizone (all 1% each).

 

The idea is to create an environment inhospitable to the yeast to grow-- acidic, but also dries out the ear canal a bit b/c yeast like moist areas.

 

It took a good long time of consistent maintenance, but he really gets his yeasty ears almost NEVER now (FINGERS CROSSED as I say that).

 

Oh-- and a yeast ear infection, to me, smells like feet. So we are always sniffing the dogs ears. Usually I smell nothing, so if I smell feet (sort of a corn chip smell, to me) I know we need to start treatment.

 

Good luck for your friend!

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Another vote for allergies. My mixed breed has seasonal allergies and her ears really gunk up during that time.

 

She can try using a 50/50 vinegar/water solution for rinsing the ears, it would help to prevent any yeast. But I would NOT use this if there is any broken skin in there as it would sting!

 

Another idea is the "power blue" ear treatment. You can get the ingredients at a pharmacy (if they don't have it, they can order it for you) and they are pretty inexpensive. A friend of mine had excellent results with her cocker spaniel using this treatment + changing to a grain-free diet.

http://itsfortheanimals.com/BLUE.HTM

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Guest LindsaySF

Ditto Jordan's post.

 

The dog might need to be on the ear drop medications for longer to knock out all the critters.

 

Make sure they are cleaning the ears also.

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