Yeasty Ears

[CarrotTheFrenchie]

My 8 month old has a problem with yeast in her ears. I get a little envious when I read other people's post about their dogs and how ear cleaning is never a problem! Recently, her ears cleared up when I switched to Orijen Puppy which has no potatoes in it. So, I'm assuming potatoes might be the culprit. But now I realize that some of her treats have potato listed in the ingredients. Or Sweet Potato. Is sweet potato as bad as normal white potatoes? Also, can anyone recommend great grain free treats?
Also, Carrot HATES when I try to rinse out her ears with the ear flush the vet gave me. I can't tell you how many times she's scratched me while trying to flush her ears on d a week. It's almost impossible to do it by myself and just as hard with my boyfriend helping. Any recommendations on how to make this easier? I've tried giving her treats after but no dice!

 

[Mavis]

Hi [MENTION=2124]CarrotTheFrenchie[/MENTION], I'm sorry for your troubles. As far as treats, maybe you can get a small bag of high quality, grain free, potato free kibble and reserve those for treats. Get the bigger dog size so it's not a tiny piece of kibble you are giving her. If they don't get it regularly, it is a treat to them. Bambi has been on Acana brand and has been doing great.

We had trouble cleaning Bambi's ears too, and normally, she will put up with anything. Now, I microwave the solution for about 7-8 seconds (test the temp. on your hand first), so it is just mildly warm. Then I divide cotton balls in two, and wet them and clean her ears that way. She does not fuss. I can get them pretty wet, and also I can get them way far down in her ear and still be able to pull them out. I do this 3-4 times each ear with a wet cotton ball, and then I dry her ears with dry cotton balls afterwards the same way as I cleaned them. This has worked very well for us.

Good luck.

 

[Cbrugs]

A trick I do is soak a cotton ball with the solution and then squeeze it out in Jax's ears and rub the cotton ball around. He hates if I just squirt the solution directly in. Not that he loves the cotton ball but it's a lot easier.

For treats, you can get a single ingredient freeze dried protein (chicken, duck, turkey, bison, etc.). There are several brands that have them, I just can't think of any names right now. Pure Bites might be one. Orijen might have one too.

 

[davidh]

Sweet potatoes are not as bad as white potatoes. We give ours "Fruitables" treats, made in America and healthy for them. If your store does not have them, you can get them from Chewy online, that's where we buy ours.

 

[CarrotTheFrenchie]

Ahhh. Thanks for the responses! . I will try the cotton ball trick. And the treats. She's very food motivated!

 

[BamaGroomer]

I've got a video that I will post that shows how we flush ears. It will get all that black junk out of the ears and doesn't hurt. Most of the dogs love it cause it feels better than a qtip or cotton ball.


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[turbodave]

I've got a video that I will post that shows how we flush ears. It will get all that black junk out of the ears and doesn't hurt. Most of the dogs love it cause it feels better than a qtip or cotton ball.


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Anxiously awaiting the video!!


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[2bullymama]

Cheli hates his ears being done too and takes off running when he sees me go to the 'cabinet'. We have to have one hold him and the other do the work... not easy, but effective. then big treats and praise after

 

[Honeys Owners]

Just a reminder to everyone that if your dog's ears are really in bad shape then you should make sure there's no perforation before doing a deep cleaning.
My dog is now undergoing a switchover to Orijen from Acana, but I have to do it gradually as she has a weak stomach. We will see if the Orijen with higher levels of protein and less carbs will reduce her wax buildup. In the meantime I'm cleaning her ears about 2-3 times a week with either Zymox otic, witch hazel with clove oil and tea tree oil, or witch hazel with povidone and boric acid and vinegar.

 

[CarrotTheFrenchie]

I'd be interested to hear if the switch to Orijen helps your pup. I have noticed a big difference since I switched. and now I'm starting to weed out her treats as well.

 

[Honeys Owners]

I'll let the group know in about a month if the Orijen helped, since it will take a while for the switch over. My dog is about 6 years old, not a puppy. She seems to have seasonal allergies on top of possible food allergies since she sneezes when she goes out, and licks her paws quite often throughout the day even though I wipe them after she comes in. She also has a lot of wax buildup. She's doing a little better with the paw licking since I started throwing in a cetirizine (Reactin,Zyrtec) 10mg generic tablet into her morning kibble, and got her some Kong tennis ball toys, which she loves, to distract her.

 

[blushy]

Am I the only person terrified to pour the solution into my dogs ears? I think I hate ear cleaning more than my dogs!

My dogs get wax build up too, one is a spoiled brat and twitches insanely when I try to clean hers, and the other is deaf and HATES his ears touched since he's hyper-sensitive. I've literally just had to use my finger and scrub my hands afterwards because he will go into full blown panic if he's not in the mood...


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[Honeys Owners]

My dog is pretty good about getting her ears cleaned. If it's just a quick cleanup with a wet cotton pad I can do it alone, but if it's a full flush it's a two man job. My dog stands on her hind legs, and her front paws are on my wife's knees while my wife is sitting in a chair. I continue to hold her while my wife pours the fluid into the ears and massages the ears.

 

[turbodave]

Am I the only person terrified to pour the solution into my dogs ears? I think I hate ear cleaning more than my dogs!

My dogs get wax build up too, one is a spoiled brat and twitches insanely when I try to clean hers, and the other is deaf and HATES his ears touched since he's hyper-sensitive. I've literally just had to use my finger and scrub my hands afterwards because he will go into full blown panic if he's not in the mood...


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That's odd because our deaf one doesn't terribly mind me pouring the cleaner in and massaging her ears.


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[blushy]

That's odd because our deaf one doesn't terribly mind me pouring the cleaner in and massaging her ears.


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It's not so much the liquid as it is touching his ears? He only lets me rub them, everyone else gets a grumpy face. And he knows when I'm up to something and gears up for war lol.


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[Honeys Owners]

So far no difference in wax buildup in my dog's ears since switching from Acana to Orijen Regional Red. The actual carbohydrate content between the two is almost the same- Acana has 25-30 % vs 25% for Orijen. The main difference is that Orijen has more protein and less fat than Acana. I still feel better about feeding the Orijen since I know I'm feeding my dog the very best quality dry dog food, and she loves the taste ( loved the taste of Acana as well ). I tried feeding her Fromm before and she wouldn't even touch it.

 

[2bullymama]

What has worked well for us... even mix of witch hazel and AVC in a bottle and sprat ears once a day -- it keeps the yeast away ... my vet told me about it


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[CarrotTheFrenchie]

So far no difference in wax buildup in my dog's ears since switching from Acana to Orijen Regional Red. The actual carbohydrate content between the two is almost the same- Acana has 25-30 % vs 25% for Orijen. The main difference is that Orijen has more protein and less fat than Acana. I still feel better about feeding the Orijen since I know I'm feeding my dog the very best quality dry dog food, and she loves the taste ( loved the taste of Acana as well ). I tried feeding her Fromm before and she wouldn't even touch it.

. Have you checked to make sure any treats you're giving your dog don't contain potatoes? So many do. I've had to throw most of mine out.

 

[Honeys Owners]

Not sure what AVC is?
I've been using a mixture of 2oz. witch hazel with 5 drops of tea tree oil and 5 drops of oil of cloves and putting it on a cosmetic pad and wiping around, and that seems to keep the ears clean. But the wax keeps returning. I'm also deep cleaning with the Zymox once a week as a preventative from my dog getting a yeast infection.

What has worked well for us... even mix of witch hazel and AVC in a bottle and sprat ears once a day -- it keeps the yeast away ... my vet told me about it


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[Honeys Owners]

That's a good point- the only treats I give her are coconut oil, plain unsweetened yoghurt, fruit, and some salmon jerky treats once in a while. I think she has environmental allergies, even though I have been giving her antihistamines in the form of cetirizine once daily or chlorpheniramine twice daily. I don't have pet insurance, so haven't gone the whole route of allergy testing and immunotherapy. I don't think I need that at this point since she's got a good coat and is very healthy, and just has the ear wax and paw licking.