Help! Ear problem?

[rij73]

Hi all... So, I noticed several days ago that Hudson was shaking his head more than usual. I mean, he has always been in the habit of shaking his head upon waking from a nap or after a hug, but it seemed like he was doing it more. Soooo, I looked in his ears and noticed lots of wax. I got some Halo Ear Wash and followed the directions on the bottle. I also used some gauze to clean the visible part of the insides of his ears. I didn't stick anything way down in there or anything...

Well, now he seems to be shaking his head even more!

Of course, I'll ask the vet, but my question is whether you guys think this is something that could wait a week. See, I take him to the vet every 2 weeks as it is for his mange checkups, and wouldn't you know that this is the off-week. We're not due at the vets until until the 30th.

I'm super-paranoid about his health, so my inclination will always be to run to the vet, but I'm not made of money, so in this case, I was wondering what you guys think about me waiting a week.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Barb04]

I personally wouldn't wait. It sounds like he has an ear infection and if not treated, can damage the ear further. I would see if you can get an appointment soon.

 

[vandynole]

My dog started doing this, too. I took him to the vet and it was a horizontal ear infection. I'm in the process of giving him drops for the next 2 weeks.

 

[rij73]

Hmm... interesting. The thing is, my dog was on an antibiotic until last Friday for his skin, and he takes Ivermectin every day for his Demodex which is what they prescribe for ear mites too.

I can't imagine that he could have developed an infection so soon after coming off a 3 week course of antibiotics, and it can't be ear mites since he's taking Ivermectin.

One thing I thought of is that I possibly could have gotten water in his ears during bathing. (He gets 3 baths a week). My sister said that if I think that's possible, I chould give him Benadryl cause he might just have some ear congestion due to that.

So, I just gave him 25mg of Benadryl, and I'm gonna wait and see what happens. If I notice it get at all worse or not improve, I'll take him in this weekend.

Thanks for the replies so far!

UPDATE: It's been a couple of hours since the Benadryl, and he hasn't shaken his head at all for quite a while now... I wonder if he has allergies? Hmmm...

 

[MomOf7]

Makes perfect sense. Antibiotics can cause yeast problems.
Its probably a yeast infection in the ear. Does he have brown goop in the canal?
I would have it looked at

 

[Kitz]

Sounds like a ear infection. He needs to be treated otherwise it could become more severe and cause ear damage.

Ear infections can become severe very quickly. My poodle started shaking his head and 8 hours later he was howling in agony and very dizzy with blood in his ear. Turned out to be a very severe ear infection in both ears which he caught because he was recently on antibiotics for tummy bug. Definitely take him hun.

Benadryl contains a form of paracetamol and giving animals human paracetamol can cause problems. Im glad its helping though but dont put anything in his ear because it will irritate the infection and make it much more uncomfortable for him. Olive Oil is a classic for making it worse.

 

[rij73]

Thanks everybody... I took all your advice, and went to the vet at 4pm. He did have a very mild ear infection. They looked at his ear discharge through a microscope. I got the necessary meds so hopefully all will be well...

That's 4 vet visits in the first month of pet ownership. Poor baby...

 

[Kitz]

Thats great hun. The meds work like magic and will clear it all up. Hope hes better soon.

 

[rij73]

Thanks again to all... Today I'm really glad I took him in. He is shaking his head even more although we started on the ear drops already. Also, we are taking him out of town with us for the weekend and I would have been all worried...