Yogurt

[Basset Mom]

I have Bassets and they are prone to ear yeast infections as are labs and a heaping dollop of plain nonfat yogurt a day will keep those smelly yeast ears away and it is good for their digestive system also. I told that to a friend who owns a blood hound and she said if she puts yogurt in the dogs ear she would be afraid that he will chew his ear off. NO do not put it in their ear feed it to them they love it. It's like a special treat and it is so good for them.

[lovemyshiba]

Thanks for the advice!!!
LOL about your friend wanting to put the yogurt in their ears!!!

My rottie, Jada, has been having so many problems with her ears lately--we're seeing the vet on Monday, but if that's what it is, I will start giving her yougurt--ANYTHING to not see her whining and pawing at her ears all day, when they've been cleaned and cleaned:(

Your bassets are adorable!!!:)

[chocolatepuppy]

My vet told me to mix 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 rubbing alcohol and soak a baby wipe in it, then wring out to clean my dogs ears. Lacey had a yeast inflammation in her ears and Mandy was 'born with' bacterial ear infections. So far so good! I've never tried the yougart! :)

[KYS]

I give the dogs a little bit of Plain cultured yogart in
their food too. Great for their digestive system and
other stuff. :)

[Logan]

Mine love plain yogurt mixed into their food too. I couldn't hurt, for sure!!! :)

[pitc9]

LOL about your friend!!

I will have to tell my mother in law about the yogurt. Their Sharpei mix has infections all the time, and my MIL is not very good about keeping her ears clean:rolleyes: so I do it when ever I am over there. But I'll tell her about yogurt and I HOPE she listens to me and does it! I'll tell her that feeding Racquel yogurt everyday would be easier than trying to clean her ears all the time!!;)

Lets hope it works!

[Basset Mom]

You still need to clean their ears regularly to prevent infections the yogurt is mainly to keep yeast infections away.

[pitc9]

I clean her ears everytime I go over to visit.
My MIL doesn't do it because she says it's messy and smells bad.
DUH!!! :rolleyes:

[lovemyshiba]

Jada's ears get cleaned everyday, sometimes twice a day, and they still bother her:(
After I see what the vet says when she looks in there, I'll probably try the yogurt.
I've also heard that it can help gassy dogs:o

[mruffruff]

My 4 get a dollop of plain, fat free yogurt every night mixed in their food. No tummy troubles or body odors for a couple of years. I don't know if it's the yogurt or the Nutro, but I won't quit either to find out!

Mary

[snappy]

So the yogurt helps not only ear yeast infections but also flatulence??!!!

My cockers have the 'cocker ears' - they get cleaned every other day - but are still proned to have infections.....the droopy ear dogs all do, but the one is also just full of gas :eek:

I tell my boyfriend it is all his fault - the dog takes after him!:D

I will try the yogurt - I love plain yogurt also - so we will all get a dab a night!

Thanks for the advice! :)

[Basset Mom]

I use to feed my dogs nutro before I realized Bailey was allergic to something in it I think it was glutten well any how I feed them natural balance duck and potato now and give them the yogurt everyday. I also make them dehydrated chicken for treats because glutten is in any kind of flour or rice so I do not know what else to give them for treats I tried dehydrated bananas apples and sweet potatoes, but they did not like them, they do like the dehydrated chicken though,

[DogLover9501]

Originally posted by lovemyshiba
I've also heard that it can help gassy dogs:o

Well then I should try it with Jasper! :o :rolleyes: ;)

[anna_66]

Originally posted by lovemyshiba
Jada's ears get cleaned everyday, sometimes twice a day, and they still bother her:(
After I see what the vet says when she looks in there, I'll probably try the yogurt.
I've also heard that it can help gassy dogs:o
Emily, the vet gave us some stuff for Angus's ears. It's called Vet Solutions: Swimmer's Ear Astringent for dogs and Cats.
It's an antiseptic Drying Gel and Deodorant.
In the beginning we used it twice a day, then only once or twice a week. It seemed to keep his ears from getting that nasty brown stuff it them.
If you want I could send it to you since we don't need it any
more:(

And yes, believe me that yogurt does work well for gassy dogs. Angus could stink you out of the house sometimes when I'd forget to give it to him:eek:

[lovemyshiba]

Originally posted by anna_66
Emily, the vet gave us some stuff for Angus's ears. It's called Vet Solutions: Swimmer's Ear Astringent for dogs and Cats.
It's an antiseptic Drying Gel and Deodorant.
In the beginning we used it twice a day, then only once or twice a week. It seemed to keep his ears from getting that nasty brown stuff it them.
If you want I could send it to you since we don't need it any
more:(

And yes, believe me that yogurt does work well for gassy dogs. Angus could stink you out of the house sometimes when I'd forget to give it to him:eek:

Well, first off :(
But, maybe I would like to try it. I have tried everything I can get my hands on around here (non-prescription), and even some drops from the vet and nothing seems to help. We are seeing the vet on Monday for a regular checkup. I can't wait to see what she says when she looks in those ears--hopefully it's easily treatable.
It does sound promising in that you said you used it frequently in the begining, and were able to cut it down--I can't go anywhere near her ears, she flips out, but thankfully my husband can.
I incorrectly assumed that only the dogs with longer ears get bad ear infections--not true here!!!!
Thanks for the offer, I'll let you know after our vet visit.

And keeping with the topic, I bought some yogurt today and "tested" it out on the dogs--they loved it, and are all laying here beside me waiting for more:)

[Cincy'sMom]

I have thought of trying yogurt, but never followed through on it. I'll have to get some. I've shared fruit flovroed yogurt with the dogs when i've had it, and they love that!

We also use a dry agent in Sadie's ears. Her's is made by Butler, and called Ear Drying creme. It has seemed to help her ears, which are very infection prone!

[Pam]

Well first of all welcome to Pet Talk!! :) Secondly, if the yogurt works I think many of us will be jumping up and down with glee! LOL! My Bella has been prone to yeast infections in her ears as well. It is often a poodle problem because fuzz grows in there and their ears need to have the fuzz plucked out. We do that, and the groomer does too, religiously but alas the ear infections continue. I have prescription ear wash and an ointment from the vet. It seems that once I stop the treatments it comes right back. A friend of mine at work uses a product that she got from Petco, although now I think PetsMart also carries it. It's called Veterinarian's Best and it comes with two bottles, one is the wash and the other is a drying powder. Actually the drying powder goes into the ears looking like lotion but dries like powder. It also works well but doesn't last. :(

I have changed Bella's diet to Nutro with the thought that maybe she had a food allergy. So far I don't notice a difference though. The vet also mentioned seasonal allergies as a possibility, but Bella's problem is off and on 12 months a year. Out of the 6 poodles I have had, 3 have had ear problems. :( Thankfully Ripley doesn't!

Anyway, sorry to ramble. I think there will be a run on yogurt at the supermarkets after this thread! LOL!

Edit: I forgot to say how adorable your dogs are. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more about them.

Cincy's Mom - In the past I too have given the dogs, and cats, tastes of the flavored yogurt and believe me it's a real hit! :)

[dragondawg]

The benefit of yogart as a probiotic in dogs is in doubt. The idea that a culture of lactobacillis+streptococcus placed in the intestinal tract could somehow make a difference in the ecological system of the ear is... well let's just say the ear bone is not connected to the stomach.

If you wish to attempt to control repeated chronic ear infections then a 1/3 white vinegar to distilled water solution cotton ball swabbing into the ears 2X daily is the ticket. The only problem is remembering to do it faithfully!

Otherwise keep a tube of Ottomax on hand so that you can treat when it's obvious an infection is present.

[Pam]

Originally posted by dragondawg


Otherwise keep a tube of Ottomax on hand so that you can treat when it's obvious an infection is present.

Dragondawg you are bursting my bubble! I thought I was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. :( I always have a tube of Otomax ointment on hand and with that I use the Oti-Clens wash, both prescribed by my vet. Neither of them has been successful in keeping Bella's ears free of yeast for very long. It is a never-ending thing. I now alternate with the Veterinarian's Best product that I mentioned earlier because the ingredients do not burn. The ingredients mentioned are yucca, aloe vera, chamomile, clove oil, tea tree oil and echinacea. I have found similar ear wash drops on line under holistic pet care. I was told to not use anything with vinegar or alcohol in her ears because it would burn. Now I am really :confused:

[dragondawg]

I always had excellent results using the Ottomax to clear things up. The problem is keeping the inflammation and subsequent infection from coming back. In my Lab's case I knew it was swimming, and the vinegar+water trick worked... if I remembered to apply it! In some dogs it can be a result of food allergies, but for the most part it's due to excess moisture in the ear.

Once the ear has been massively infected, the ecology of the ear is disrupted, and the infection will readily come back. An unending struggle.

P.S. Per allergies, the yeast growth itself in the ear can cause allergic reactions. Time again for Benedryl.

[chocolatepuppy]

Pam, my vet told me to use a vinegar and alcohol mix as I stated earlier on this thread. It does not seem to bother my dogs and so far it seems to be working. She (vet) did say however not to use it if they already had an infection, only to clean and prevent one.

[Pam]

Originally posted by dragondawg
for the most part it's due to excess moisture in the ear.

Once the ear has been massively infected, the ecology of the ear is disrupted, and the infection will readily come back. An unending struggle.

P.S. Per allergies, the yeast growth itself in the ear can cause allergic reactions. Time again for Benedryl.

Yes moisture is the culprit for sure! With poodles if the hair is not plucked (as unfortunately some people don't know to do) moisture gets trapped. My vet told me once that Bella's ears aren't as bad as some who come in. "Their ears are like a swamp." His words. :eek: Good description of moisture when it combines with fuzz.

Bella's ears don't have any fuzz but it seems to me that her ear canals are smaller than my last standard's were. When water gets in there she has a hard time shaking it out. This problem first arose after I began taking her to the groomer. :(

The vet's latest plan of attack for this problem is to anesthetize her and do a vigorous flushing and drying out of her ears. He gives no guarantees that it will not come back and I am also hesitant to have her "go under" for something without a guarantee. I am still rolling it over in my mind.

Chocolate puppy, I guess the reason vinegar and alcohol has never been suggested to me is that when I bring her in she is never completely "yeast free." *sigh*

Benedryl huh? Maybe we'll give that a try.

[Basset Mom]

What is the dose of benedryl you give the dog? Is it just over the counter human benedryl? Do you give your dog it on a regular daily basis? Bailey has allergies and has always had trouble with ear yeast. It has improved since I started using the yogurt. I use to get a brown cotton ball every time I cleaned her ears, now there is just a small trace of it.

[Cincy'sMom]

Originally posted by Pam

The vet's latest plan of attack for this problem is to anesthetize her and do a vigorous flushing and drying out of her ears. He gives no guarantees that it will not come back and I am also hesitant to have her "go under" for something without a guarantee. I am still rolling it over in my mind.



We actually had that done for Sadie about 3 years ago. She had an infection that we could not get rid of...from July-December, we were at the vet's every couple weeks trying somerthing new. Finally, they suggested a deep clean while she was under and that worked. She has had I think only had one (maybe two) infections in each ear since then, and since we caught them very early, we were able to clear them up with one round of meds.

Basset Mom, I would ask your vet about doasge for your pups. We generally give the girls (each about 75 lbs) 2 tablets, 2X a day when allergies are really bad. Sometimes, we only give 1, depending on how bad they seem to be itching, or how dirty the ears are. And if Benedryll doesn't work, other over the counter allergy medicines may help. Cincy tried Claritin for awhile and that helped too. Our vet, said if that one didn't work there were others we could try...but I don't remember for sure what they were.

[Basset Mom]

I'll check with my Vet on the allergy meds. They are doing pretty good now so I don't want to rock the boat. I have been checking their ears daily and cleaning it seems to be working but how do you keep them dry when I am dumping ear wash in them every other day?

[dragondawg]

Benedryl can be given at a dose of 1-2 mg/lb, where the 2mg/lb dose is appropriate to head off anaphylactic responses to such things as bee stings, or in my Barney's case- yellow jacket stings. :(

Typically for my lab of 75 lbs when she got into allergy seasons (e.g. Spring/Fall) I would give her 25 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night. Warning: Benedryl will make puppy SNORE! :)

[Pam]

Originally posted by Basset Mom
how do you keep them dry when I am dumping ear wash in them every other day?

There are ear powders for dogs' ears that can be found at PetsMart. In fact I was just looking at one today when I was there buying a few things. Also the product that I mentioned called Veterinarian's Best comes in a two-bottle packet. One is the wash and the other is a lotion which almost immediately dries to a powder once in the ear.

[Kiia]

I'm glad I read this thread, I was giving Teeko a TSP of yogurt once in a while and wasn't aware of all the good health benefits from it.

[tatsxxx11]

My girls get a good dollop of fat free plain in each of their meal bowls, along with apple and carrot and an herbal supplement. They love yogurt:) Then again, they eat anything:D

[lovemyshiba]

Originally posted by dragondawg
Benedryl can be given at a dose of 1-2 mg/lb, where the 2mg/lb dose is appropriate to head off anaphylactic responses to such things as bee stings, or in my Barney's case- yellow jacket stings. :(

Typically for my lab of 75 lbs when she got into allergy seasons (e.g. Spring/Fall) I would give her 25 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night. Warning: Benedryl will make puppy SNORE! :)

My vet just prescribed Benadryl for Jada for her ear problems, which she says are related to allergies. She also has a rash and itchy paws:( Anyway, she prescibed 50mg, 3 times a day, for Jada who weighs about 70 pounds.
It does NOT make her snore however, she has to be different;)

And, back to the original topic, beneficial or not, my dogs are loving the yogurt!!! I was looking at some supplements today, and I'm sure that would be perfect to mix them in:)

[Basset Mom]

Hi I was wondering if any of you tried the yogurt. I swear by it Bailey had the brown stuff and I treated it with medication from the vet it would just come back. I have been giving her the plain nonfat yogurt for a good month and half now for the first time in two years there is abolutely no brownish stuff in her ears and they do not smell anymore. I heard you have to give it to them everyday which I do. I won't stop either I like the fact that I can snuggle up to her face without holding my breath. Her ears get washed out with a cleaner once a week and it is much easier these days because I do not have to clean out that brown stuff anymore. So has anyone else had this result?

[lovemyshiba]

Well, I can't say it's totally the yogurt, but Jada's ears are better too. We did see the vet last week and she got an antibiotic, but we're having the same result--no smelly brown stuff:)
After she's through with the meds, I hope it will continue to be this way!!