Originally posted by dbi


With Bella, did you also need antibiotics as well as the ointment?
The ointment that we use is called MalOtic. It is made up of Gentamicin which is an antibiotic against a wide variety of bacteria. It also contains a synthetic steroid called Betamethasone as well as a broad spectrum antifungal agent called Clotrimazole. These three agents provide antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifungal medication. (Got this from the leaflet inside. )

There was a short period of time that Bella was on another antibiotic for Lyme Disease and I thought that her ears remained very clear during that time. The vet felt that this was a coincidence because he said that antibiotics like she was on actually encourage yeast infections. Actually he is probably correct as any female can attest to so the whole thing was rather puzzling.

I think with Bella it may have all started with her first professional grooming appointment (we had been grooming her ourselves) and quite possibly water got in her ears and they have been unable to dry out properly due to her small canals. This is only a hunch but the timing seemed right.



Recently, it isn’t so much the smell, but her ears would be red and very irritated so it might be different sometimes. One thing that really bothers me is that when Molly is having lots of fun and is really excited, sometimes she would bark very loud, and then immediately afterwards, shake her head. I think it’s because of pain in her ears. Sometimes she seems a little disoriented also, probably because of the ears.
I never experienced any redness with Bella's ears. I am wondering if maybe Molly might have a condition that humans can get called "Swimmer's Ear." My daughter had that often during the summer months when she was off from school and swimming a lot. It was quite painful and might explain some of the symptoms Molly is showing.

It is so sad to watch them suffer and not be able to put an end to it once and for all, but my vet also did tell me that this will most likely be a chronic thing all of her life. My other poodles had it all their lives too, but I don't remember the episodes being as frequent. Please do keep in touch and I will do the same.