Dog ear yeast infection advice

[Somebirdie]

Hi all,
A bit of a long story,
But Ava my beautiful American bulldog/Boxer was playfighting with my partners dog, who nicked the end of her ear (the external ear tip) quite deep. As a result, as it does in us, the scab itched as it was healing...and she scratched it...
Scratching it reopened it and made it bleed, a lot, she also scratched inside her ear in the process, and Seth the other dog would of course lick it every chance he got that we werent looking.
Basically we were soft and very stupid as a result, and put a cone on her too late.
It was a swollen mess.

I took her to the vet who said it was too swollen to look into, and gave cortisone and antibiotic pills for a week.
The cortisone, beyond its side effects, helped significantly as she was of course no longer itchy and the swelling went down.
When we took her back to the vets, she looked in her ear, took a swab to look at under the microscope, and said it was a rampant yeast infection. So gave us antibiotic/antifungal drops. Ten days later I dont feel theyve done anything. Ive been massaging them in and using epi-otic once a day in the morning for cleaning as advised.

If I take her back, the vet wants to operate to change her ear canal. It frustrates me as she doesnt seem to believe me when I say it isnt a chronic ongoing issue...it was a string of unfortunate events...one thing I hate about vets...they seem to treat you like a liar an awful lot.

It also frustrates me the drops are a cocktail drug, and whilst having antifungal effects, isnt directly designed for them.


she has the thick moroon tarry discharge, and Ill take her to have the surgery if I must, but I feel its an awful lot if stress to put a skittish dog through if I dont have too.

im not generally into holistic stuff,
but has anyone tried the methods here listed under "treating infections?"
Is it a horrid idea? Any major flaws?

Chronic Ear Infections in Canine - Whole Dog Journal Article

i just feel the vet wont believe me on the cause and as such I feel she is a bit slack on treating it as if she has thrown in the towel before we even started and wants surgery.

 

[DWRVT]

I would try switching medications. Maybe get a 2nd opinion by another vet if needed.
Not all drugs work the same in all dogs.
If the surgery you are mentioning is what I think, that would be my last resort.
If it was not happening before, hopefully you will find the meds that works.

One question though - does she have itchy skin otherwise? Does she itch other areas of her body or lick a lot?
This breed is unfortunately prone to allergies and those can cause yeast overgrowth.

 

[Somebirdie]

I wish there was an easy way to find good vets other than trial and error
She just dismisses anything I tell her and from the first appointment wanted to dive into surgery.
im sure it is what youre thinking...redirecting the ear canal? I dont know the proper term for it.
I want to go back to the vet thats been seeing her and ask for something else but honestly feel she would bully us into surgery so another one is the only option really. I just feel horrible it's not getting better.

Over summer (ended in february here) she had an itchy belly we thought was a grass allergy, but since summer (and we still have green grass she rolls on) she hasnt...so now we're not sure.

Her other ear is 100% which is a small victory

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

The ear canal surgery is something that shouldn't have even been brought up!! Geez... that vet needs to slow it down. The thick tarry reminds me of ear mites though. My standard pup came to me with ears that way and the breeder said it wasn't only yeast but a combination with the mites too.

Is she on grain free food? Sometimes chicken can cause allergies as well.

There is something called genetian violet that is used to help clear up ear problems. Have they tried flushing out the ear? My toy poodle had to have that done quite a few times until I started her on raw.

Info on the genetian violet
Ear treatment: gentian violet based remedies [Archive] - CavalierTalk: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Board & Forum

 

[DWRVT]

Just read the article and I don't think she's on the wrong track - it all makes sense. Flushing is something that we do a lot at my regular vet. If there is no bacteria or yeast seen on an ear swab, we do not just send them home with an ear med just because.

 

[DWRVT]

I can understand your hesitation about not wanting to go back to that vet.
I would be hesitant too!
I would also be looking for a new vet anyway if that one doesn't listen to the patient's history or the owner's concerns.

Take her for a 2nd opinion and go from there. Ear mites are not impossible but likely you would have noticed severe itching and thick black discharge before this incident.

 

[Birdlove]

My dog is a basset beagle mix and she has those Bassett ears. She gets really gookie and our vet has us clean her ear everyday when she's had an infection.
She's also allergic to regular dog food so we have to order special food. Otherwise she gets what seems like hot spots on her body. It's horrible. It could be a food issue causing yeast.

 

[Somebirdie]

Thanks for the support, everyone.
Im feeling like a failure of a dog owner and like im cruel and letting her suffer Id throw down the money today for the surgery if I thought it was needed.

Ill look into the violet stuff, thanks heaps


Heres some photos from now:




She used to be fed almost entirely raw. Then we got a small fridge as the other died. Its stupidly small. The freezer is almost non existent. But im going to go back to it as like is stated here, I found it better.

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Don't feel like a bad owner. Sometimes things happen and we can't fix it right away. You are trying to find answers and that is all that matters.

There may be something more natural that knocks it out.

What is the order of the ear meds and ear cleaner that you are using? My toy's vet never clarified to make sure I cleaned the ear with the solution and then to wait 30 minutes to an hour and then put in the ear meds. I went back in the middle of treatment wondering why there was no improvement. I was cleaning the ear and then applying the meds right after...I just didn't know!

 

[Somebirdie]

I clean her ear out in the morning with epiotic ear cleanser, leave it for at least an hour but usually longer,
Then give her the Dermotic medicated drops, and again with the Dermotic later.


Poor girl

 

[Bartleby]

Ear nonsense can be one of the most exasperating conditions a dog owner can face. Monty and I went through 7 years of ear craziness before finally getting a handle on his issues...and for us "a handle" is still just management, albeit no longer intensive. 4 years into our tribulations my vet proposed the possibility of a surgery that basically ablated the ear canals...it took six years before I really seriously considered going that route. So, I definitely feel this is too early for something so radical...and I have to question (based on the other issues as well) the logic behind your vet proposing something so drastic so soon.

One thing that helped with Monty, and my foster Emmett, was/is a daily antihistamine. The two breeds in your dog's mix are notorious for allergies and skin issues. You mentioned she had some sort of contact issues, still not pinpointed, so while the ears may not have started as allergy issues they might be perpetuated and exacerbated at this stage in the game by some underlying environmental allergies. 25mg diphenhydramine daily at bedtime (for both the 60 and 40 lbs dog) and things are just so much easier to deal with.

It pains me to hear about your experiences with this vet (and apprehension about others) because my vet is probably the most wonderful person, yet alone doctor, I have ever had the privilege to meet. Seriously, I can't express how genuine this man is...I wish I cold find a human doctor with even half his caliber as a person and clinician. They're out there, but sometimes finding them is really hit or miss...so don't be disheartened, eventually you will find them!

 

[Stormcloud]

Notable Australian dog breeders will often be owners of "Champion" dogs and therefore are likely to members of the Australian National Muttasaurus Council (ANMC). Now it just so happens that South Australia has it's own division of the ANMC, which is known as the South Australian Dishlickers Society (SADS) and here is the link to the Dogs SA Website | The Canine Community of South Australia. They may be able to put you into contact with a South Australian Certified Muttavet (SACM) local to you, but if not, they may be able to put you in contact with a "notable" Muttabreeder in your area who can put you in contact with their SACM. Given that their SACM is trusted to treat "champion" Muttasaurus, it is unlikely that he/she will assess your own beloved Dishlicker with anything less than the attention it deserves.

 

[Gypsy]

Considering the vet dismisses your concerns, I would switch vets. Any good doctor should listen and work with you. Talk to your friends for referrals.

 

[blackivory]

First thing, CHANGE VETS!!! Any good vet should listen to the owner.

What sort of tests has she done of the ear?

Did the vet tell you that a dogs ear canal is much like a 90 degrees elbow? Just curious as if she didn't, you may not be getting the drops and wash down far enough. Ignore me if you already knew that

I suggest joining Dogz Online Forums. Plenty of people there to suggest a great vet in your area and they can also help you with diet etc.

 

[Holiday]

Surgery for a yeast infection? Never heard that one before. IMO, a systemic antifungal would bring her around quickly. For any fungal infection that isn't responding to topicals, that's usually your best bet. They can be a little pricey, and might be off-label, depending, but they're very effective. I once purchased one that had to be measured by and purchased from a pharmacist, because it was a human medication, off-label for pets, but it worked like a charm. I'd at least ask about that sort of option.

 

[Cara]

We did the epi-otic twice a day with our collie mix. He had ear and skin stuff when he was younger, and then eventually outgrew it - or maybe it was something to do with our first house. Our aussie/lab mix ended up being on allergy shots for her skin allergies.

 

[LunaHestia]

Our dog just had a yeast infection in his ear but our vet told us NOT to use the epi-otic every day. She said to use it at most twice a week. Maybe that is why is hasn't cleared up?

 

[SnapV]

Our dog just had a yeast infection in his ear but our vet told us NOT to use the epi-otic every day. She said to use it at most twice a week. Maybe that is why is hasn't cleared up?

Same thing for my dog, at the worst of his ear infection the vet told us to use it at most once every 2 days and only for a week tops.

And yes I would definitely change vets if I was in your place.

 

[Nikomania]

One of my dogs was plagued with chronic ear infections throughout most of his life. We used Zymox to clean out his ears, a very good over the counter product, and then Mometamax to eradicate the yeast infection. Because of the way his ear canal was shaped, he'd always eventually end up with another ear infection. This was one of the most frustrating things we battled on a daily basis. He was allergic to the world, and once he reacted to whatever he was allergic to, his ears would take another hit.

I'm in agreement with the others: switch to another vet who isn't knife happy.

 

[merlinsmom13]

Casey, I had the same problem w/my cat years ago. My vet tortured her for months before I found the problem via research I used Nolvasan Otic Cleaning solution & it cleared up immediately. I wonder if the drug Difflucan is safe for dogs?