# Ear infections



## einstein (May 14, 2013)

Any suggestion for frequent ear infections? We use tea tree oil and recently had a problem with an alergic reaction to some other "natural" balm. One thing that works great for nose infection was coconut oil. Can I use that in the ear? Is that safe?
Thanks


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

We use a mix of isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar and water. I can't remember the exact portions, but I'm sure you can look it up. It has worked well for us with the 1 ear infection Miles had.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Not sure if you can use coconut oil. It probably wouldn't do any harm, but it might not be the most effective solution. I use a mixture with some of the same stuff as MilesMom. Water, witch hazel, isopropyl alcohol, apple cider vinegar, aloe, and probably tea tree oil. Can't remember if I put that in there. Basically you just want something that will evaporate quickly (hence the alcohol) and is astringent, but not too harsh. 

How often are you cleaning his ears? I did it once a week for the first 7 months or so and now I only do it after swimming or when they look particularly dirty.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

I use THORNIT canker powder on Darcy's ears,it contains zinc oxide,lodoform and boric.just a pinch of it dusted into the ear....workes wonders..


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

The weekly cleanings were key for us in preventing ear infections, as our guy suffered a few ear infections during his first few months. For keeping the ears clean our vet recommended using a few drops of olive oil on a make-up pad for cleaning out the ears. It is easy and I always have both on hand. It has worked great and we now clean his ears every few weeks, or as needed following trips to the beach/trails.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

You need to know what is causing the ear infections.
It could be from playing in water all the time, and not drying out the ears after, yeast, or stopping the treatment to soon. Ears need to maintain a certain PH balance to remain healthy. Ears, rears and feet or also a sign it could be a allergy. One or all three maybe the signs. They scratch and shake the ears, slide the rears, and chew on the feet. If it is a yeast infection in the ears, they can spread it to the feet and then jowls by scratching. A vet can do a simple test with clear tape and a microscope slide to rule out, or confirm a yeast infection.


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

einstein, this article may be of some help to you with treatment. 
http://dogaware.com/health/ears.html

As TexasRed said, understanding the cause is the best place to start. Our boy seemed to constantly be dealing with ear infections last year that almost always smelled like yeast or were caused by yeast. It was suggested to me to try using acidophilus (a probiotic) to help him. The acidophilus helps the body find a better way to handle yeast in the body and help rid it in a more productive way than through the ears, possibly leading to an infection. We started using a powder version that went in his food and within a few weeks his digestion seemed better and his ear infections cleared up. This is the product that we used but there are quite a few out there that you can buy, if yeast is your problem and you want to go this route:
http://www.thewholisticpet.com/prod...care-supplements/wholistic-acidophilustm.html


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## einstein (May 14, 2013)

Thanks everyone who replied with the helpful information. I clean the ears about once every three days because they are always getting groos brown/black stuff in them. My Vizsla has allergy issues and we tried a lavander and witchhazel based formula and it was a bad idea as he had a reaction to it. He already gets multiple probiotics, raw goats milk, and yogurt in his food. The best food that he would work on is Acana Pacifica (All Fish Based).


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Did he have ear issues before you started feeding all that dairy? Some dogs have issues with lactose and that could manifest in ear infections. Just a thought.


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## einstein (May 14, 2013)

Yea the ears have always been bad but I read here that these were supposed to be good for the immune system so that s why I give them to him now.


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## rimrock5151 (Nov 13, 2012)

I hope this subject is not closed because I am having problems with "smelly red ears" . My vizsla got a bad infection about 3 months ago and it seems it has stayed in his body. 

The current procedure I am going through is:
Feeding nothing but Hills Prescription Diet d/d even for treats.
Of course the Vet gave some pills to assit in clearing up the infection

It has been about a week and the severe redness has gone, pills are gone so another week on the food and I will see if that stabilizes the ear problem.

I see where a few have used acidophilus in powder form. Wondering if there are any others who find that helpful. I tried yogurt but I think the dairy upset him as the redness did not go away.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

Our vet has always prescribed Surolan ear drops for our guys ear infections, which he had a few of during his first year. It always cleared the infection up quickly. We maintain clean ears with a little olive oil on a makeup pad.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

rimrock, might be worth trying a different food that has protein as the first few ingredients, rather than potato or another vegetable. Some dogs are allergic to starches and grains and while they can get nutrients from them, their digestive tracts aren't designed to break them down as efficiently as we are. I don't feed kibble, but others have had good results with taste of the wild, acana, origen, or merrick.


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