# Ear issues



## Binuyaemily (Jun 22, 2019)

Hello to all the fur-babies mothers and fathers,

My sweet girl, Sasha has always scratched at her ears since a young age. We have taken her to the vet and they told us that it was just dirt and it was normal for her breed. Does anyone else have this issue? Also, what do you do to keep your loving puppy's ear from collecting dirt? How do you clean it when it does get dirty? We use Nutri-Vet ear cleanse for dogs. Is there a product you recommend? I tend to try and avoid using this product because after we rub it in her ear, she act kind of acts weird. Real distant, runs in to things, and I'm sure it just throws off her equilibrium but I hate taking away her personality for an hour while she recovers.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Unknown to us, Ricky had a serious ear infection when we brought him home from the breeder. After a couple of days we took him to our Vet. He gave us some antibiotics and instructed us to use Epi-Otic daily for a week. That regimen fixed Ricky up pronto. I recommend you take your doggie to your Vet for an ear analysis.

Havanese tend to be prone to ear infections. Put your nose down into the ear and take a deep sniff. If there is a foul odor, there is an infection. Scratching at the ear can also be an indicator. The Vet recommended that we use Epi-Otic at least once a month as a prophylactic (which we do) to clean bacteria and dirt out of the ear canal. Ricky has not had any issues in the intervening 5 years. Also, he does not show any disorientation after the application.

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

My dogs don’t get particularly dirty ears, and I really don’t need to do anything to them. They don’t itch them much either on any sort of regular basis. Kodi has had a few ear infections in his life,which have needed treatment from the vet, and Panda has once. But it was not just “dirty ears”, and has never been a common or on-going issue.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Binuyaemily said:


> Hello to all the fur-babies mothers and fathers,
> 
> My sweet girl, Sasha has always scratched at her ears since a young age. We have taken her to the vet and they told us that it was just dirt and it was normal for her breed. Does anyone else have this issue? Also, what do you do to keep your loving puppy's ear from collecting dirt? How do you clean it when it does get dirty? We use Nutri-Vet ear cleanse for dogs. Is there a product you recommend? I tend to try and avoid using this product because after we rub it in her ear, she act kind of acts weird. Real distant, runs in to things, and I'm sure it just throws off her equilibrium but I hate taking away her personality for an hour while she recovers.


Yeah Oliver had an ear infection at 4 months old and the vet removed some dark stuff from his ears which was NOT dirt, but an infection that required antibiotic drops and ear cleanse for 2 weeks. There should not, according to my vet, be anything brown in the ear canal. That's infection. Also, the itching is a symptom. I'd make sure they test the ear discharge because if it's an infection cleansing alone will not fix it. We only did the cleanse with the antibiotics for two weeks, not as a permanent solution.


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

*Double Ear Infection - LOST*

I need some forum help... you all always come through. My 2 year old keeps getting ear infections. I'm using Epi-Otic to clean ears when I notice discharge and wax. But she keeps getting infections. Take her to wholistic vet who diagnoses infection and handles drops in office. Go home, several weeks later the smell returns. Take her back and drops again in office. Then a month later another infection and smell. This time, go to the vet and it's a double infection. For the first time, vet sends me home with the drops. First time. Directions&#8230; Add 3-5 drops twice daily for 7 days then as directed. Keep spending 100's of dollars every other month. Feeling better to actually walk away from vet office with the drops. Is this normal? Why does my fur ball keep getting infections? What can I do? Need advice. Poor thing, ears get raw and discharge is ugly. How often do you all clean ears as preventative? Why is my hava always getting infections?


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

RedSoxFan said:


> I need some forum help... you all always come through. My 2 year old keeps getting ear infections. I'm using Epi-Otic to clean ears when I notice discharge and wax. But she keeps getting infections. Take her to wholistic vet who diagnoses infection and handles drops in office. Go home, several weeks later the smell returns. Take her back and drops again in office. Then a month later another infection and smell. This time, go to the vet and it's a double infection. For the first time, vet sends me home with the drops. First time. Directions&#8230; Add 3-5 drops twice daily for 7 days then as directed. Keep spending 100's of dollars every other month. Feeling better to actually walk away from vet office with the drops. Is this normal? Why does my fur ball keep getting infections? What can I do? Need advice. Poor thing, ears get raw and discharge is ugly. How often do you all clean ears as preventative? Why is my hava always getting infections?


Has your vet mentioned possible connections to diet or over vaccination? Not sure what you are doing in either of these areas but worth looking into. I never clean my dogs ears and they have never had an infection. I would try to find a vet who can get to the root cause.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

RedSoxFan said:


> I need some forum help... you all always come through. My 2 year old keeps getting ear infections. I'm using Epi-Otic to clean ears when I notice discharge and wax. But she keeps getting infections. Take her to wholistic vet who diagnoses infection and handles drops in office. Go home, several weeks later the smell returns. Take her back and drops again in office. Then a month later another infection and smell. This time, go to the vet and it's a double infection. For the first time, vet sends me home with the drops. First time. Directions&#8230; Add 3-5 drops twice daily for 7 days then as directed. Keep spending 100's of dollars every other month. Feeling better to actually walk away from vet office with the drops. Is this normal? Why does my fur ball keep getting infections? What can I do? Need advice. Poor thing, ears get raw and discharge is ugly. How often do you all clean ears as preventative? Why is my hava always getting infections?


Has the vet done a culture? Is it a bacterial or fungal infection? A few years ago Scout had an ear infection. The vet recommend an antibiotic ear drop which did nothing after 12 days. I then went to a different vet and he recommended an ear drop that was supposed to be a better ear medication. No change after two weeks... Our dog groomer then recommend a one time prescription ear drop the vet needs to instill. I can't remember the name of the medication. We went back to the vet and I asked to try the one time ear drop. That medication finally cleared the infection. We haven't had any ear infections since. If there was ever a problem again I definitely would ask for the one time ear med because if was effective and not messy!


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

RedSoxFan said:


> I need some forum help... you all always come through. My 2 year old keeps getting ear infections. I'm using Epi-Otic to clean ears when I notice discharge and wax. But she keeps getting infections. Take her to wholistic vet who diagnoses infection and handles drops in office. Go home, several weeks later the smell returns. Take her back and drops again in office. Then a month later another infection and smell. This time, go to the vet and it's a double infection. For the first time, vet sends me home with the drops. First time. Directions&#8230; Add 3-5 drops twice daily for 7 days then as directed. Keep spending 100's of dollars every other month. Feeling better to actually walk away from vet office with the drops. Is this normal? Why does my fur ball keep getting infections? What can I do? Need advice. Poor thing, ears get raw and discharge is ugly. How often do you all clean ears as preventative? Why is my hava always getting infections?


This isn't because of vaccinations. I have no idea if dietary changes can help (probably not) but I do know that some dogs are prone. It's like children. Some ears are more prone to infection due to the ear shape (more fluid gets trapped and sits, leading to infection). This is why preventative cleansing is being recommended by your vet. My dog had one ear infection as a young puppy and the vet said she hoped it was a one time thing because all of the above can be issues. My dog hasn't had another (knock on wood). Another potential issue is allergies. Allergies will naturally create more fluid in the ear canal. So you could ask your vet about that.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Heather's said:


> RedSoxFan said:
> 
> 
> > I need some forum help... you all always come through. My 2 year old keeps getting ear infections. I'm using Epi-Otic to clean ears when I notice discharge and wax. But she keeps getting infections. Take her to wholistic vet who diagnoses infection and handles drops in office. Go home, several weeks later the smell returns. Take her back and drops again in office. Then a month later another infection and smell. This time, go to the vet and it's a double infection. For the first time, vet sends me home with the drops. First time. Directions&#8230; Add 3-5 drops twice daily for 7 days then as directed. Keep spending 100's of dollars every other month. Feeling better to actually walk away from vet office with the drops. Is this normal? Why does my fur ball keep getting infections? What can I do? Need advice. Poor thing, ears get raw and discharge is ugly. How often do you all clean ears as preventative? Why is my hava always getting infections?
> ...


This is a really good point. There are different meds for bacterial and fungal infections. It's possible you have one infection that never really cleared up. You may need a stronger antibiotic or fungal treatment.


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

Thanks all. It sounds like I need to get some more answers from the vet. I’ve considered “It’s possible you have one infection that never really cleared up” ... that may be it too. I’ll ask the vet better questions. Previous trips have always been a one time treatment by vet. and they have taken cultures. Then again, it’s now both ears whereas before it was usually the same one. But I’m up to 3-4 visits so far this year. First time I’ve been sent home with drops and a 7 day treatment. Discharge this time is yuck and a lot of it.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Molly has had several ear infections over the past couple of years. Some of them have been treated by a medicine that is put into the ear canal by the vet which stays there for the length of the treatment. Some have been treated by drops I put in every day at home. One time she had to have back to back treatments to fully knock out the infection. Make sure your vet always checks the ears again after treatment with a microscopic exam to make sure the ears look clear. Molly usually has yeast but one time had both bacteria and yeast which was harder to treat. My vet thinks it may be a seasonal allergy thing with Molly, but who knows? I am also very careful when bathing my dog to keep water away from the inside of her ears.


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