Pets > HealthMay 29, 2009

Causes of Ear Infections in Dogs

My Golden Lab gets infections under her ear flaps. Why does this happen? That is my question.

I want to add that I soak a cotton ball in Colloidal Silver and clean the infected area thoroughly. This works better than antibiotics; only a couple of times and she is on the mend. It can be bought at Health Food Stores. Expensive, but cheaper than veterinarians and medications. By the way, it can be taken internally also. I pour a tablespoon in a cup of water and top with a slice of bread. She may not be thirsty but always ready for a snack.

By MarydPosey from Hobbs, NM

Answers

Read answers for this post below.

By
06/03/2009

Glenn's Mom is right - it's because the ear flap makes inside the ear a great breeding zone for bacteria. I use drops from the chemist that are made for "swimmer's ear", which is prevalant here in beach-crazy Australia. It's the same deal with human and dog ears. I find they work really well, and aren't too expensive. It will probably keep happening, especially in summer, so always keep some of these drops around. Most "human" stuff is much cheaper than from the vet, but essentially the same thing. Clean with cotton balls or tips before putting in the drops.
Leah from Down Under.

By
06/03/2009

The last time my dog had a ear infection the vet checked his anal glands. After draining the anal glands and cleaning his ears he was much better. You can drain your pets anal glands at home i found information and diagrams online after doing a google search. Hope this helps.

By
06/02/2009

Many doggy ear infections or problems are caused by yeast. If you clean the ears thoroughly, use a little diluted apple cider vinegar on a rag and wipe afterwards. Put a little diluted ACV on a q-tip to clean inside the ears. Also, let them dry as Glenn's Mom recommended. This should help.

If your dog won't let you shavve inside the ear, you can use blunt children's scissors to trim the hair back a bit.

By
05/31/2009

My dogs roll in the dirt all the time, and that can lead to infections too. Use DermaPet MalOtic solution, it comes in a 16oz bottle and was like $12 (I got it at entirelypets.com) You use it every couple days on a cotton ball, its safe for all parts of the ear, and you can use it to keep scrapes and small cuts clean. We haven't had an infection as long as we've been using it.

By
05/30/2009

"Flap eared" dogs are prone to ear infections because air can't get in and dry them. You can (if dog will allow) tape or somehow the ears up for awhile each day to let them air out. You can also shave the inside of the ear (harder to do) of most of the hair. To do this you'd just focus on the actual flap, not the crinkled part.

Related

Answer this Question

Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Enter your answer here!

Answer:

Image Upload:

Add an image to your post! Click the "Browse" button above and select an image from your hard drive. Please only select gifs or jpegs. If you have any problems, please contact us.

  

facebook like arrowLike ThriftyFun on Facebook

Browse Topics

Over 80,000 tips, recipes, questions & crafts.

Ask a Question

Submit a question to the TF community.

Subscribe to ThriftyFun Newsletters!

Email: