amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

Marion · 09-01-2004, 04:58 PM

I'm so tired of these ear infections my dog keeps getting. He's a cocker spaniel and I know they're prone to persistant ear infections. Is there anything I put in his ear OTC that would clear these up? I know to keep his ears clear of water and prevent any moisture in them. I just can't stand having to drag him to the vet, pay the office visit and then the meds..it's just getting old. I'd love to find something more natural because he's getting them alot, obviously the antibiotics aren't working properly.

~Candy~ · 09-01-2004, 05:21 PM

we always had that problem w/ our cocker too. the vet gave us some meds that i just used as needed at home and seemed to clear it up so i didn't have to keep taking her in....she got killed almost 4 yrs ago, so i can't remember the name; sorry, i know that's not much help.

~Denise~ · 09-02-2004, 01:04 AM

Be very cautious using anything without making sure the eardrum is not perforated. It is common in dogs, esp. Cockers, to have ruptured eardrums, and if you use the wrong thing and it is ruptured, even small, it can cause deafness. )o:

I'd recommend starting with a hypoallergenic diet, if not already...and if already, I'd try another one. Let me know if you need help on this, many diets claiming to be safe are not.

I'd also take him in and get his ears checked, find out what the problem is.....unless you already know? Repeated yeast? Bacteria? Both? There are different preventatives you can use but I'd need to know what type of problem he has. I'd recommend treating the current infection with something prescribed, and then working on prevention once we know there is no infection and the eardrum looks good. Then you can consider things like daily ear flushes with alcohol/vinegar mixes to control yeast and such, or if it's always bacterial, consider a daily dose of with a natural antibacterial herb or a low dose antibiotic. But this will not cure an infection already there.....kwim? Just a prevention. If it's all yeast you may be able to treat with ear flushes alone though.