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I think my one year old dog has been having a persistant ear problem for the last couple of months. The ear doesn't smell too bad, but it does have some odor.

My vet first noticed that his ear looked red and sore during an examination. She gave me a bottle of EPI-OTIC ear wash and told me to use it once every three days.

I did this for the first month and thought I'd solved the problem. Last night I came home from work and noticed that my dog is holding his head sideways with his ear down. He shakes his head and scratches his ear constantly.

I put some of the ear wash in his ear. As soon as I got up this morning I made an appointment with his vet.

The problem is that my vet only has one other Shiba Inu that she treats. That Shiba has bad allergies. As soon as she saw that his ear was red a couple of months ago, she said that it must be allergy related. I'm not so sure about this.

My question to you is this: How do the treatments differ from an allergy related ear infection vs a non allergy related ear infection? What are some natural things that I can do in either case to cure this ear problem and prevent any future trouble.

Thanks for your help.

An allergy is hardly likely to affect only one ear. To treat an allergic problem, you need to either eliminate the inducing allergen or remove the sensitivity to the allergen, whereas if the inflammation is due to an infection or some irritant, you need to get rid of the bacteria or fungus or whatever the causative agent is. I generally use something called Blue Power Ear Treatment, which eliminates both bacteria and yeast. It consists of isopropyl alcohol, boric acid, and gentian violet. I give a good squirt into each ear, massage well, and let the dog shake out everything in the ear, repeating daily until the ear is no longer inflamed.

Dr. Tobin wrote:

>>>>>I generally use something called Blue Power Ear Treatment, which eliminates both bacteria and yeast. It consists of isopropyl alcohol, boric acid, and gentian violet. I give a good squirt into each ear, massage well, and let the dog shake out everything in the ear, repeating daily until the ear is no longer inflamed.>>>>>>>>>

Doctor Tobin, could you tell me where to find that, or a recipe for making it? I have a Standard Poodle who grows hair in the ears, and am trying to develop a good maintenance program. I've been putting apple cidar vinegar into the uninfected ears, and that seems to be working well. What do you think about using that? I am not diluting it.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

If it is working for the uninfected ear, that's great, but what about the infected ear? You can get the Blue Power Ear Treatment from me, or make it yourself by making a saturated solution of boric acid in 70% isopropyl alcohol and adding one drop gentian violet per ounce.

>>If it is working for the uninfected ear, that's great, but what about the infected ear? You can get the Blue Power Ear Treatment from me, or make it yourself by making a saturated solution of boric acid in 70% isopropyl alcohol and adding one drop gentian violet per ounce.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We took Worthy to the veterinarian yesterday for bloodwork prior to anesthesia for hip x-ray and removal of 2 baby teeth (he just turned a year old), and darn it, the veteriarian said one ear has yeast infection now. So he gave us an ear wash that contains ketoconazole.

I had a dog some years ago that took weeks of oral antibiotics due to a positive lyme test following a digestive infection (bird droppings, yuck). She developed yeast infection in her ears after the antibiotic, and that may be what has happened to Worthy. For her, a Belgian Tervuren with erect ears, I cleared it up with Desenex powder containing miconazole nitrate. I think that idea came from Dr. Chris Zink.

Anyhow, I didn't know about this infected ear when I wrote my last post--I just didn't word it well! The ear hair--both growing inside that has to be plucked out, and hanging down on the outside!--really complicates things for Standard Poodle ears.

Do you have any advice for getting these ears healthy?
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Use the Blue Power Ear Treatment.

>>Use the Blue Power Ear Treatment.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47