Has anyone's dog experienced ear infections?

O

OneNJen

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O.G.
Aug 9, 2007
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#1
Over the past couple of days, I noticed that my lab was shaking his head and crying when he went to lick his back paws/butt. I knew something was wrong, but I thought it was a problem with his paw or anal glands.

Tonight I looked at my dogs ear and noticed it was all crusty and bloody and has a disgusting smell to it. He is a loveable boy, but he has a mind of his own, and never lets anyone touch him, so I wasn't able to get a good look at it. I immediately called the vet, but they didn't have any emergency appointments tonight, so he has one for tomorrow evening after work.

I am upset because he is so uncomfortable, but for those of you who have dogs who had ear infections, are they easy to treat?? I sure hope I don't have to give him ear drops becuase he won't let anyone go near him for things like that... I can't even get ticks off of him! He even has to be sedated to go to the vet!
 
#2
Hi,
the ear infections are usually very easy to treat, and from what your are describing it sounds like thats exactly what he has.
Your lab probably scratched his ear because he was uncomfortable and in turn caused some blood, the foul smell is from yeast build up which is the first sign of an ear infection.
They will probably give you some drops, or since you say your dog is not very cooperative they might have another solution/medication to treat it.
Hope this helps.
 
#3
My dog has had two ear infections. The first time I only got the drops, the second time antibiotics and drops. It takes a few days to clear up, but they tend to keep them on the meds for about 2 weeks.
 
#4
awww poor big guy. my spaniel is very ear infection prone, so i've had to deal with it a bunch of times. luckily it clears up pretty quickly. see if you can find zymox ear drops... they work really well. i also use naturvet ear solution to clean my spaniel's ears even when she's healthy.. it contains tea tree oil so it helps prevent infection.

i hope your doggy feels better soon!
 
#5
Also, once you get this cleared up, consider switching to a yeast-free dog food (and that includes treats, and avoiding feeding them anything else like bread that has yeast in it). My dogs no longer get the brown gunk in their ears.

When you go to the vet, tell them your concerns about treating your dog, perhaps they can have you bring your dog in for the treatments until it's all cleared, or give you advice on how to restrain him so you can do it yourself.
 
#6
I'm sorry to hear your baby isn't feeling well. It does sound to me exactly like an ear infection and fortunately they can be cured quite easily, in my experience. I'd take him to the vet where he can be properly diagnosed, though.

Your vet will clean his ears and try and dislodge any wax or gunk that is stuck and then probably give you some drops to use at home a couple of times a day. I think the stuff our vet prescribes for us is called OtiMax (sp?). It will probably make the fur outside your dog's ears greasy, but that's only temporary. Your baby may need antibiotics too.

A long time ago, one of our dogs scratched her ear so hard she got a hematoma and had to have surgery. It happened so fast we didn't even have time to get her to the vet before she had hurt herself.

Good luck to you and your doggie!
 
#7
I agree with Leelee, taking him to the vet will be the best for you and the doggie because they would be able to first diagnose whether the infection is caused by yeast of bacteria. Depending on what is growing in there, the treatment is different. You can also learn how to clean ears effectively, too.
If the ear is really inflammed, which is probably the reason that is causing him pain, they may prescribe some prednisone, or some antiinflammatory to help him feel better.
There are lots of products and ways to treat ear infections, so don't worry too much, as long as you go to a good veterinarian!
 
#8
Sorry to hear about that. The vet as the others have said is the best thing at the moment. We have a king charles spaniel and we clean his ears every single day after his walk just to prevent any infections.
 
#9
Thanks, everyone for your responses. I've been a dog owner for almost 18 years, and I've never had a to deal with an ear infection before, so this is new territory to me!!

He's been up all night shaking his head and crying. I was very disappointed that my vet couldn't see him last night, but I have had wonderful experiences with this vet, and they told me it would be okay to wait.

He's a crazy little guy though, so I hope there's a way to treat without drops. I'll let you all know when I get back from the vet tonight!
 
#10
^^ Good luck! Our spaniel used to get ear infections - the floppy spaniel ear shape encourages them because it prevents air getting to the ear canal. He was like your dog in that if he had an ear infection, he became very stressed when we went near his ears and the only way we could do it was with my DH holding him and me putting the drops in. If drops are the only option, don't let your vet bully you into trying to do it yourself when you know you won't be able to. Make it clear that the treatment has to be do-able ... because if it isn't, then your dog won't be getting the treatment he needs.
 
#11
THanks for all the continued responses...

Well, we are back from the vet and Bayle has two ear infections!!! The vet gave him three injections- an antibiotic, two anti-inflammatories, and then he is on ampicillin AND ear drops!

The vet understands that it's hard to get the dog to cooperate with the drops (he even nipped the vet's hand when they tried to muzzle him) so he gave us a low dose sedative that will hopefully allow us to put the drops in easier. He gets the drops every other day for two weeks.

I feel so bad for my baby! He came home and crawled in his crate and went to sleep!
 
#12
I took in a Greyhound foster dog that came with a yeast infection in both ears. The vet cleaned out his ears and sent us home with drops and pills. He should be back to normal in 2 weeks. You should see some results in about 3 days.
 
#13
Awww your poor lab! My chocolate lab has recurring ear infections, so I totally know what you are going through! She is on special hypoalergenic food because our vet said it would prevent them from happening. She also has medication that is put in her ears and we have a special solution to clean them out with every week. My vet said that labs are prone to ear infections and she will continue to get them, but the frequency has decrease since she got the medication! Good luck at the vets!
 
#14
OneNJen said:
THanks for all the continued responses...

Well, we are back from the vet and Bayle has two ear infections!!! The vet gave him three injections- an antibiotic, two anti-inflammatories, and then he is on ampicillin AND ear drops!

The vet understands that it's hard to get the dog to cooperate with the drops (he even nipped the vet's hand when they tried to muzzle him) so he gave us a low dose sedative that will hopefully allow us to put the drops in easier. He gets the drops every other day for two weeks.

I feel so bad for my baby! He came home and crawled in his crate and went to sleep!
Click to expand...

Sounds like Bayle had a VERY STRESSFUL DAY... Poor guy...:sad:. Well, ear drops were inevitable, huh... It probably really hurts him so maybe that is why he doesn't want anyone to touch his ears, so as he gets better, maybe the ear drops will be easier. At least it is every other day and not every day! Just don't stop in the middle of the prescribed length of two weeks. If he is ripping your hands off, then call the vet to let them know. He will have to think of an alternative, which there isn't much when it comes to ear infection besides drops. But definitely use your Mommy technique and give him lots of love and treats, etc afterwards so help him understand that it IS a positive thing for him...

Sending get-well wishes~~~
 
#15
Hope that Bayle is doing better. My female Dal used to get ear infections all the time and they were very bad!! I would have to clean her ears out daily with the long medical Q-tips. She would allow it because it would feel so much better.
Her problems were caused by allergies.
EpiOtic (sp?) is also very good
 
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