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View Full Version : Ear Irritant / Infection Gone Wild!



S_B
11-18-2015, 09:42 AM
Any thoughts from experience welcomed and thoroughly appreciated...

I have an outbreak spreading through the yard. My dogs, mostly puppies are shaking their heads. Let me get this out of the way, I do not have fleas, ticks or any other parasites. My dogs are healthy I take their health ultra seriously. This has been ongoing but hasn't been much of a concern I'll explain.

Back in May we had tornado warnings, I was asked to pick up a couple pups at a friends yard who was out of town. Their kennel had blown over and they were running the chicken yard (lots of chickens). They were very healthy visually and like pups had eaten whatever trash or chicken shit they could find which ended up on my lap on the travel home. One pup with kinda large ears always shook his head.

I really didn't think anything of it at the time because the other pup would ring his bell when they got all riled up. They stayed for 6 weeks or more, I had to litters at the time, one was born in Feb and the other in June while the pups were here. I did let all the pups who would tolerate the two visitors play from time to time. Later after the two visitors left I began putting the bigger pups on chains freeing up kennels to disperse the June batch.

One of those guys had bloody ear tips I noticed, I also caught him shake his head from time to time. Then another of older ones. Then I noticed the younger litter shaking occasionally. So I cleaned those guys ears with a solution of Alcohol, boric acid and gentian violent, no change.

Then a couple adult dogs would shake their heads, and one of the older pups who was still up in the front kennel area. I took that one to the vet, they gave me Trizultra + Keto ear cleaning solution and treated his ear with EKT which is similar to Panalog. They wouldn't give me medication to treat any others without seeing them. They did not do a cytology but did look under a microscope and said no mites looks like yeast or fungus.

That pup only showed marginal improvement, I used that cleaning solution on every dog shaking their heads, 17 total. No improvement so I took the two brothers who were the first displaying symptoms to another vet. No cytology done, not even a look in the microscope, they did use an Otiscope and thought it was an allergen causing the outbreak. It was suggested to me to remove all their bedding (I use clean Bermuda and cedar shavings) so I did and replaced with pine shavings. They dispensed an aloe based ear cleanser and an ear ointment with genticin, clortrimazole and a steroid. No major improvement with any of the pups, one had his salivary gland infected, and one is having major issues with his ears worse as they are super tender to the touch and his left eye is so swollen the red meaty part is protruding into the eye area. He's light sensitive and his pupils are dilated. I discontinued the gentizol medication on those two. As well as my house dog who could not be exposed to those allergens as my vets claims other than them being on us coming inside.

She's an old lady, her ears became tender and she would occasionally shake, after the gentizol she lost her hearing completely so I discontinued it with her, the swollen eye dog and the salivary dog, 3 of the older littermates are still getting the meds but no change. This isn't a huge issue with most of the dogs who are displaying signs, as they are only shaking occasionally. It worsened on the ones who I guess are genticin intolerant.

The guy with the two original pup has an adult doing the same thing. Never been to my yard. He took that one to another vet who did do a cytology, said it was yeast and treated with a medication that lasts a week and dispensed cleanser. Not sure which medication was placed in the ear or if there has been marked improvement yet.


Any help?

Thank you,
S_B

SGC
11-18-2015, 03:47 PM
Ouch! That sounds like a bit of a mess with no clear answers...

If the one vet who checked the dog on the other yard said it was yeast, you might do some reading on line about yeast infections and treatments, also look up fungus.

I wish I had more info for you but this is all I can think of to try as there is a lot out there on the net.

I do remember cleaning ears on one of my old dogs with an Apple Cider vinegar and water mix, and I think ACV does help get rid of yeast. Might be worth reading about that too.

Also look up Tea Tree Oil as I think that is good for things like this, but it has been a long time since I read about all this stuff. Tea Tree Oil has a lot of uses but it is strong stuff too.

I hope others will post and have more help. Good luck with this and I hope you get to the bottom of it as ears are pretty sensitive and it is now causing other problems.

S_B
11-19-2015, 11:46 AM
Thank you for the advice SGC,

I've been searching online for answers and there are just so many things and treatments that are vague. I think this could be perhaps the most commonly misdiagnosed condition in dogs. These 3 vets so far are just guessing and most of the dogs are still symptomatic.

I took the dog with the eye that started out dilated then became swollen, light sensitive and whose nasal cavity swelled to the vet this AM. What an incompetent moron he is. He argued with me saying this dog scratched his eye. I challenged him to show me and he just opened the eye and said see on the cornea. I said I do not see any scratch and I respectfully disagree. A scratch wouldn't make him slobber, have trouble chewing or swell the nasal cavity! He didn't bother putting dye in the eye and turn the lights off to prove it to me.

I put Tea Tree oil (a few drops) into my ear cleaning solution, stopped at Wal-Mart and purchased Miconazole. I think I'll try a drop or two of Baytril and the Miconazole on a control group. I'm going to try Sulmet in the water of another group and I bought Corona Fung-A-Way for the third group.

My ears seem to be itchy also, and we've both had a very slight sore throat. Maybe the weather or sympathy pains...lol I'm open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,
S_B

S_B
11-19-2015, 11:49 AM
Tresaderm has been suggested, I've still got go look into that and the Pharmacist at Wal-Mart said she had a similar issue with her dog and vet without a resolution. She said she tried Zymax HC and Zymax enzyme solution...I'll explore those options as time allows.

S_B

texaco
11-19-2015, 09:54 PM
Sound like yeast infection with the ear shaking symptom's

CRISIS
11-20-2015, 08:51 PM
try a product called zymox. its worked for every bacterial/yeast infection in my dogs ears.
https://www.zymox.com/zymox-enzymatic-ear-solution

S_B
11-20-2015, 09:22 PM
try a product called zymox. its worked for every bacterial/yeast infection in my dogs ears.
https://www.zymox.com/zymox-enzymatic-ear-solution

I'll look into that Crisis, thanks. Back to a vet in the am with the eye infection.

S_B

Doc Ellis
11-21-2015, 04:22 AM
maybe try a garlic spray.

Palooka
11-21-2015, 05:36 AM
ear mites ? I routinely use a product called thornit powder on all the dogs ears, works great as a preventative and also on infection if not to far gone and ears have started to close, as far as I can find online these are the ingredients .
Thornit ear powder recipe

4 oz. zinc oxide powder
4 oz. boric acid powder
1/2 oz. Iodoform powder

S_B
11-21-2015, 08:14 AM
It isn't ear mites, a cytology says yeast. I'm back at the first vet and saw him today (saw the other last visit) he suggested olive oil and weekly cleaning. That's what I'm going with for now. The eye dog has an abscess that's coming to a head now poor fella but ears are better go figure.

The one pup that the other vet gave the cortisone shot to is the worst, he claimed allergens which I disagreed and shouldn't have let him give that shot but he was sticking him before I could get a word in. Anyhow that shot will just have to wear off I guess. Most are shaking less so that is a good thing. I appreciate all the advice guys.

Thanks,
S_B

Officially Retired
11-21-2015, 09:10 AM
If ear mites, it would easily be handled by ivomec.

If yeast (as well as a gazillion other pathogens) a 8:1 Water:Nolvasan, with a dash of Tea Tree Oil (very small amount, couple drops, of the latter) is the best I've ever used ...

Jack

S_B
11-21-2015, 09:17 AM
If ear mites, it would easily be handled by ivomec.

If yeast (as well as a gazillion other pathogens) a 20:1 Water + Nolvasan, with a dash of Tea Tree Oil (very small amount of the latter) is the best I've ever used ...

Jack


Thank you for the reply Jack,


No mites is what all 4 vets said after exams, I thought mites because of the firsts pups exposure to chickens.
I have Chlorhehadine will that work in place of the Nolvasan? I read in the Merck about the Chlorhehadine or Providone Iodine as a cleansing agent for ears. I haven't done anything yet today. Just came inside and we still have several shaking away.

Thanks,
S_B

Officially Retired
11-21-2015, 10:29 AM
Thank you for the reply Jack,


No mites is what all 4 vets said after exams, I thought mites because of the firsts pups exposure to chickens.
I have Chlorhehadine will that work in place of the Nolvasan? I read in the Merck about the Chlorhehadine or Providone Iodine as a cleansing agent for ears. I haven't done anything yet today. Just came inside and we still have several shaking away.

Thanks,
S_B

I am not sure, quite frankly.

I would add the tea tree oil though; it is devastating to yeast, it is highly-complex, almost impossible for microbes to build resistance to it ... and as an added bonus it makes stinky ears smell better :D

You can get it, cheap, at any Walmart store (in the vitamin section, labeled alphabetically .... Tea ...

scratchin dog
11-21-2015, 11:19 AM
Thank you for the reply Jack,


No mites is what all 4 vets said after exams, I thought mites because of the firsts pups exposure to chickens.
I have Chlorhehadine will that work in place of the Nolvasan? I read in the Merck about the Chlorhehadine or Providone Iodine as a cleansing agent for ears. I haven't done anything yet today. Just came inside and we still have several shaking away.

Thanks,
S_B

I use the Chlorhexidine/Ketoconazole spray from VetTrust (Antibacterial Antifungal spray) with good results on itchy skin/bacterial infections. Walmart sells the spray bottle in the pet section.

S_B
11-21-2015, 11:33 AM
Thanks guys,

The ears are remarkably clean and have no odor. The only thing is they are a tad bit red down inside, that's it. Not even much wax for outside dogs even when we first started before all of the cleansing.

I have lots of tea tree oil. :)

S_B

Officially Retired
11-21-2015, 11:38 AM
I have lots of tea tree oil. :)

Google the effects of tea tree oil on yeast, and be convinced :mrgreen:

S_B
11-21-2015, 12:07 PM
Will do, I know it's good stuff. I put it in my shampoo I use to bathe all of the dogs. We've been working 6,14 hour days, off tmo. And you better believe I'm gonna try it! Great advice and thank you!

S_B

Redboy83
10-24-2021, 08:04 AM
Jack, Is it 8:1 or 20:1? In the thread right below your response, it has 20:1 but your thread has 8:1. Don’t know how it changed.

EWO
10-25-2021, 12:35 PM
Just to chime in on an old thread.

Add 12oz of Isopropyl alcohol to a spray bottle. Then add two tablespoons of Boric Acid. Then add 12-14 drops of Genetian Violet.

The alcohol serves as a carrier and quickly evaporates taking some of the moisture out of the ear. The Boric Acid lowers the Ph of the infected area. Most ear issues end up being fungal but treated as bacterial resulting in multiple trips to the vet. The Genetian Violet serves as a topical.

It works for an infected ear and it also great as a monthly preventative.

I also used it on a friend's horse who had foot rot.

The biggest drawback is it is deep purple and stains like all get out. Use gloves.

Cheap alternative to multiple vet trips.

EWO