yeasty ears

[dljj]

We recently adopted a fawn girl from rescue and her previous owners fed her one of the popular supermarket brand kibble. She has a problem with smelly stuff building up in her ears, and I have heard that it is probably yeast resulting from the low grade kibble. Other than switching her to a better food, which we have done already, how can we get rid of this problem? Can anyone recommend something to clean the ears with that will keep it from coming back again? We have just been cleaning them with damp cotton swabs, but it just comes back again in a few days.:confused:

 

[WAT]

Do you think maybe she has earmites? That can cause a brown waxy discharge and an odor. Also allergies can cause a smelly discharge, Minx had that until we switched her food. A trip to the vet maybe necessary to find the cause. Good luck! And welcome to Boxerworld and congrats on your new pup!

 

[Linus' Mom]

Stinky Ears!

Linus has smelly ears as well. He gets this brown build up stuff that is really gross. I don't know if its just a boxer thing or a problem...... We bought from a bottle of solution called "Vet Solution for Ears" (first active ingredient on the bottle is alcohol). It seems like I have to clean out his ears every third day or so and he HATES it! I soak a gauze pad - shove it in his ear and let him shake it out - then I go in with a kleenex and get the rest of the goop! I am interested in the replies that you will get from others....

 

[Matt S]

If it's a yeast infection then I think a trip to the vet could be in order.
Cleaning the ears will not resolve the problem in the long term.
If it were ear mites you would see what looks a little like coffee grounds in the ear rather than the brownie waxy build up & foul smell associated with a yeast infection.
Here's a link on common ear problems that dogs can suffer & also a link on the cleaning of a dogs ears.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1591&articleid=273

http://www.barkbytes.com/care/earcare.htm

 

[rumsgirl]

Don't ever use water to wash their ears. That is one way to cause infection. The best thing is to take her to the vet and detemine what kind of infection it is or even if it is ear mites. When their ears are having discharge you need to clean them at least once a day if not twice.Alcohol is used as a drying agent in alot of ear cleaners as it dries the ear quickly. I have used a solution of 50% alcohol and 50% vinegar too clean ears it also works as a preventative for ear mites.

 

[Barb_IA]

Mine have had yeast infection. Some medication from the vet and that will clear it up.

 

[dljj]

Thanks for the information. We are planning to get her in to the vet soon, but we are still waiting for her previous vet records to be sent to us by the rescue organization. They should be here any day.

 

[VTbxrFan]

I also think a trip to the vet is a good idea. I use DermaPet for cleaning ears -- and actually for all kinds of cleaning -- minor cuts and scrapes, and cleaning between his toes when he gets yeast there now and then.

 

[Alisha Mobley]

I use ACV to clean the ears and spray it on their feet and between their toes when they get stinky.

 

[JulieM]

There is also Blue Power Ear Treatment, the ingredients and directions for which can be found here:
www.itsfortheanimals.com/BLUE.HTM

We have used a similar recipe, but no gentian and with aloe vera juice and hydrogen peroxide instead of alcohol - much more soothing to red, inflamed ears. Mullien and garlic in Vitamin E oil can also be quite helpful sometimes - HerbPharm has a premade concotion that you can get in health food stores.

Remember, though, that these are all either palliatives (easing symptoms) or suppressives ("burying" symptoms). They do not address the underlying issue, and until you do that the problem will either keep returning or, with continued use of suppressives, may manifest as another, more serious problem.

Diet change is the first thing to try, and elimination of grains is the single most effective step I've seen in these situations. There have been several discussions on this in the past, a forum search should give you lots of information, and there is a website dedicated to grain-free diets for pets - www.grainfreepets.com