dog ear problem

[Suukkii]

Hi,

I have a blond lab who is prone to ear polyps and infections. She has had surgery twice to remove precancerous polyps. My problem is , my vet doesn't give me any credit for having a logical brain ! The last visit her infection had cleared up and they said to clean her ears once a week with a ragular ear claening product. Herright ear has NEVER had a problem. It has been her left ear every time. When I put the solution in her good ear , it filled up and I put the cotton ball in. No reaction from the dog. When I put it in her bad ear, it wouldn't fill up and she started swallowing rapidly and looked worried. My logic tells me that she must have a hole in her left eardrum ( she has had several times before ). I didn't want to continue to use the ear solution because it has ingredients that she should not be ingesting. I called the vet and they said there couldn't possibly be a hole in her eardrum because they would have detected it at her ear checkup a few days ago. I explained again and they said I must be imagining it ( all other vets are VERY inconveniently far away ) I very patiently said " IF a dog had a hole in her eardrum , what cleaning solution would you suggest" they told me to just cotinue using the current one. I am very discouraged. I have home remedy books about pets and they say 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water but I need to know if it is OK for her to ingest that once a week. Can anyone help me or perhaps suggest where to go for help ? Thank you

[Moo]

I'm not sure about white vinegar, but I know that apple cider vinegar works for the ears and is benificial when ingested.

Your vet thinks you're imagining things? You would definitely know, seeing as you've already had repeated incidents with the ears. And over all, even if he didn't believe you, he's getting your money, why would he deny you a check?

[Suukkii]

Thank you for the info. I didn't think a small amount of vinegar a week would do any damage but wanted another opinion. My lab is mentally challenged and I mean that seriously. She was oxygen deprived at birth and both her papered parents were emtremely inbred ( not my idea to get this dog ) but she is very sweetnatured. Obedience training was an adventure and she does not do well in cars. The nearest vet (our current one ) is a half hour away from us. They were finally perfectly willing to have me bring her in and pay another $35.00 "just to look" fee but since they checked her less than a week ago, I didn't want to do that. I will use the apple cider vinegar mix and see how that goes. Her eardrumm was perforated 3 times in the past so I don't know why they won't believe me. Thanks again

[Lessica Jake]

if i were you and my vet werent listening to my concerns, i'd find a new vet. regardless of whether your dog likes to go in the car or not, a vet that's endangering your dog's health is not worth going to. the vet does have the medical expertise, but you are the one who cares for the dog and sees it all day. you're the one who's going to know instinctively if there's something wrong and the vet should respect that and follow up on your concerns.