Ear Infection

[BerryBye]

On Saturday I went to do my Springer Spaniels weekly ear cleaning and when I lifted his left ear, he yelped in pain and jumped backwards. After calming him down I was able to gingerly lift the ear flap and look inside.
It was full of dark brown waxing feeling, vinegar smelling “gunkâ€. Throughout the day and again yesterday I gently worked to clear it out using the clearer I get from the vet and as of last night it was looking much better. The pain seems to be subsiding because I was able to actually lightly enter the canal a little more deeply, where there is still a fair bit of the brown dirt/infection fluid.
My concern is that I’m still getting lots of this dark substance every time I wipe the ear out. Otherwise he is his normal high energy self.
Should I just keep cleaning it and let it heal on its own or should I pick up some medicine from the vet? Do you guys have any home remedies?
Thank you!

 

[showluver]

If it is a yeasty infection I have read that getting sunlight into it will kill the bacteria, so using something to pull the ears up and keep them on his head while he is outsdie should help as well (I think I read about 15-30 min daily)

There are drops that are very effective, but needs a vet to get them. I have read some other here using homemade solutions for cleansing, but if the infection is already there, antibiotics may be the way to go to get it under control.

 

[Barb04]

I would have it checked out in case you need antibiotics.

 

[smkie]

YOU need a prescription from the vet if it is that bad. The yeast is deep inside the canal. I have used vinegar and water solution but that is really effective only if the infection is not wicked. Regular cleaning with an ear wash solution (i do ears when i do nails for most dogs..more often for dogs like Mary that are prone to this) with swabs will help. I keep one finger on the outside of the ear canal (down below above the jaw line) so i can feel exactly where the swab is so i do not go too deep. I have used a blow dryer on Mary by holding the ear canal open with my fingers and using the setting on low for a no more than a minute to help dry up the moisture in there and that seems to have made a difference too. THe meds from the vet will clear it up very quickly. I bought a bottle for my mom yesterday. It costs about 27 dollars. IT takes two treatments a day for 7 days. When the infection is as bad as you describe if you use the vinegar and water solution it will burn horribly and your dog will scream. THe meds from the vet will be much better, clear it up quickly and cause your dog no pain. YOu won't need anything like the blow dryer if you use this medicine. AFter you get the ear infection cleared up regular cleaning will keep it from reforming. WHen you rub a dog's ear if you hear it squishy with moisture you can bet yeast is already forming.

 

[kennel]

I agree with smkie, you definitely should get it checked out by a vet.
Just be prepared if it is really bad or uncomfortable for them to clean they may have to sedate your dog or i have seen dogs be anaethetised in order to get a thorough clean done.
It is always better to be safe than sorry.

 

[pawzaddict]

Ah yes a vet visit will help a lot, you can also determine if its an allergy, my dog had deep ear infections because of IAMS treats (no we don't feed him the food ) Also if you are not getting the underlying issue taken care of it wont go away completely. ALSO some ear drops meant for routine cleaning can totally dry out the ear and even cause more issues if used too much. GL and poor baby

 

[smkie]

I use the ear wash i get at the vets. EVen just using swabs on a routine basis will make a big difference.

 

[bubbatd]

Ollie was pawing at his ear a couple of days ago ,,, checking I saw some brown gunk , used cotton to clean out and then an ear wash I had on hand from Chips and then some salve . Seems fine now , but if it reoccurs , I'll take him in to rule out mites . He's never been in except for his yearly , so we've been lucky !