liquid in Ears

doodie · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:20 am Post subject: liquid in Ears

My poor Gracie has been having problems with her ears. They are always gunky and she shakes her head and scratches at the right side constantly. She scratches so much she has cut herself on the outside.

I took her to the vet a few months ago. They said it could be a mild infection, cleaned and "taught" me how to clean them ($30 dollars to watch) and prescribed some drops. It seemed to help for awhile but now she has this clear, stinky liquid that I have to clean out and the scratching and shaking is starting again. I have noticed that she usually sleeps with her head laying on this side. Is that making it worse? Has anyone else experienced this? I give her plain yogurt and clean her ears about twice a day now. I'm trying to avoid another costly and useless trip to the vet. Any suggestions?

AmyB · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:53 am Post subject:

AW! Poor Gracie. If her ears stink it's most likely an infection. What kind of drops did they give you? Have you been putting them in her ear recently? I wonder if she may need something stronger.

versatilek9s · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:54 am Post subject:

This might seem random, but what kind of food does she eat?

DukesMom · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:23 am Post subject:

Maybe they need to try a different kind of drops? Try to make sure when you clean them that you get them as dry as possible. I use gobs of cotton balls. I ran out of yogurt once for about 4 days and both my dogs got ear infections! How much yogurt are you putting in her food? And I second "what are you feeding her?"

krisnkaipo · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:38 am Post subject:

I am also curious what kind of food are you feeding?

Did the vet give you a diagnosis, possibly a slight infection is not a diagnosis....did they do a culture? What color is the discharge?

There are a variety of things that contribute to ear problems in dogs, food allergies seem to top the list. Also floppy eared dogs could benefit from some circulation, if your dog will let you try cleaning out the ears and then tying them (gently) back so that the ear "breathes" regularly. In addition to the "drops" are you cleaning the ears regularly? I like a nolvason based product (easy to find in most pet stores and is typically a light blue in color). If your dog lets you, I would recommend cleaning the ears often (2-3 times a day if necessary til it clears up). Did your vet show you how to massage the cleaner into the base of the ear canal? If your dog cooperates, it is easy, just squirt some of the cleaner, massage down until you hear the squishy down the canal, let the dog shake.....