# Dog ear infections



## Kat91 (Sep 19, 2008)

Anyone else have to deal with these? my dog has been getting these for years now which is very annoying! he gets a course of canaural drops (antibiotic) for it and it clears up in about 10 days but months later it always comes back!! :bash: it's always on his left ear too, which is the more floppy one so makes sense. He's just been to vets again today for another infection! he's in pain  what do you do to keep these at bay?


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## *H* (Jun 17, 2007)

We struggled for years with Millie (Staff cross Lab) she was always at the vets for drops and sprays, yet as soon as one went, it'll start again, mostly in the same ear. Vet couldn't find out what was wrong and causing them, but they all of a sudden just stopped this time last year.
She did though start on the base of her tail instead this year, so the vet thinks she is just prone to skin infections/allergies and once she starts itching, she get obsessive and goes at it. 
One thing I did start using though just before they cleared up for good, was some TCP on a que tip, and daily cleaned just inside her ears out (not all the way in as that can cause more problems).


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## Lenor (Jul 24, 2009)

Ear infections are a nightmare. Essentially there is no simple solution.
Some dogs are very predisposed. Those with floppy ears (labs, retrivers, spaniels), those with narrow ear canals (shar peis, shnauzers), those with hairy ear canals (bichons, poodles) are predisposed as the ears are kept even more warm and moist with even less air circulation than the average dog's ear canal, thus making it even more of a haven for bacteria and yeasts. Those who swim a lot are at more risk as their ear canals keep getting wet. Those with other skin diseases or allergies (westies, german shepherds) are predisposed as their skin is already inflammed and their immune systems over-reacting.

Do you clean your dogs ears regularly? once or twice a week with ear cleaner and cotton wool, less frequently if the ears are always clean and non-waxy when you clean them and the dog isn't apparently bothered by the ears. This will help ensure there is less wax and debris that traps warmth and bacteria.

If your dog is a breed that has hairy ear canals getting them plucked regularly can help air circulation etc.

Does your dog get other skin problems? Ruling out allergies as an inciting cause, and treating for them if the dog has them, can reduce frequency of infections.

Do you always finish the course of ear drops, and get the ears checked again by your vet at the end of the course, or do you just assume the problem has gone because the dog seems less bothered? Ears can require prolonged treatment of several weeks to actually clear the infection, externally the ear may look clean but there may still be pockets of pus, wax or infection further down.

If the infections are coming back quite quickly after the ear drops, have you had a swab taken from the ear to see if the antibiotics in the drops you are using are the most effective against the bacteria present?

If the ear canal is very thickened (which after recurrent infections is very likely), and difficult to get clean and clear of infection just with ear cleaner and medicated drops, it may be worth having the dog in at the vets to have his ear cleaned under sedation, but obviously your vet will have to decide whether that is necessary or whether is can be managed at home.

As a last resort there are surgeries that can be done to open up the ear canal or remove it completely, but these are very much end-of the line options.

My dog had ear problems for years (she's a retriever) - I'm sure half of it was my mum being a bit half-hearted with the cleaning and medication, you really do need to follow the instructions to a T to have any chance of success with long term recurrent cases. For the last 3 or 4 years we've had no more problems with Willow's ears (touch wood!) But as I say some dogs are just sadly going to keep getting problems, despite everyone's best efforts....

Good luck at the vets!


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

My rottie used to get ear infections regularly and we do get ear drops for him but usually just keeping his ears clean prevents the infectios for months on end. He rarely suffers with them now.
He's usually only bad over the spring/summer months so we also give him anti allergy tablets and that helps as well.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

ask your vet if they will provide aurizon drops.It's magical how effective it is.Some vets are reluctant to prescribe it early on because it's the last line of defence before considering surgery.If the problem is coming back frequently it's worth asking.My breed of dogs always suffer with bad ears and aurizon has completly turned things around.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

or surolan? thats an alternative to canaural you can try for a change.

are you cleaning the ears before you add the canaural? you should really, so the drugs get past all the wax, puss and manky stuff.

i`d clean them once a week with propper ear cleaner and keep the hair plucked if the ears are hairy.

its amazing how much difference regular cleaning can make....i found the cleanarual stuff the best.

some dogs are just predisposed, our first bullmastiff suffered for years, until a new vet suggested it was probly made worse by her hormones.
spaying sorted her out.......weird eh?

tbh if you cant stop it returning, maybe your vet can do a culture of the manky ear puss and find out exactly what bacteria is causing the problem, so you can get tablets of the more appropriate antibiotics and do targeted treatment rather than chucking canaural at it?


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## Kat91 (Sep 19, 2008)

Thank you all so much for your replies, they've really helped..especially Lenor, btw Lenor answering your question: he did used to have a skin problem as a pup but that didn't last long and quickly went away and it has never returned since (he's 5 now) so I doubt it's that. He doesn't swim (terrified of water) but his ears have a bit of hairs, only short ones though nothing un-doggy lol

The vet did mention his ear canals were very narrow which don't help things, so he was also prescribed some steroids to help open them up and clear the infection. Along with that he has a cleaning solution I now use to clean his ears. :2thumb:


pigglywiggly said:


> or surolan? thats an alternative to canaural you can try for a change.
> 
> are you cleaning the ears before you add the canaural? you should really, so the drugs get past all the wax, puss and manky stuff.
> 
> ...


Yes, I'm now using an ear cleaner and get as much gunk out as I can before I add the drops in, I never used to do this before because I wasn't informed to do so, so assumed it didn't matter. I'll try plucking his hairs too but I get the feeling he's not going to like me very much for that :lol2:

If it pursues, even with cleaning them regularly then I'll ask them to find out more about it, but we'll see what happens for now. I just feel so bad seeing him scratch at his ear all the time and making little noises


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

hasnt the canaural already got steroids in it?


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Years ago my Afghan Hound had the same problem, mainly in one ear. With those long hairy ears there was little 'ventilation' and for years we tried the various broad spectrum anti-biotics that vets dish out, when really with hindsight they should have done a swab to find the specific bacteria that was infecting the dog and used the appropriate anti-b. She would have periods of being fine and then the head shaking would start and the tilting that told me she was having problems again.

Eventually what I did was I took her down to Yorkshire to her breeders' son, who had just set up his own veterinary practice and he did the operation where they open out the ear canal by cutting into the lower ear lobe, to provide more ventilation. 

He did a swab and detected 2 different bacterias which were resistant to all the anti-b's that I'd been given by my vet, but there was 1 anti-b that they were susceptible to and he gave me that.

Problem solved - no more bother after that.


Has your vet done a swab on the ear to identify the problem - if he hasn't then I would strongly suggest that you ask him to do one to get to the bottom of the problem, because often the broad spectrum anti-b's just make the bacteria more resistant to them and they just don't work.


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## Kat91 (Sep 19, 2008)

pigglywiggly said:


> hasnt the canaural already got steroids in it?


I don't know...but he has canaural drops and steroid tablets..


feorag said:


> Years ago my Afghan Hound had the same problem, mainly in one ear. With those long hairy ears there was little 'ventilation' and for years we tried the various broad spectrum anti-biotics that vets dish out, when really with hindsight they should have done a swab to find the specific bacteria that was infecting the dog and used the appropriate anti-b. She would have periods of being fine and then the head shaking would start and the tilting that told me she was having problems again.
> 
> Eventually what I did was I took her down to Yorkshire to her breeders' son, who had just set up his own veterinary practice and he did the operation where they open out the ear canal by cutting into the lower ear lobe, to provide more ventilation.
> 
> ...


No the vet has never done a swab, they just take a look in his ear and prescribe him canaural every time...I should point out that it's an RSPCA vet too. I'll see how it goes with the cleaning of the ear more often and see if it still comes back as before I never used to clean his ear. The canaural does help but it comes back in months' time...it's not too often, I'd say he gets problems with his ear once or twice a year usually. I'll definitely ask for a swab to be done if it happens again though.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

If it's a recurring infection, then I strongly suggest you ask the vet to do a swab and get to the root of the problem because sore ears is a horrible thing to have at any time and if the problem is a bacterial infection and it's resistant to what you are using, then you're just wasting time and money, whether it's an RSPCA vet or not.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

aurizon is a newer product than the others mentioned and treats bacterial and fungal infections,even very resistant ones and is not particularly expensive.It also has a longer soft flexible nozzle that you put on the bottle,so much better for getting the drops where they are needed.


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

My old dog suffered ear infections for years, we changed vets due to moving and the new vet advised them plucking her ears under sedation, they also did a "wash" whilst she was under and it worked ! we used to use Leo (i think it was called) ear cleaner twice a week after that and she never got a infection again.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

the leos been renamed cleanaural.

its great for keeping the ears clear and can stop things getting bunged up if used regularly, and can really reduce the need for medication.

i`ve tried the cleaners from the petshop and they seemed to really hurt my dogs ears.


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## Kat91 (Sep 19, 2008)

his cleaner is called 'Epi Otic' this any good?


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

My vet gave me that for Skye, who had a bad ear infection when we got him and it cleared him up. He's had no problems since, but of course he's a GSD, so his ears are up and well ventilated - it does make a difference.


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## Kat91 (Sep 19, 2008)

feorag said:


> My vet gave me that for Skye, who had a bad ear infection when we got him and it cleared him up. He's had no problems since, but of course he's a GSD, so his ears are up and well ventilated - it does make a difference.


That sounds promising! I might just use some paperclips to clip his ears back :lol2:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

We used to joke that if we used a clothes peg to peg Tara's ears together above her head that she would never have had all the problems she had and Lord knows her ears were long enough!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

GSD are renowned for getting sore ears which I find very odd due to them being erect! Sadly Karla my girl suffers with her ears but Canaural usually sorts them.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

How interesting! None of our previous ones have and Skye's have never come back since we treated it.


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## fuzzielady (May 19, 2008)

Have you thought about it maybe being an allergy that causes them. One of my dogs can only get salmon and rice complete as he is allergic to loads of stuff. I did originally change him to barf but he started to reacting to everything except lamb so wasn't getting a balanced diet. He also gets steroids now as well but he is allergic to grass, pollen etc too

Plucking his ears is a good idea too. You could put thornit around the area you are going to pluck as it numbs the skin.


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