Reoccurring ear infection?

[Smokeycat]

Jiggers has had a reoccurring ear infection in only one ear. The first time it cleared up using serulan (spelling could be wrong). A week after I stopped treatment it came back. I then used a mix of polystyrene, monastic, and hydrocortisone and continued treatment for 4 days after he showed no signs of infection. Roughly a week later his ear canal was black again. This time he got 2 weeks worth of antibiotic ear drops even though the ear looked clean after 5 days. Those finished a week ago. Yesterday his ear was clean and healthy looking today it was solid black and took several tissues and swabs to clean it out.
He has no external symptoms of an infection such as shaking or scratching but the swabs taken at the vet did show multiple bacterial strains at the initial appointment. The second appointment was normal. It is also only the one ear with a problem there is nothing wrong with the second ear. The vet said that this means a food allergy is highly unlikely. I did bring that possibility up because the first time occurred a week after I changed to a different flavour of Acana, although it was one he has had in the past. I switched back to Ranchlands and unfortunately that didn't seem to help.
A previous vet did say that she though he had a conformational issue with his left ear canal given that one is the problem and when it is it is alwaysbad while the other is fine. I already have an appointment scheduled for next weekend so the vet will be able to reassess it (likely oral antibiotics) but does anybody have any ideas on how I can prevent it rather than just fight it.

The brat showing just how bothered he is by his ear.

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[Hector]

This sounds very strange. I hope you find something that will stop it. If I were you, I don't know if I would go the antibiotic route again. Have you tried flushing the ear 2x a day?

 

[Smokeycat]

I'm not sure I want to do the antibiotics I just know this vet is going to push them. I need to find it where the one I liked went as this new one is very pushy although treating her dumber questions as being as intelligent as they truly are did seem to make her actually listen to what I was saying. (I told her that I didn't think his collar was shrinking was she implied I couldn't know that Kryten's neck still growing.) I really did think that by doing the antibiotic drops it would heal and eliminate the problem so today was a huge shock when I lifted his ear flap and looked inside. All I can be greatful for is that it doesn't seem to bother him at all.
I think I might change to another brand of food anyway just in case although I have no idea what might cause a problem although I have heard that Acana has added alfalfa to at least some of their formulas, not recently, but maybe I only got older bags until recently (unlikely as they go through a bag in about 8 days).
I'm just tired of not being able to help as he clearly does not think cleaning his ear counts as helping.

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[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

Does his ear have an odor to it? I've been fighting something similar to this with Hank. We are doing daily ear flushes, drops, and benadryl. I'm due back either tomorrow or the next day for another check up. His get waxy black like you described. We had them cultured and the vet said yeast in both and staff in one. We are using TrizEdta for flushing and Mometamax to medicate. They seem to be improving but we won't know for sure until we get another culture and time will tell if it comes back or not. I think all the fussing with his ears bothers him more than the actual problem lol. I hope you get it straightened out, poor guy.

 

[angelbears]

I don't know how common it is but I've heard that some dogs have a problem with the structure of their ear, allowing it to retain moisture. I would definitely try to stay away from the oral antibiotics. Have you tried zymox? If there are no open wounds I would try a dab of alcohol on cotton to dry up the moisture. I would do it daily or every other day. Keep an eye out to make sure you're not drying it out too much.

 

[Smokeycat]

Does his ear have an odor to it? I've been fighting something similar to this with Hank. We are doing daily ear flushes, drops, and benadryl. I'm due back either tomorrow or the next day for another check up. His get waxy black like you described. We had them cultured and the vet said yeast in both and staff in one. We are using TrizEdta for flushing and Mometamax to medicate. They seem to be improving but we won't know for sure until we get another culture and time will tell if it comes back or not. I think all the fussing with his ears bothers him more than the actual problem lol. I hope you get it straightened out, poor guy.

No smell now. There was a smell prior to the vet first vet visit but only for a day or so. I stopped cleaning it prior to the appointment. Waxy black is a great way to describe it though.

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[Smokeycat]

I don't know how common it is but I've heard that some dogs have a problem with the structure of their ear, allowing it to retain moisture. I would definitely try to stay away from the oral antibiotics. Have you tried zymox? If there are no open wounds I would try a dab of alcohol on cotton to dry up the moisture. I would do it daily or every other day. Keep an eye out to make sure you're not drying it out too much.

That's how the vet described his ear. All the other ear infections have occurred after extended amounts of time playing in the river. I've been keeping him away since this all started incase that would make it worse. I've looked for Zymox but it doesn't seem to be sold locally despite the website giving a local dealer so I'm probably going to have to get it online.

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[angelbears]

Amazon has it. Good luck.

 

[Boxergirl]

Sometimes too frequent cleaning of the ear can cause problems. If the ear canal is shaped in a way that doesn't allow for the liquid and debris to flow freely back out the problem can become worse. In my experience, it's sometimes better to wet a cotton ball with your cleaning solution and swab what crap you can see out of the ear instead of saturating the entire ear. Zymox works well for my guys with chronic issues. I hope you find something that works.

 

[angelbears]

Boxergirl, does Zymox have a drying agent in it? I agree. I wouldn't squirt a whole lot of anything in the ear if there is a structural issue.

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

Here's a link to Zymox on amazon they have a few different kinds but this one was suggested by someone in another thread here on the forum. Amazon.com : Pet King Brand Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution for Pet Ears, 1.25 Ounces : Pet Ear Cleaners : Pet Supplies... Just a heads up it is an affiliate link. That means I will make a small commission if you do make a purchase but you will not be charged extra or anything like that.

 

[Boxergirl]

I believe the one with hydrocortisone does have a drying agent. Honestly, too much cleaning of anything isn't a good idea. Think personal hygiene for ladies. IMO

 

[karennj]

If it was bacteria they should send it out for a culture & sensitivity to determine what antibiotic resistance it has. Antibiotics are no good if that strain is resistant. My springer had a reoccurring bacteria infection in one ear. We tried different meds and it just kept coming back (even checking the sensitivity). It ended up the bacteria strain was a bad one and his ear canal position along with his heavy floppy ear made for a bad combination. After many months of trying all different things we finally had his ear canal removed. Obviously an extreme end but the only thing that finally got rid of the problem. He was fine after that.

 

[TricAP]

Best explanation I've ever been given for the shape of a dogs ear structure is and L. That "corner" is the problem in getting the debris out. Our current vet recommends using a square of gauze - fold it in quarters and then a triangle. Put your cleaning solution on it and then put this triangle down into the ear. Give the ear canal a massage to get the gunk to stick to the gauze. Then remove it - the opinion that the dog will shake out the debris just doesn't work to get it all. Smokeycat.....did they check for hairs that might have worked their way into the ear canal and become matted? Jiggers is and Irish setter right?

 

[Smokeycat]

Effectively he is an Irish Setter as very little of his Golden Retriever genes are expressed in his physical appearance. He definitely got the golden brain which is a mixed blessing since he also got the setter attitude and energy level. Your comment was the first I've heard of matted hair in the ear canal so I don't know. They did say that they managed to get it all cleared out at the first vet visit. He also doesn't have hair growing inside or near the ear canal opening, if that helps?

Best explanation I've ever been given for the shape of a dogs ear structure is and L. That "corner" is the problem in getting the debris out. Our current vet recommends using a square of gauze - fold it in quarters and then a triangle. Put your cleaning solution on it and then put this triangle down into the ear. Give the ear canal a massage to get the gunk to stick to the gauze. Then remove it - the opinion that the dog will shake out the debris just doesn't work to get it all. Smokeycat.....did they check for hairs that might have worked their way into the ear canal and become matted? Jiggers is and Irish setter right?

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[TricAP]

Effectively he is an Irish Setter as very little of his Golden Retriever genes are expressed in his physical appearance. He definitely got the golden brain which is a mixed blessing since he also got the setter attitude and energy level. Your comment was the first I've heard of matted hair in the ear canal so I don't know. They did say that they managed to get it all cleared out at the first vet visit. He also doesn't have hair growing inside or near the ear canal opening, if that helps? Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

Some setters can get hairs that grow into the ear canal and mat down with usual wax and ear debris. If he does't have long hair in his years than probably not the cause - was just a thought. Might ask your vet about a dry ear powder to help dry it out - sorry but I don't remember the name of the product. Always love the pictures of your beautiful babies!

 

[DennasMom]

Denna has this same problem... ONE bad ear.I use that same zymox gel - you don't clean or flush the ear, it's enzymatic, and just goes to work. Denna's ear normally feels better within 48 hours. But... it's still dirty.I have a theory, that it's a bacteria imbalance... so I've been using a swab on her good ear, then using that same swab on her dirty ear - trying to repopulate the good bacteria to the off ear.... it's still just a theory, though... no cure yet.She's had one dirty ear since we brought her home. The vets weren't concerned about it until she was over a year old, and it finally got bad... but, when they took a close look, it was still just dirty... no yeast or bacteria issues (that they found). It smells a little off, but nothing really strong.I've also been wiping that ear with coconut oil (anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and soothing)... she seems to like that better than anything else I do. Especially since she gets to lick the oil off my fingers when I'm done.

 

[Wilsy]

We have a similar issue. Wilson developed really waxy ears back in the summer and put it down to the amount of swimming he was doing. One ear stayed the same (and is now fine that he isn't swimming so much) but the left ear is still very dirty. It's like a dark brown wax and it smells waxy. The ear isn't particularly warm and Wilson doesn't often rub at it. The vet took some swabs and said it is a secondary infection and may be an allergy. We were given antibiotic / antifungal drops which we used every other day. Apparently allergies can start to develop around the 18 month mark. We have moved Wilson from his Arden Grange food over to TOTW because the Arden Grange contains chicken and maize which are apparently common allergies in DDB's, so we want to eliminate these and see how we get on. Interestingly his right ear has started to improve in the last week.

 

[tmricciuto]

Bella has really dirty ears also. I bought an ear solution at the grocery store and put it in both of their ears. I massage it and then get out of the way when they start to shake their heads. Sage's ears are much cleaner but she paws at them, which is weird to me. This ear solution seems to give her some relief as well.

 

[babyjoemurphy]

I'm having the same problem here. Back in Aug Linc got an ear infection in his left ear treated with Otomax, then in his right ear in Sept now he has an infection in both. I am considering switching from ACANA to orijein. Maybe it's the food maybe seasonal allergies.

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