Reoccurring ear infection?

[Boxergirl]

Ear issues for two out of three dogs here too, in just the last week. It's been a terrible year for allergies. For my guys I'm positive it's seasonal. I'll be starting Zymox today.

 

[Smokeycat]

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.

That is the zymox I ordered, I went for Amazon.ca as the exchange rate is horrible. Unfortunately it might take a couple of weeks to arrive.
I restarted the ear drops but they don't seem to be helping much as I have had to clean a lot of gunk out 3 times since Sunday. Thankfully it still doesn't seem to be bothering him and the very minor smell (had to put your nose in his ear) had Monday morning is completely gone. Not looking forward to the vet on Saturday though, this one quilt trips (or tries to anyway).

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Smokeycat]

Had a check up with the vet today. His left ear canal is coated with that waxy black gunk. The gunk seems to be holding she'd skin cells which are acting as food for bacteria. The fact the bacteria are feeding on the shed cells is likely why he isn't being bothered by what should be a painful ear.
The vet recommended changing foods to see if what he is eating could be the cause of the black gunk. So now I need to find a food that is different from both Ranchlands and Pacifica as he was eating one when it started and has been on the other without any improvement and in fact an escalation of discharge from that ear. I would like to feed both dogs the same food but that means I need to find something without fish, beef, poultry, grains and sweet potato since the sweet potato treats cause Jiggers to throw up she recommended removing that from his diet for the next 2 months as well. Wish me luck.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

:luck:

 

[Smokeycat]

I missed Bison and Lamb which are also in Ranchlands. So those are out too. The only foods I've found that fit into those restrictions just might be more expensive to feed than raw even with the cost of meat in Alberta. I guess I need to look into possible meat suppliers and do more research into the raw diet.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[babyjoemurphy]

Oh this is not giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
We had omitted Ranch lands from Lincs diet till just resently and there came the ear infection. He only had one bag but we have now been battling the one ear then the other ear since. This has been since August. Now that we are into November and in Southern ontario I am pretty sure it's not seasonal allergies but I have been known to be wrong on more then a few occasions lol
Keep the thread going with helpful hints and ideas please

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

 

[Smokeycat]

Much to my surprise I actually found a food that fits all of the restrictions, Go! Sensitivity and Shine Venison Limited ingredients. Even more surprising is that both dogs seem to like it. Now hopefully the food change helps with his ear and the gunk goes away and stays away.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

Holy cow I looked it up on amazon it's $0 for 6 lbs! I hope it works! Poor babies and their ears.

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

err.... that's $40

 

[Smokeycat]

err.... that's $40

Holy cow I looked it up on amazon it's $0 for 6 lbs! I hope it works! Poor babies and their ears.

Thankfully it's not that expensive here. It about $90 for 25 lbs. Which is $10-$15 higher than Acana.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Smokeycat]

I just realized that the consistency of the gunk is very similar to that of ear wax. I wonder if he is producing too much wax in that ear for it to drain properly. I'm guessing that is drains like other bodily fluids. It would explain what would coat the ear canal and if it is trapping dirt along with the dead cells and bacteria it would explain the colour too. That's something new to look up and ask the vet about.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Smokeycat]

The zymox arrived 10 days ago, just as his ear was going black again following the last round of antibiotic drops. There didn't seem to be much of a change until 2 days ago. It was incredibly difficult to not clean out the gunk since it had been a regular process for the past 2 months but I managed to follow the instructions. 2 days ago the fur under his ear became saturated with a thick oil but the black was almost gone from sight. It also seemed painful as he yelped a couple of times, once when i grabbed his ear and once when he tried to rub that side on the floor after he was treated. Today there is a noticeable reduction in the oily discharge and his ear looks nice and pink.
I'm still reluctant to say it works since everything seemed to work until it didn't but the pattern was different this time. Hopefully this time is different.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

:bestwishes: Hope it works out. Battling gunky ears too.

 

[seeknoxrun]

Gunky ears here, too. Been following your thread and glad to hear there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Now that I'm out of the prescription ear cleaner I might have to give Xymox a try! Fingers and paws crossed for you guys!

 

[tmricciuto]

I recently bought an off name brand at Walmart and use it twice a week in the girls ears to keep the black at bay. I haven't used it since they had surgery and their ears are looking bad. It's on the list to do tonight. I have to do it outside as they shake that crap right on out. So grose.

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

The shaking is the fun part. I love when I forget to move my coffee cup...

 

[Smokeycat]

Thankfully Jiggers doesn't really shake his head much. He rubs it on the floor after it gets cleaned.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

Shaking is a good thing though. The ear canal is actually shaped like an "L" so the shaking helps get the junk past the bend in the ear canal. I try to keep Hank from shaking while I'm putting the flush in and massaging the base of the ear. But as soon as that step is over I've actually taught the command "shake". We encourage a bit of good healthy shaking before we then get what we can with gauze for the final cleanup.

 

[Smokeycat]

Shaking is a good thing though. The ear canal is actually shaped like an "L" so the shaking helps get the junk past the bend in the ear canal. I try to keep Hank from shaking while I'm putting the flush in and massaging the base of the ear. But as soon as that step is over I've actually taught the command "shake". We encourage a bit of good healthy shaking before we then get what we can with gauze for the final cleanup.

He does shake a bit but he simply doesn't shake like a normal dog, in any way. I noticed that the first time he went swimming. He chooses to drip dry or roll around to 'dry off' instead. A full fledge raging ear infection might have him rubbing his ear on the ground or scratching but not shaking his head. It could be part of the problem with why that ear goes so bad when it does go bad.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[angelbears]

Does it still seem to be working? I have always heard great things about Zymox. Keeping paws crossed here.