Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think Zeus may have a possible ear infection in only his right ear. His symptoms are as follows: excessive head shaking, holding right ear lower than the left, tenderness (doesn't want ear to be handled or touched), redness, foul smell. When I'm able to look at his ear. It's very red and it looks like he has a wax build up. I cleaned the ear with a 50/50 solution of apple cider vinegar and water. The next day the ear was worse. Is there any holistic approach I could take to fight this "infection"? I read online about cleaning the ear with the vinegar solution BUT then to fight the infection. You should soak 1 garlic clove in olive oil for 12 hours. Remove the clove. Then with a syringe put 5-6 drops in ears. Do you recommend that? Or could I possibly do damage to his ear? Thanks in advance, Dr. Tobin.

-Felicia

I use Blue Power Ear Treatment, consisting of isopropyl alcohol, boric acid, and gentian violet. I give a good squirt into the ear, massage well to loosen and dissolve junk in the ear, and let the dog shake it all out. If needed, I'll repeat immediately, and then do this twice a day until improved , tapering off when all signs of infection are gone. This way I don't stick anything down into the sensitive ear. This solution dissolves wax and kills both bacteria and yeasts.

Thank you very much. I'll be sure to use that and see how it goes. Another question I do have for you is. I'm going to start him on a Probiotic but is it possible for me to use a human Probiotic or should I just stick with a dog one? And what's the correct dosage for a dog of 100 pounds?