Problem with a dogs ears

[inthedark]

A friend of mine has a pet dog that suffers constantly with discharge from both its ears. Its had a fortune spent on it at the vets for no solution and its on non allergenic sensitive food but nothing seems to help it out.

It's like a waxy coffee mess inside both ears, not running out but enough to wipe every day with a couple of tissues and causing enough discomfort for it to shake its head every now and then and try and wipe its own ears across anything soft.

Any ideas or previous similar experiences out there? It'd make a huge difference to it if there's anything that would help

Thanks for looking

(it lives inside)

[12gauge82]

Sounds like mites of some sort, the coffee colouration is usually dried blood from where the mites have bitten, would be worth speaking to a vet to rule this out, try getting some on a white tissue and wetting it, see if it has blood in the wax

[digger]

My lab had this. We used ( from memory ) white vinegar mixed with four parts water at room temp. Cleared up after a week. Came back once or twice but went again.

[12gauge82]

My lab had this. We used ( from memory ) white vinegar mixed with four parts water at room temp. Cleared up after a week. Came back once or twice but went again.

That's is a good treatment for an ear infection, yeast ect, do keep an eye because an ear infection left untreated in a dog can become a very serious condition if left untreated.

[inthedark]

Sounds like mites of some sort, the coffee colouration is usually dried blood from where the mites have bitten, would be worth speaking to a vet to rule this out, try getting some on a white tissue and wetting it, see if it has blood in the wax

 

Thanks for this, but mites have been ruled out by the vet

My lab had this. We used ( from memory ) white vinegar mixed with four parts water at room temp. Cleared up after a week. Came back once or twice but went again.

 

Is this used as a bathing solution, or as drops please?

[12gauge82]

I'd go 5 parts water to 1 part white vinegar to bathe, it can be used in a syringe to very gently fill the ear up and massage before cleaning with some kitchen roll, that would usually be for an infection though, be very careful not to push water in hard as you'll damage or burst the ear drum.

Sterile water that has cooled after being boiled in kettle to.

This could obviously agitate it if it's an allergy as opposed to an infection though

[digger]

12gauge beat me to it. What he said ! I used a Calpol dispenser on my dog, I found it easier than a syringe. That may have something to do with raising three kids though.

[inthedark]

Duplicate

Edited March 22, 2017 by inthedark

[clakk]

Our Jack had similar goo driving him daft ,turned out he,d got ear mites and they were having a chew on them which was infected and irritable

[inthedark]

Our Jack had similar goo driving him daft ,turned out he,d got ear mites and they were having a chew on them which was infected and irritable

 

Thanks, might try a different vet

[WGD]

The vet sounds a bit questionable.

 

I don't know, it does sound like mites. I would use Thornit powder in the first instance to treat and then establish if there is any underlying infection.

 

http://www.thornitearpowder.com

[inthedark]

Agreed with the vets, tried 2 different ones at the same practise but no joy.

 

Thornite ordered, thanks (sounds like snake oil for dogs )

[bigbird]

Just be careful putting stuff in ears - did the vet say his eardrums were both intact?

Edited March 22, 2017 by bigbird

[inthedark]

Just be careful putting stuff in ears - did the vet say his eardrums were both intact?

 

Eardrums are fine, and its had all sorts of prescription creams and anti biotics but nothing works. The discharge is quite smelly too

[WGD]

Just be careful putting stuff in ears - did the vet say his eardrums were both intact?

 

 

Thornit is a powder, you put a pinch inside the ear flap rather than down the canal - works a treat

[BrowningB525]

The vet sounds a bit questionable.

 

I don't know, it does sound like mites. I would use Thornit powder in the first instance to treat and then establish if there is any underlying infection.

 

http://www.thornitearpowder.com

Thornit seems to have helped my Dalmatian's ears.

[Mice!]

You might be better using the vinegar water solution on some kitchen role I do this from time to time on the old dog wiping round the various grooves without the risk of excess water in the ear

[BRYAN3]

Our Lab had constant bother with infections. I believe they said "yeast infection" Stinky coffee coloured gunge.

We now flush twice weekly with contact lens cleaner from chemists which has Dexafort added by the vet.

He has been trouble free now for last 6-7 years.

[Fal]

I would get some advocate from the vets or online. Two treatments, bang on two weeks apart.

 

I wouldn't 100% trust the view of it not being mites. I took my dog to the vet twice, no mites they said, took him for the third time, oh it's mites.

 

Any darkish, thick, waxy type gunk coming out of his ears, or building up around it and the first thing I'd do is treat for mites. It normally doesn't smell if it's mites though, but it could be a combo of a bit of an infection and mites?

 

If you are going to try thornit, don't put it in the ear canal, just lightly dust around the inside of the ear.

[inthedark]

I would get some advocate from the vets or online. Two treatments, bang on two weeks apart.

 

I wouldn't 100% trust the view of it not being mites. I took my dog to the vet twice, no mites they said, took him for the third time, oh it's mites.

 

Any darkish, thick, waxy type gunk coming out of his ears, or building up around it and the first thing I'd do is treat for mites. It normally doesn't smell if it's mites though, but it could be a combo of a bit of an infection and mites?

 

If you are going to try thornit, don't put it in the ear canal, just lightly dust around the inside of the ear.

 

I reckon you've got this spot on fal. The dog's currently on thornite administered as you describe above and already improving, I'll drop in the advocate suggestion as well but it's having a week on thornite first.

Thanks for the input

Martin

[Marty J]

I would get some advocate from the vets or online. Two treatments, bang on two weeks apart.

 

I wouldn't 100% trust the view of it not being mites. I took my dog to the vet twice, no mites they said, took him for the third time, oh it's mites.

 

Any darkish, thick, waxy type gunk coming out of his ears, or building up around it and the first thing I'd do is treat for mites. It normally doesn't smell if it's mites though, but it could be a combo of a bit of an infection and mites?

 

If you are going to try thornit, don't put it in the ear canal, just lightly dust around the inside of the ear.

:good:

[pbutd]

Hello 'inthedark',

I know this is not your dog but I need a bit of history to help you with this ear problem.

First of all what breed is he/she, how old is the dog ,how long has the dog suffered from sore ears,what is it being fed on& where is the dog kept at home(inside centrally heated house or outside in a kennel) .Finaly did the vet take any swabs from the ears to identify the causal organism?

In North Lincs you are too far away for me to be 'hands on' but I can give you some educated advice maybe?

[inthedark]

Hello 'inthedark',

I know this is not your dog but I need a bit of history to help you with this ear problem.

First of all what breed is he/she, how old is the dog ,how long has the dog suffered from sore ears,what is it being fed on& where is the dog kept at home(inside centrally heated house or outside in a kennel) .Finaly did the vet take any swabs from the ears to identify the causal organism?

In North Lincs you are too far away for me to be 'hands on' but I can give you some educated advice maybe?

 

Hi pbutd

He's an 8 year old labra-doodle and has had dickie ears for the last three years. Lives inside with central heating but is clipped short, treated regularly with frontline and fed on Alpha Sensitive, and two different vets (from the same practise) have taken swabs both of which diagnosed 'a mild infection' but failed to prescribe anything that made a difference.

Thanks for looking

Martin

[12gauge82]

 

Hi pbutd

He's an 8 year old labra-doodle and has had dickie ears for the last three years. Lives inside with central heating but is clipped short, treated regularly with frontline and fed on Alpha Sensitive, and two different vets (from the same practise) have taken swabs both of which diagnosed 'a mild infection' but failed to prescribe anything that made a difference.

Thanks for looking

Martin

For an infection the vinegar method described earlier will work very well provided there's no other underlying issues.

[pbutd]

Thanks for the feedback 'inthedark',

This is obviously a chronic (longstanding) 'otitis externa' which can be a ****** to sort out sometimes! As long as the Vets you saw were careful not to take the ear swabs within any topical ear treatment period,&other swabs were tested for both aerobic & anaerobic bacteria ,then we must assume that this is not an ear infection;(you can rule out ear mites with a chronic condition &many Vet worth his salt can diagnose ear mites with his eyes closed..I hope).

That being the case,coupled with the fact there is Labrador in the breeding,might suggest that he may be suffering from 'atopic dermatitis'.This condition is allergic in origin (often difficult to establish the causal allergen I'm afraid), &causes a thickening of the skin lining the aural (ear) canal.This has the effect of occluding or narrowing the ear canal &restricting the amount of oxygen getting into the ear,thereby favouring anaerobic bacterial growth;These cause itching & excessive wax production.treatment with any ear drops will only affect a transient relief.There are three treatments for this condition...some more expensive than others, but I would treat my own dog with a drug called Apoquel if she had this.Prescription only I'm afraid so you need to consult your Vet again.

There is an outside chance that the anaerobic culture has not been done,in which case a bug called Psuedomonas spp. may have been missed.This ear infection is severe and often causes ulceration & bleeding in the ear;Has he had any blood in his ears?Psuedomonas is often considered a surgical condition but does respond well to the right surgery.