I have a dog about 2 and a half years old. Her name is Darla. She's been having a bad ear infection for awhile now. It seems to get worst. I hear vinegar and peroxide help or olive oil. Please tell me what to do. I feel bad. I love her and she looks so irritated.
By KEEP.YOURHEAD.UP4EVA from Los Angeles, CA
My standard poodle had many reoccurring ear infections and the vet had given up on him... until we found Zymox from another floppy ear dog owner!
I had excellent results with-in a short time! We picked ours up at the feed store. I have given a bottle out to another gal who's vet was find it difficult to treat her dog too. Worked fast for her dog also! I hope this saves you a lot of heart ache, time and money searching. Ear infections are so painful! Suzanne
I can't afford the vet anymore, so I'm going to ask you expert fellow pet lovers out there. My mini Goldendoodle has continuous ear infections. I will try to find an ear specialist if I have to. It's not yeast, it's allergies. I'm going to switch her off of Iams because I hear it's full of corn. Anyone else have any ideas? Cady Grace thanks you so much for your input.
By Carol S
Here is the easiest method I have found to help alleviate/stop ear infections in dogs and cats. Simply freeze their dry chow for 24 hours and keep it frozen and feed them with this. My vet told me about this and my dog who had almost constant ear infections has only had only bout requiring treatment in over 2 years now!
If you Google homemade pet food recipes you can find some that you can make yourself. That way you are sure of what your pet is getting. And, your animals like it too.
My dog is 6 yr old Pit Bull and for 5 years he has had a major ear problem. It's so bad he scratches them till they bleed and constantly shakes his head. It makes him miserable. I have tried everything and I do mean everything. I've spent thousands of dollars on all kinds of drops, antibiotics, and steroids. At one point I was giving him 7 different pills a day.
We have tried a strict food diet because the vet insisted that it was a food allergy (it wasn't). I have tried putting peroxide in the ear to clean them. We have tried different vets and nothing even helps, not even a little bit. We had him on 4 Benadryl every 8hrs (he is 100 pounds) for years, but they stopped working. He is now on 2 Tramadol 50mg every 8-12 hrs (for the pain) and now they don't even help.
I don't know what else to do. This dog is my baby and I feel so bad for him. The drainage from his ears to his throat, I know, gives him a sour throat (you can hear him swallow) and it gives him fevers. The consistency of the stuff in his ears is usually black mucusy gunk and even when I clean them out (he hates it cuz they're so sour). I can't get deep down in the ear, but I can hear it squish around when he shakes his head. If he even slightly hits one of his ears against something he will scream like he is dying.
Now the vet is telling me that my last option is to go out of town and get his ear canals removed for thousands of dollars which would make him completely deaf, but "they say" it would solve his ear problem. I don't want to do this because at this point I don't trust the vet anymore and I don't want to make him permanently deaf and then if I do, what if it doesn't work? Obviously I'm gonna spend whatever I need to if it will fix his problem, but I'm at a loss. I've spent way too much money and have gotten no results. My baby is miserable. Please help. Anyone!?
By Adie
My dog has a similar problem. The vet gave me ear drops called "dermotic" - put a few drops in the ear 2 times a day. This has worked really well - almost no problem now.
In between meds you could regually cleanse the ears with 'epi-otic" - put a few drops in the ears then after a few minutes use a cotton ball & wipe all the wax out. These treatments have worked really well for me, are purchased through the vet & affordable. Good luck.
I have a home remedy that lots of people swear by to cure the smelly black hard clumps in my Poodle's ear. It includes boric acid. Is this boric acid the same as what kills rodents or is it a different boric acid? I have the powder boric acid, will this suffice or should I have liquid from the pharmacy?
By Latonya W.
Could it be that the dog has ear mites? The mites' excretment is what causes the black stuff. I would have the vet check it first to see what you are dealing with.
Why does my female dog keep getting an ear infection?
By Geraldine
Some dogs have ear infections because of the food they are eating. They can be allergic to something in the food which can cause a yeast or bacterial in their ears. I would have the vet look at your dog and see if this is actually your problem.
Please help! My Lucy (Kelpie X) is 3 years old and has had ear infections for the past 2 years. We have been to the vet 10/12 times and Lucy has just finished her 8th course of antibiotics. Her ears have fluid in them and it comes out brown and smelly. She constantly itches and holds her head on the side. Now her ears are red from scratching. It is nearly impossible to put her antibacterial wash in there now as she hates it so much. She is on a diet of roo mince, veggies, and yogurt. We tried diluted vinegar, but it makes her cry and scratch even worse. Please help!
By Stacey from Victoria, Australia
My son has a black lab and for years she has also had chronic ear infections. Countless trips to the vet, antibiotics and cleaning her ears constantly still didn't help. I did some research and found this medicine (bought it from Amazon) and it really did the trick.
Sometimes chronic yeast infections can be cured by feeding yogurt. Just feed a spoonful with every meal. Use the plain low fat version. If your dog is not suffering from a yeast infection this will not hurt it. In fact, it gives them a nice soft coat but protects against a lot of different types of yeast infections.
I have a 9 month old Golden Retriever. He has had stomach issues since we got him. He is now doing well with Authority dog food, but he has chronic ear infections. We have done every wash, drop, etc. from the vet and nothing clears it up. Any suggestions? Someone told us to try grain free food. Please help!
By Maura from VA
I work in the pet food industry and this sounds like an allergy to a food product. Most of the time it is to chicken and most dog foods contain chicken in some form. You need to find a limited ingredient food. Natural Balance, Wellness Simple Food Solutions, Blue Buffalo Basics and California Naturals are some brands that might work. I would do a search on the internet for dog foods with limited ingredients. You can contact me if you need anymore help I will be glad to see what I can do for you.
How much Vagisil do you use for severe infections in the ear?
By samnatha from Corning, CA
I am not sure Vagisil will do anything for the infection but stop the itching. But Monastat will, if the dog has a fungal infection. You can get the drug store brand, and it will work just as well. It won't take very much of it, so 1 tube will do a while. Colloidal Silver will also kill the fungus, or any bacteria in the dog's ears if used regularly, will keep the infection down.
I tried vinegar and water and it hasn't helped much. Is there any other suggestion for topical treatments?
By Vince
Many long-eared dogs are prone to yeast infections. If this is the case with your dog, you could try over-the counter products used to treat women's vaginal yeast infections, such as Monistat (I buy the generic version). Just squeeze some of the cream on to a soft cloth and thoroughly wipe it in the ear, and then massage the ear to make sure the cream gets down into the ear canal. You can do this several times a day.
I would offer the following advice: Stop feeding soy, wheat and corn. Diamond makes a good line of foods that have none of these items in them. You can buy in bulk and save money.
I used Otic Hc 1.0 enzymatic solution, but the ear infection still won't leave. I want to try a home treatment like rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
By Jack C.
I have a 6 year old Pit Bull/Lab who has yeast infections in his ears. I want to use the vinegar, but he will not let me touch them; he runs. Any ideas on how to get him to let me touch them?
He is a very timid dog since all this and I don't want to get bitten. I have tried the vet thing and wow the money I have spend for it to go away for a few months and come back again. They will not give meds without you coming in even when you have been there for years and they know the dog's history. I can't afford any more bills. I have 2 kids and a husband out of work.
By michele from Nashville, TN
When we have to put drops in our lab's ears, it takes two of us. My husband holds the dog (he kind of hugs it real close), and I put the drops in. I've also started putting a couple of tablespoons of yogurt in the dog's food every day, and this seems to have stopped the ear infections. You have to use the real yogurt with live cultures, that comes in the larger tub, not the kind mixed with fruit, etc.