Ear infections?

I was just wondering if anyone elses dogs get ear infections a lot? Josie has another bad one, and she gets them -a lot-. She hates having her ears cleaned too :rolleyes: Anywho, Zeke had a bad one not long ago too..so I guess they're both prone, or whatever, to them.

My in laws dog Rasquel a Sharpi-Mix has them ALL the time! They just need to be cleaned very very well (with a self drying rinse) and kept clean.

(I just can't get that point through my mother-in-laws head!!!:rolleyes: )

Lucy gets them ALL the time. She has such long ears too and she hates when I give her medicine in them. She is getting much better though.

My Poodle has a chronic problem with yeast infections in his ears. I am at the point where I clean them every day and it still doesn't help. I've seen several vets about it and no one has been able to offer a permanent solution. He is going to see a new vet soon who I am hopeful will help us.

I sometimes add plain yogurt to his food, which helps a little. I also recommend the powder or cream that dries their ears out. It does a great job at keeping them dry.

Jasper and Piddle always have ear infections, Jasper's ears are always very dry and red, we put ear cleaner in them every night, but if we stop/run out, they got right back the same way

Aly knows this because I have commiserated with her over Reece and Bella. Out of the 6 poodles that I have owned, 3 of them have had this problem, and it is definitely a problem with poodles, but Bella is the worst. She got her very first yeast infection shortly after her first trip to the groomer. Up until then we had been bathing/grooming her ourselves. I think that water got in there and that has caused an ongoing problem. Her left ear is the real culprit and her ear canals look smaller in that ear, so I am sure it is hard for it to ever completely dry out.

The vet has her on an ointment to be used twice a day for seven days when it flares up and also an ear wash to be used twice weekly. I can't tell you how many times I have had to do this regimen with her. :( If this continues he said we could bring her in and mildly sedate her and do a thorough irrigation and cleaning. If I take this extreme measure I will probably not take her to the groomer's any more so that no more water gets in her ears.

Aly, I keep meaning to pick up that powder. :rolleyes: I'll do that before scheduling anything further with the vet.

Sadie has had one almost every year...usually late fall or early winter. In fact, I just took her to the vet today cause one was coming on. The first one she got, when she was about a year old last for months and eventually she had to be put under and her ears cleaned really good and deep ( Like Pam mentioned). Since then, we can tell almost before she gets them and get her started on the meds and they clear up before they get too bad.

Oreo gets them, too. But, we're getting good at prevention: She has to endure the *torture* :rolleyes: of cleansing/drying ear drops after all baths and swimming. She hates that, but it's better than an infection!

I almost forgot to mention that the vet said that sometimes allergies can bring these things on. I suppose a food allergy or an allergy to something growing outside. I have no clue though what it could be in Bella's case. :confused:

ok, question. Some of you talked about dry stuff right? Well I have 2 liquid stuff. One is a cleaner, the other is meds. But it leaves her ear all greasy :X Not that it matters a lot..but is this other stuff better?

I use MalOtic which is an ointment and Oti-Clens is the name of the ear wash I use. What medicines are you using?

Oh, poor Josie:( Labs are especially prone to ear infections. I wash out Star's ears weekly with OtoClens too. The vet reassured me that the atanomical structure of the Lab's ears allows you to clean out their ears deeply, with Qtips or gauze and the cleanser, without damaging the ear drums. When she does develop an ear infection, she usually get's treated with Otomax, a liqud dispensed into the ears with a long applicator. And yes, it is "greasy." Hugs to Josie!!!)

We had trouble with Abbey at first when we got her--those long hound ears!!! One dose of the meds, and a vigilant cleaning schedule keeps it away.
Jada's ears get really bad too. Just last week she had a small infection, and a few drops from the vet cleared it right up (sorry, I can't remember what they were called).
I clean their ears every other day, with the wipes or with the liquid that goes into their ears--they hate it, but they hate the infections even more!!!

My boys, on the other hand, always have sparkling clean ears!!!

I clean Nebo's ears about once or twice a month, just when I bring him to work. His are never dirty, but I do it anyway lol.

Reggie had some sort of ear infection once. He kept scratching at his ear. The stupid vet put him out to look in his ear, yet he did not even clean it. He didn't even pull the hair out of his ears.

He's never had another problem. I clean his ears about every 1-2 months when he needs to be groomed.

okay so Im late jumping in here but I have some helpful information..

chronic ear infections are a good indicator of allergies. (being very itchy is also a typical symptom). my dad is a veterinary dermatologist & I work for him and and we deal with this all the time. if you can find a dermatologist in your area I highly recommend going to one to find out if allergies are the underlying problem. (look here http://www.acvd.org/public/findaderm/bystate.htm)

dogs with ear disease often require a vet to do an ear flush (they anesthetize the dog and use a machine to clean down to the ear drum). cleaning the ears with solutions at home and having your vet do ear flushes will never be enough if allergies are the cause, and if it isnt taken care of serious problems can develop.

poodles, labs & goldens are some of the most common breeds with allergy caused ear problems.

Jake used to get them ALL THE TIME. It was a chronic problem. Now that you mention it, he hasn't had one in over a year! I don't know if it's a coincidence, but he hasn't had one since we switched his food. Maybe having better nutrition is helping his immune system.

I was so ignorant about dogs when I first got Jake. I didn't recognize the symptoms, and I let it go too long. Now if I see a little crust I clean his ears out really well right away. And if he looks itchy I give him benadryl.

My Mandy just got over her third ear infection and she is just now turning three. This last one took a month of meds to get over and I hope it is gone! It's always her right ear and it always seems to get dirty so fast. I keep a close eye on it.My vet seems to think in her case it is not allergies. All I know is I was ready to cut her ear off :eek: or pull my hair out:D