# dog with constant ear infections



## tricky (Sep 29, 2007)

hi guys

just had a BRIEF call from a family friend about her GSD boy

(please bear in mind this was a BRIEF call and NOT MY DOG LOL so going on VERY limited info but can get in contact if need be)


so her boy is apparently getting constant ear infectiosn (dont know how often) - apparently mites (the black stuff , so she says)

treating with SUROLAN from vets which is costing her £30 a time which she cant really afford atm


her vet assistant friend has apparently said/suggested it is/could be down to bad breeding ???????????


so shes asking if any of you lovely people had any advice or tips as to what she can do ? , medicines, alternative diet (i think thes on raw and mixer like mine but not 100% sure on that), or anything else

thanks in advance

pat


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm afraid there is no alternative but prescription drugs.The ears need to be cleaned daily.Dirty ears prevent the medication working properly.I use surgical spirit soaked into cotton wool balls.You can gently use cotton buds,dogs don't have the same ear design as us and it's difficult to cause pain or damage with them.The black gunge is likely to be fungal or bacterial infection or a combination of both and breeds with erect ears and narrow canals are prone , problems are likely to be ongoing.You can ask for a product called aurizon,it's prescribed as a last defense when other medication has failed and after that surgery can be considered.To try to cure without prescription drugs is a no go ,I've tried all options I think.If money is a really really difficult prescription drugs can be ordered from overseas pharmacies but it is breaking the law and if the product is opened by customs it will be siezed.


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

We've had several dogs at work who have reoccuring ear infections, at the moment we a cocker who suffers from it. Her meds have been stopped after a thorough ear clean under sedation (she not too happy being handled) and the dirt still returns, i think with some dogs unfortunately it's there for life. I think theres an op that can be done on the ear canal where it gets closed and a new opening made, something like that anyway (i'm not a vet) but she could enquire about that maybe? I thought gsd are usually lucky with ears as they are so open, i've seen more issues with less exposed ears. I've not heard of any diet changes that can help but will keep an eye on this thread incase there is something like that


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

if it is ear mites imo the dog is on the wrong drops?

is it definatly mites? or is there a discharge as well as the black muck?

canaural has the mite killer in along with the antibiotics etc, surolan will just treat the itch and take away the redness rather than kill the critters.

you do need to flush all the muck out of the ears first with an ear cleaning solution, then put the drops in.

if that dosnt work, have they considered using stronghold spot on. its for fleas etc, but also kills ear mites. the ears will still need all the gunk cleaning out though.

stronghold is prescription and isnt cheap, so asking for a change of drops to canaural and getting some cleanaural ear cleaner or similar would probly be the next step.

in extreme cases of reoccuring infections with a lot of liquid discharge and puss a swab sent of for analysis would be needed to determine what bacteria is present, so a more targeted treatment can be sorted out - usually oral antibiotics and drops too.

mits arnt caused by bad breeding?


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Personally I would drop the mixer, skin allergies can be a trigger for ear infections in GSDs, and cereals are a leading cause of skin allergies. This is the only way I could think it could be related to breeding, so otherwise I think that is tosh. If not then a cereal free kibble like fish and potato could be of use.

At the same time a basic cleaning is a good idea a good technique is to soak two halves of a garlic clove in some olive oil over night, remove the garlic and then use to olive oil inside the ear some is dropped in, just a few drops, the rest on a cotton ball to clean what can be reached (hold with good set of tweezers if needed, just do not risk losing it into the ear) if the dog will allow.
If the infection is further down, such as middle ear it may need cleaning under sedation, the vets are ripping them off charging that price, so consider seeing a different vet. I agree though, the drug at any price is only treating symptoms, not the cause. 

There is a version of that drug that treats causes as well as symptoms I do not recall the name, but I really think biting the bullet and getting a good clean done if the diet change and basic cleaning doesn't work will be the best course of action.


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## TIMOTHY AND MATILDA (Oct 31, 2008)

our dog has severe allergies and we paid £200 (which insurance paid for) for an allergy test as his skin and ears were awful,it revealed an allergy to beef,pork,lamb and dust,we were given tavegil an anti allergy vet treatment box of 70,£7,he takes 4 a day,he has a monthly injection and we had so many diet trails and in the end Burns chicken/fish and rice or the raw diet were the only things he could eat
I found it very stressful but the york dog allergy test which the vet did saved money in the long run in vets bills
Hope she gets some answers
she can email me if she would like [email protected] :2thumb::2thumb:


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## tricky (Sep 29, 2007)

thanks for help guys


will print evrything off and give to freind. 

hopefully she can use some of the great advice given

thank you :notworthy:


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## mrandmrsk (Nov 28, 2009)

thornit powder is great for dogs ears xx


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## ogawa only (Jun 4, 2008)

we've had a few ear infections over the last 20 odd years , and we run a dog club , and its something we see time to time , vets are all to quick to try one type of antibiotic , then go in guns blazing with a scalpel, when they should try a couple of different types . one treatment we've used , and recommended to other people , with great results is "posatex" its prescription medication , it's fantastic stuff :2thumb: 


steve .


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## bionic_bunny (Feb 7, 2009)

Ear infections are often related to generalised skin allergies often referred to as atopy. Initially you would need to treat the initial ear infection before investigating possible allergies. It is advisable to get the Vet to take a swab to establish the likely class of bacteria involved and the presence of yeasts. Surolan would cover for cocci bacteria and malassezia which are the most common causes of ear infections. This should ideally be used alongside an ear cleaner as debris in the ear makes the medicated drops less effective. Ideally the ear should be cleaned prior to the drops being applied each time. In terms of ear drops then it may respond better to a different antibiotic and so your Vet may change that if the infection is non-responsive. Posatex should only be used based on a Culture and Sensitivity swab or if Pseudomonas is strongly suspected due to the antibiotic resistance risk.


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