Oso has an ear infection

[fairlight]

Many of youknow what I am going through, especially if your dogs have long ears and are prone to infection. Oso just seemed to have the blaahs yesterday so I figured he was having an off day...heck we all have them from time to time. Tonight was weekly ear cleaning and as soon as I lifted Oso's ear there was that funky smell. I have special doggie wipes for dog ears and when I started cleaning out Oso's it was filled with dirt, gung, and traces of blood. Now this could be blodd from him digging it, ot from me drilling hard into his ear, but that does not take away from funky smell. I have been through this many many times before. The problem is.....my vet is closed on Sunday and Monday. Should I just keep cleaning his ear twice a day with ear cleaning solution or should I spray the vinager and alcohol solution I have. I would only think that the alcohol would make it burn like heck....but it will also help to dry up infection at leasrt until Tuesday. Any suggestions out there?

[Dax]

I bought this wonderful cleaner at Petsmart. It has clove oil in it which sooths as it cleans. It is a two part system. One of cleaning - one for drying.

If I were you, I would simply clean the ear with the wipes you have trying and see about an appointment at the earliest convenience.

[fairlight]

Dax....I have a petsmart right down the street from me....would you happen to know the name of the solution you bought?.....If so, please post so I can pick some of this up tomorrow...and thanks so much for your quick response.

[FairyDogMother]

I'm so sorry to hear about Oso. Phoebes had an infection once and has been doing well since with the regular ear cleaning solution. I use something developed by my vet so it's not on the pet store market. I hope he's feeling better soon!
Hugs to Oso from me & my pack.

[Dax]

Originally Posted by fairlight

Dax....I have a petsmart right down the street from me....would you happen to know the name of the solution you bought?.....If so, please post so I can pick some of this up tomorrow...and thanks so much for your quick response.

It's called Veterinarian's Best Natural Care... Ear Relief Wash. It's alcohol free.

I use a q-tip and put some of the cleaner on the end. Then I carefully work the inner part of the ear. Don't push the dirt, etc deeper and pull the goop out. When Dax has a bad case, I might use up to 10 q-tips to get as much out without putting the fluid into the ear.

Then I use cotton pads (like the ones you use for taking eye makeup off) and apply a little. I use it weekly to wash the outter part of the ear as maintenance. Dax has not had an bad infection since I started using it.

Big hugs... Definately not comfortable for them.

[fairlight]

I have been through so many ear infections with Oso. We got him a little over a year ago. The woman we got him from told us "Oh...his ear may be bothering him just a little bit." Oh really??? She knew very well that the dog had an acute ear infection because she even worked for a vet! It took us SIX months to get this poor dog on track with no infections. He was so far gone that the last and final step was that the vet was going to have to drill a hole in his ear to widen the canals. We finally found a medication but the darned vet will not be opened until Tuesday. I have been so diligent with his ears....I can't believe I did not see this coming!

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

I've had problems with Bogey's ears for years. All the stuff I got at PetsSmart and even our regular vet would work for a short while then his ears would fill back up again with all the smelly gunk!

Then we started seeing a holistic vet who gave me some stuff called
Vet Beta-Gen Otic Solution. It has in it Conofite, Betamethasone and Gentamicin. It's made by Med-Pharmex, Inc.

First, I use q-tips to gently clean out his ears. Just use any gentle cleanser that is alcohol free. Don't use dry q-tips. Then I put 2 drops of this Vet Beta-Gen Otic Solution in each ear and massage it in. I used it every day for a week (the initial dose may be 5 drops per ear for a week - can't remember) to get them under control and now I put in two drops per ear once a week. His ears stay really clean and, like I said, only require minor cleaning now.

If your dog has an infection, most, if not all, of the over the counter stuff is useless. Alcohol will not get rid of infection and it's very irritating. This stuff does have some alcohol, but very little.

Try this stuff. It's awesome!

[fairlight]

Thanks Dax and Thanks so much Deb. Oso is so laid back that nothing really shakes him up. He's Mr. Joe Cool. Will keep you posted on his results.

[tigersmom]

My spaniel Tiger has and continues to have really horrible ear problems (we adopted him that way) One thing that has really helped is taking a pair of tube socks cutting off the foot part sliding ears into leg part and pinning the socks on top of head I do this for about an hour a day only in the house and the air helps to dry out the ear. Also he looks really funny
tigersmom

[fairlight]

Believe it or not I've done something very similar to that only with sugical gauze and surgical tape.....poor Oso looked like he had a nappy on his head but it wound up not working. Thanks for the input though...it's very much appreciated.