Ear infections

Is there any at home remedy for a dogs, ear infections, and how to prevent ear infection in dogs with floppy ears.

I had a golden with cronic ear infections. First of all rule out food allergies, it's a big cause. Does he chew his feet? Is he in water a lot? I used a good vet ear cleaner twice a week, follow instructions, keep ears very clean and dry. Occasionally I had to use Surolan ear drops cause it got out of control. If we could keep the floppy ear open to the air it would be better but can't come up with a solution to that.

Like Marty11, we also had a Golden that was prone to ear infections. Our vet gave us a ear solution recipe for "swimmers" ear;

3:1 ratio

Isopropyl rubbing alcohol (3)
Plain Vinegar (1)
Put 5-6 drops into each ear after swimming to prevent Otitis, DO NOT PUT IN RAW INFECTED EARS. This was used as a preventative not a cure.

If you're dealing with an ear infection, a vet visit should be done. Surolan has always worked well for our dogs with infection.

You can get a special ear cleansing solution that is designed to lower the pH in the ear, making it harder for bacteria to grow there. It's not just any old ear cleanser, they aren't all made the same so maybe ask your vet about it. I think both times we've needed it (a couple of bottles, several years ago) it came from the vet. One was called Epi-Otic the other might have been Veterinary Solutions brand but I'm not certain. It is a used as a preventative, not as a treatment for an infection.

I think it's important to find out if it's a bacterial or fungal ear infection. Your vet will be able to tell you by doing a swab and prescribing the proper treatment. If you haven't already, please have your dog seen by your vet before it gets any worse.

Surolan is what helped cure one of our dogs' recurrent yeast infections. That, and a change in diet that doesn't include any corn/wheat. Ear washes only seemed to aggravate the problem. We haven't used any in a couple of years and she's got the squeaky cleanest ears now.

Muggs had chronic ear infections until I took him off wheat; he hasn't had one since. Surolan worked well for him as well.

Blue Powder Ear Treatment


INGREDIENTS:

16 Oz. Isopropyl Alcohol (60 percent)
4 Tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1% ( available at Walmart )


Mix together in alcohol bottle and shake well.

You will also need to shake solution every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder.
To use, purchase the "Clairol" type plastic bottle or a small baby ear syringe bottle to dispense solution to affected ears.

TREATMENT: Evaluate condition of ears before treating and if very inflamed and sore do not attempt to pull hair or clean out ear at all.

Wait until inflammation has subsided which will be about 2 days.

Shake the bottle each time before using.

Put cotton balls or similiar absorbent material under ther ear.

Flood the ear with solution, (gently squirt bottle), massage gently to the count of 60,
wipe with a tissue.

Flood again on first treatment, wipe with a tissue,and leave alone without massage.
The dog will shake out the excess which can be wiped with a tissue, cotton ball, etc
as the Gentian Violet does stain fabrics.

The SCHEDULE of treatment is as follows:

Treat 2x per day for the first week to two weeks depending upon severity
of ears

Treat 1x per day for the next 1-2 weeks

Treat 1x per month (or even less frequently, depending on the dog)

All of these ingredients should be available at a pharmacy.

Others have found that despite the alcohol, the dog will not object to even the first treatment. The Boric Acid Powder soothes the ear. The Gentian Violet Solution is an anti-infection agent. The solution appears to work well on any and all ear problems from mites to wax to canker.

After the 2nd or 3rd day you can clean out the ear with a Q- tip or cotton balls.
The success rate for this treatment is 95-99%.

Dogs on the verge of ear canal surgery have been returned to normal with only the regular follow-up treatment to keep the ear healthy. If an infection seems to be remaining in the treated ear after the above course of treatment, you may also have some Pseudomonas bacteria in the site. This can be eradicated by using a gentle flush of raw apple cider vinegar and water(warm)
.
Use 2 Tablespoons of vinegar to one cup of water, 2 x per week.

They have found the Blue Powder Solution to be effective for treating fungus-type infections on the feet and elsewhere on the dog, for cuts on dogs or people, and for hot spots.

I use aloe vera juice on a cotton pad for regular ongoing ear cleaning. I find it very soothing for the dogs and it seems to help :shrug:.

16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1%Gentian violet is carcinogenic. Are we sure that it is safe to use it as directed? I know there are safe levels and unsafe levels of many things, but how do we know?

This link is interesting: http://board.cavaliertalk.com/archive/index.php/t-9858.html The information on fetal abnormalities and lactating bitches especially, though the source of the person's information is not clear. You can find lots more links.

It is safe in this dose.. and does the trick..