****z-hu with itchy ears once in a while

[ngibbison]

Hi all,
I am new to this, anyway. I have a 3 year old ****z-hu- (back-yard breader) who had puppy strangle when he was about 12 weeks old- he was treated with prednisone, but I hated how it affected him (I am a nurse) and I stopped the treatment. However, whatever he had- the puppy strangle that is- cleared up. Ever since he has had itchy ears once in a while. I was told this is very common for ****z hu bread and that he was likely allergic to corn that is in all dog foods. So we switched to natural balance dog food and it seemed to work well for him, and when ever he had anything with corn he would scratch his ears and "flop" them for a little while, but once we removed the corn source it would stop. The other thing I notice is that while on the natural balance his eyes were very weapy and he would have constant staining around the eyes. When his breath started to smell, I decided that he needed to have another food change. We switched him to an organice dog food with no corn, no wheat, no soya. His eyes have stopped weeping and he smells great! For a dog! anyway, Last night he could not stop scratching his ears and was up all night until I cleansed his ears with a homeopathic ear wash and gave him some acetominophen to calm him down. He finally settled at about 2AM in the morning. He got out of the house last night- we live in the country- so I am wondering if he got into something.

My question is - Am I going to be dealing with this forever with him, or is there something I am missing. sometimes it is just unbearable for him and he actually whines while he scratches his ears. Last night was one of those nights?

Thanks
I've had it- up to my ears!
Nancy

[BusterBoo]

I have two tzus and only one of them has ear problems. Harley (age 4 yrs) has a problem with ear infections. I know it is caused by corn and chicken so I do my best to keep those away from Harley. However, when the infection does flare up, I have drops from the Vet that seem to do the job. (for instance, a friend thought they were giving Harley a nice gift - a Nyla Bone, which he loves!! .... but it was chicken flavoured and within 24 hours, his ear was very itchy and red!) Luckily, the infection is mostly on the "ear flap" and not inside.

Good luck and hope your Vet can give you something to stop the itchies!! :sad:

[hazelrunpack]

I believe that acetaminophen can be quite toxic in dogs--you might also want to ask your vet about that before giving your dog any more.

[mafiaprincess]

I'd be giving benadryl.. not acetaminophen..
While it can be used in dogs.. generally it's better to consult you vet first.. and with already present allergy issues you never know, your dog might not tolerate acetaminophen well. That, and you'd need a tiny dose per pound.. I'm not sure even children's is a small enough dose for many dogs.

[ngibbison]

Thanks to you all. I know that corn is the main problem and I am wondering if he might just have a small case of ear mites- anyway, I have started using the herbal ear wash more frequently and it seems to be helping him out. The funny thing is that his right ear is more affected than his left and they don't even get that red. Thanks for all your information.

[Rob n Cody]

Is there any crusty material around the edges of his ears, or any hair loss? Cody had mange once (caught it from a neighbourhood raccoon). Is that a possibility?
R

[erykah1310]

Originally Posted by ngibbison

Thanks to you all. I know that corn is the main problem and I am wondering if he might just have a small case of ear mites- anyway, I have started using the herbal ear wash more frequently and it seems to be helping him out. The funny thing is that his right ear is more affected than his left and they don't even get that red. Thanks for all your information.

Not to undermine you in anyway but are you positive that corn is the problem??( likely is but still could be some other things as well)
This sounds so uncomfortable for him. Hopefully everything gets sorted out soon so his ears feel better.
Is there any foul smell coming from the ears?? And are they sesitive for you to touch ( does he wimper?)