What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

swollen ear edge issues

spd7143

Member
Hello all, been awhile since I've posted but I am at my wits end having exhausted all potential issues my vet could think of. I have a bull mastiff and english mastiff from two different, un-related breeders.Both of them developed swollen edges to their ears, kinda like cauliflower ear in boxers and UFC fighters. It doesn't seem to bother them much until touched and then it is obvious it's painful. Both dogs eat a non-poultry diet and they have been tested for mites and had their ears scraped so the vet could look under the microscope with zero results on the vets part as to what may be causing the issue other than it's probably a allergic reaction of some sort. We've tried several different laundry detergents and then several different dog foods, trying to isolate if the condition got better with any of the changes we made (each change was made for a month to allow time for swelling to go down or any noticeable improvement). Obviously it's odd that both dogs have this issue while our german shepherd does not tho I understand each is susceptible to their own potential medical issues. I read in a different post about a couple of owners recommending to another owner to give their dog benedryl to address a hives situation. Anyone here have any experience with this solution or any other ideas on what may be causing my dogs issues? Thanks in advance!
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Can you post some pictures? I have a thought, but I'd like to see exactly what you're dealing with.
 

spd7143

Member
I will try and post some pics tomorrow as the lighting is bad in the house. I do have to admit I stand partially corrected by my girlfriend. Our vet did not know what was causing their ear problems so she sent the scrapings off to a specialist who told us we were lucky enough to get two dogs with the same sort of auto-immune issue and that for $150 a month, we could try giving them some sort of medication that may reduce and swelling and tenderness. I'd like to think there is something else we could try and wouldn't cost us thousands of dollars a year for the rest of their lives.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Do you know what auto-immune issue the specialist said it was? We might have someone with experience if we know the condition. I would still really like to see pictures.
 

marke

Well-Known Member
has a vet ever tried prednisone ? if they did , did it work ? if not , did you ever try benadryl , if so , did it have any effect ?
 

spd7143

Member
MVIMG952019012195182345.jpg IMG952019012195182359.jpg So im gunna try and post some pics of gotham's ears. Harriet has the same issue. Neither of us can remember if the specialist told us wat specific auto immune issue they had. I will call my vet tomorrow and hopefully have that answer and will answer all the other questions. Im happy that you all were willing to try and figure this out with us. Now the hard part
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I agree with Marke. He posted the exact article I was going to link to. And he's right about mites. A proper skin scrape needs to go deep enough to draw blood and even then they may be hard to find. If you speak to your vet, get as much info as you can. What condition, how it was tested for, what medication they are suggesting, etc.

Another thought. How old are your dogs? My older guy had an issue with ear edge dermatitis. It wasn't particularly painful for him and I just massaged a balm I make into his ears. It wasn't a cure, but it did help with the dryness on the ear edges.
 

Jakesmum

Well-Known Member
Jake also had this on his ear margins, it was attributed to all of his allergies and finally cleared up when we got him on a regiment of Atopica and changed his food to a kangaroo based protein. You may need to consult a dermatologist.