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Old April 8th, 2009, 06:47 AM
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CarolynInPEI CarolynInPEI is offline
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Post Infected Ears in Lab

Hi, my boyfriends parents' dog, Duke, who is a beautiful black lab is having a lot of problems with his ears. The ears are obviously infected and bother him because he is constantly shaking his head and scratching his ears. And loves it when anyone scratched them for him. He's going to be 7 in May (i think) and I don't think he's ever been to the vet. My boyfriends father went to the vet once and got him some drops but he claims they didn't work. I've been around Duke for 2 yrs now and he's always had itchy ears. I was out taking his picture the other day and noticed a lot of crusty stuff on the fur outside his ears. After I mentioned it he tried to put 1/2 white vinegar 1/2 water mix in the ear (a friend told him to do it). I know that vinegar can be used to treat ear infections but you have to do it daily till the infection is gone. The problem is that my boyfriend and I were in the house and we heard Duke outside crying, yelping actually. We ran outside and he was dragging his ears across the snow. He did not respond well to the vinegar mixture. Apparently this happened before, but when my boyfriends father does this, he only does it every once and awhile. I guess my question is what can I do for him? I think I'm just gonna take him to the vet myself and get his ears swabbed because I don't know if its a bacterial or yeast infection. Should I start using a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and water for his ears? I've read about this, I just don't want to hurt him. He is really a sweet dog, he has had a hard life. My boyfriend's parents' got him when he was a year old and he had been beaten or abused somehow because he is terrified of everything. Anyways this is long enough so if I could get any advice it would be greatly appreciated.
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Old April 8th, 2009, 06:53 AM
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CarolynInPEI CarolynInPEI is offline
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Duke

Here is a picture of Duke!!!
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Old April 8th, 2009, 06:55 AM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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Please don't use vinegar in infected ears....that's got to be so painful :sad:. Vinegar and water does nothing to treat an infection...rather, it's used as a preventative ear cleaner.

Please take the poor guy to the vets . He may need an anti-biotic or a combination anti-biotic/anti-fungal medication. It has to be admisitered exactly as prescribed in order for it to be effective. 'Surolan' is the only med that got rid of our Labs persistent fungal ear infection....and a change to a corn/grain free diet.

Please let us know how he does.

eta: oh my dog, he looks just like our Penny, especially the eyes .
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Old April 8th, 2009, 07:18 AM
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CarolynInPEI CarolynInPEI is offline
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Thanks for the response. I was iffy on trying more vinegar because it hurt him so much already. I know that he scratches his ears a lot and he probably has a open sore form the scratching. Do you know of anything that would ease the itching, like aloe vera?

I will have to take him to vet. I know that his owners probably won't take him....I'm not saying they are bad ppl it's just that I really don't think they will take him. But I don't mind....i love him. I know he will need a swab of the ears....since he's had the infection so long and it's never been fully treated it's probably the safest thing to do for him.

I spend as much time as I can with him. I'm trying to train him to walk on a leash. And it's very difficult to teach a 7 year old male lab to walk on leash. He's never had any training. He's either tied up or in his kennel in a barn.

Luckily though, we live close to the vet and can walk there in five minutes. It will be quite a trip, he's never been socialized with any people or other pets. But he has met my dog Monty (before he died) and Monty's son Chimo. They got along good, Duke is extremely submissive.

Again, thanks for the response!!
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Old April 8th, 2009, 06:30 PM
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Well Carolyn

My sister in law has a black lab and she too had TERRIBLE problems with his ears for YEARS.

Poor Jake even went through surgery and had drainage tubes implanted into his ears for the better part of a summer.

He is now pain and infection free. You know why???? She changed his food.

Can you believe this??? Just switching his diet made all his ear pains go away

I'll give her a call and find out what she switched him to.
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Old April 8th, 2009, 06:42 PM
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Yes try a good quality food and you will be absolutely amazed! I was feeding vet prescrived food for a number of years before I took the time to learn a bit more about the food and switched to Orijen a higher quality food without grans and hig meat content. Worked instantly and I have never looked back!

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Old April 8th, 2009, 07:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolynInPEI View Post
Thanks for the response. I was iffy on trying more vinegar because it hurt him so much already. I know that he scratches his ears a lot and he probably has a open sore form the scratching. Do you know of anything that would ease the itching, like aloe vera?
Please don't put anything else into his ears until he's been seen by a vet. Aloe Vera, or anything else may just add to the gunk in there making the problem worse.

Food may very well be causing the problem but, a switch alone, will not clear up an infection he may have been suffering for over two years. I can't imagine the pain/burning/itching he must be experiencing. Duke really needs to see a vet CarolynInPEI. Can you take him asap?
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Old April 8th, 2009, 08:11 PM
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I agree that he needs to see a vet asap. Poor pupper! Muggs used to have a lot of problems with his ears until I changed his food. If they're not the type to take him to a vet, I doubt that they feed him a high quality food, although from what I can see in the pic his teeth look very good.

Another thing, could you see if you can get them to stop chaining him out with a choke collar. I've know of dogs that have been strangled with those things. Just a thought.

Thanks for taking caring enough about him to help. He looks like a really lovable boy!
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Old April 9th, 2009, 06:51 AM
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CarolynInPEI CarolynInPEI is offline
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Thanks for the responses. Ya I know there is chain the picture. I don't like it either, but that's what they use to tie him up with. I bought him a the collar he's wearing and it has a good ring and i wish they would use that. I hate the choke chain, he gets so excited when someone goes to see him and he pulls and is constantly choking himself and coughing....I know it sounds bad. Anytime I put him out I never put the choke chain on him. I think I will try to convince them to not do it anymore.

As for his food, he get Ol' Roy Premium or something close to that. I didn't know that a change in his food could make a difference. But if you tell me what kind to get I will start buying the food myself. And his teeth, he does have good teeth. He is loved by his owners, they treat him nicely. They buy him treats and talk to him and pet him but they don't see dogs in the way that I do (or anybody on this forum). They've had a few dogs over the years (one lived to be 15-16) but they were never allowed in the house and were kept in the barn. I know it sounds crazy.

Their other dogs weren't tied though, I don't think. Duke has issues and cannot be left outside untied. That's mostly due to his lack of training, but they also live in a town. One time he got away and was hit by a car.

He was obviously beaten in his previous home. Also they believe he might be slightly blind in one eye.....which i could believe b/c he just doesn't see things sometimes. But overall he is a great dog and I love him to death. I make sure he knows that I love him and treat him very good. I buy him treats, and chew toys and good chews for his teeth, most importantly though I spend time with him, pet him, play with him and walk him (well I try to walk him but he usually walks me).

And I am going to take him to the vet as soon as I can. I was looking in his ears yesterday and there is a lot of buildup. But I will get that all cleared up for him.....he deserves to live healthy and pain free (especially when I can be avoided so easily).

Thanks for the advice and information.
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Old April 10th, 2009, 04:23 PM
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Dee-O-Gee Dee-O-Gee is offline
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Duck & Potato

Hi CarolynPEI.

So I just spoke with my brother-in-law

They switched Jake's diet to Natural Balance - Duck & Potato.

They also keep a bottle of Otomax readily available for the occasional infection. It's prescribe by a Vet, roughly around 25.00 and lasts about 4 to 5months.

He also mentioned that when the infection gets under control--constant cleaning (at least 4 times a week) is also a part of their routine.

Best of luck with Duke and I also hope he likes sporting his new collar too
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Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
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Old April 11th, 2009, 11:39 AM
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lUvMyLaB<3 lUvMyLaB<3 is offline
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Good luck I have the same problem, yes otomax will work, but it will probably come back as the dog probably has an underlying yeast problem. I am glad they are considering a food change ol roy... not good..

Keeping the dog exclusivly outside can also be part of the problem as moisture and a humid environment can add to the yeast growth. Once the intial treatment works it will be very important to keep his ears VERY clean and very dry. I tie my lab's ears back with a kids headband for a few walks a week to really dry them out.

Please don't use vinnegar that will sting so bad, and the water with the vinnegar will just add moisture that cannot get out and make it worse.

I am glad you care about this dog and want to make it better for him! I am sure that pup is SO happy now! Thanks for being concerned it is awesome!!
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Old April 13th, 2009, 07:26 PM
suzyb991 suzyb991 is offline
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hi - try witch hazel, it seems to work for my airedale. Global Pet stores carry an ear treatment I've tried and was very effective, a homeopathic remedy which was purple and unfortunately I've forgotten the name of it, it does stain though.
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Old April 17th, 2009, 01:24 PM
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CarolynInPEI CarolynInPEI is offline
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Post At The Vet Today

Just thought that I would give an update on Duke. I took him to the vet today. As soon as we got in the door Duke decided to pee all over the floor....and not just a little...it was everywhere! Not his fault he's not housetrained.

The vet looked at his ears and said she's never seen a case where a dogs ears looked as bad as Duke's! There is so much build up in his ears that she couldn't see his ear drum. She said that it's not a yeast infection but she is not sure what kind of infection it is. Since she couldn't see far enough into his ear. He is now taking an oral medication and a topical too. This is hopefully going to clear the infection enough so she can get a good look into his ears. After the drops are finished in 10 days or so, he will go back. And get his ears cleaned out and probably get another topical medication to clear the infection . The vet is hoping that it is not a resistant type of infection...and I am too.

And, when we left the office and went into the waiting area to pay and get the meds, Duke decided he would pee all over the floor....again. Luckily we were the only people there. But as embarassing as it was, it's not his fault...he doesn't know any better.

It will take a long time to get his ears back to normal, but I'm going to get him well again.

I will keep everyone updated on how he's doing. Thanks for listening!!!!
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