dog ear problem

Longranger

Hi guys,my dogs ear was bugging him all day yesterday and I can't get to a vet until tomorrow. His ear looks a bit bloody and scabby on the inside and it seems to be itchy cos he's shaking his head a bit this morning. It doesn't seem to be painful as he is in great form but just wondering is there any way I can clean it up a bit for him just to stop the itch. Thanks all.

homerhop

You can get an ear wash that you put into the ear canal, gently massage it into the ear and clean the gunk with cotton wool or tissue. Dont use qtips or force the wool/tissue down into the canal. You are going to have to do this on a regular basis esp if the dog is a spaniel breed

pokertalk

if your bringing the dog to the vet then dont clean it . he has ear mites or ear infection so will need antibiotics so keep it dorty so the vet can see how bad it is and deffo dont put any solution in his ear .
is the dog panting alot if so he might have a fever

Longranger

pokertalk wrote: »

if your bringing the dog to the vet then dont clean it . he has ear mites or ear infection so will need antibiotics so keep it dorty so the vet can see how bad it is and deffo dont put any solution in his ear .
is the dog panting alot if so he might have a fever

cheers pokertalk,we'll be going to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. He isn't panting any more than usual and is his usual mental-headcase-self so I doubt if he has a fever. His ear is looking pretty manky though. All I can do is wait til morning and hope my little partner is all ok. Thanks again:)

pokertalk

Longranger wrote: »

cheers pokertalk,we'll be going to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. He isn't panting any more than usual and is his usual mental-headcase-self so I doubt if he has a fever. His ear is looking pretty manky though. All I can do is wait til morning and hope my little partner is all ok. Thanks again:)

what breed is the dog?

Duckjob

Was advised by a vet before that cotton wool pads dipped in olive oil is a good way to clean a dogs ears. Also seems to provide relief if they're being being driven demented with itchyness.

homerhop

If it is a long eared dog such as a springer they will suffer from a build up of wax and dirt as there is not the same air circulation that dogs such as alsations etc will have. It will look like a black/dried blood substance and can smell pretty bad after a while.

Longranger

Thanks for the tips everyone. My little buddy is nearly better. Our vet is a feckin' miracle worker:)

tishandy

Longranger wrote: »

Thanks for the tips everyone. My little buddy is nearly better. Our vet is a feckin' miracle worker:)

What was it in the end?
Just curious because my pup has ear mites , vet administered stronghold two weeks ago and when I went back to vet yesterday she still had them. I have to use an ear wash for next two weeks and then go back to vet again:(. He says they are very hard to get rid of.

theghost

tishandy wrote: »

What was it in the end?
Just curious because my pup has ear mites , vet administered stronghold two weeks ago and when I went back to vet yesterday she still had them. I have to use an ear wash for next two weeks and then go back to vet again:(. He says they are very hard to get rid of.

Never heard of a dog being given stronghold for ear mites. The eldest has had them a couple of times and has always been given drops for them straight off. A week's treatment has always done the trick

Longranger

tishandy wrote: »

What was it in the end?
Just curious because my pup has ear mites , vet administered stronghold two weeks ago and when I went back to vet yesterday she still had them. I have to use an ear wash for next two weeks and then go back to vet again:(. He says they are very hard to get rid of.

It was a mild inflammation,probably allergic,but it led to a shocking dose of mites. He got a steroid injection and some Surolan drops. I don't want to offend you or your vet but it sounds like a convenient case of"sure come back next week and we'll see how she is,by the way,that'll be 50 quid" sorry,but I'd be of the mindset that a second opinion is warranted.

DaveM-sport

To help clear the mites; when your dog is resting or asleep, flop over his/her ears to open them out can air out a little bit easier than with the ear covered.

tishandy

Hmm , I know. like the poster above said they'd never heard of Stronghold for ear mites.
I was wondering how something on the neck could kill mites in the ear.
Vet said it would kill the mites and any worms the pup had.
When I went back a couple of days ago he started talking about how she had dirty ear and mites, I explained about in the last visit he administered the stronghold for it,
he said a couple of new eggs must have hatched and showed me how I must clean the ears every three days with a wash called "CleanAural". I was wondering why hadnt he shown me this two weeks ago. he also said her anal glands were blocked ( her bum looks a bit bulgy ) and said he would sort them. but it was only on my way home I realised he hadnt emptied them he must have forgotten .
I'm washing everything she lies on each day like a mad woman to try to stop reinfection.
Do you think I should bring her to another vet for second opinion? Does she need the anal glands cleared? or will it happen on its own?

ISDW

tishandy wrote: »

Hmm , I know. like the poster above said they'd never heard of Stronghold for ear mites.
I was wondering how something on the neck could kill mites in the ear. He said it would kill the mites and any worms the pup had. When I went back a couple of days ago he started talking about how she ha dirty ear and mites,explained about in the last visit he administered the stronghold for it, he said a couple of new eggs must have hatched and showed me how I must clean the ears every three days with a wash called "CleanAural". I was wondering why hadnt he shown me this two weeks ago.
I' washing everything she lies on each day like a mad woman to try to stop reinfection.

Our vet prescribes one of the spot ons for ear mites, can't remember if its stronghold or advocate. The vet probably thought the stronghold would work, but upon re-examination, your dog's ears were very dirty, so they had a breeding ground, hence the cleanaural. Nothing unusual in that vet treatment at all in my experience. THey probably didn't give you the cleanaural 2 weeks ago because they thought the stronghold would work and didn't want to put you or the pup through the stress of daily ear washing unless it was absolutely necessary, which it has now turned out to be.

tishandy

ISDW wrote: »

Our vet prescribes one of the spot ons for ear mites, can't remember if its stronghold or advocate. The vet probably thought the stronghold would work, but upon re-examination, your dog's ears were very dirty, so they had a breeding ground, hence the cleanaural. Nothing unusual in that vet treatment at all in my experience. THey probably didn't give you the cleanaural 2 weeks ago because they thought the stronghold would work and didn't want to put you or the pup through the stress of daily ear washing unless it was absolutely necessary, which it has now turned out to be.

Good, I know what you mean by the stress of the ear washing. Its every three days so I have to do it tommorow. She gets really distressed and cries poor thing ,but its for her own good . She was in pretty bad shape when I got her Worms ,Ear mites, gastric infection.

ISDW

tishandy wrote: »

Good, I know what you mean by the stress of the ear washing. Its every three days so I have to do it tommorow. She gets really distressed and cries poor thing ,but its for her own good . She was in pretty bad shape when I got her Worms ,Ear mites, gastric infection.

Are you sure the vet said every three days, not 3 times a day? I've always had to clean the ears daily when there have been ear mites present.

pokertalk

ISDW wrote: »

Are you sure the vet said every three days, not 3 times a day? I've always had to clean the ears daily when there have been ear mites present.

yeah was thinking that myself think it might be 2/3 times a day. my lads have had it a few times and i had to do it 2/3 times a day . give your vet a ring just in case

volvick

How does a dog get ear mites? Just wonder cause my dog sleeps on my bed! Don't want her having them if she is beside me
Dog is not scratching ears or anything - just wonder how they get them

tishandy

pokertalk wrote: »

yeah was thinking that myself think it might be 2/3 times a day. my lads have had it a few times and i had to do it 2/3 times a day . give your vet a ring just in case

Vet said every 3 -4 days , He actually said its difficult to do so even if I can only manage it every four days at least. He showed me how to pinch the tip of the ear, pour in the solution massage it underneath and swab out, and the prescription printed on the bottle says " swab out both ears every 3-4 days for two weeks , then do weekly.

tishandy

volvick wrote: »

How does a dog get ear mites? Just wonder cause my dog sleeps on my bed! Don't want her having them if she is beside me
Dog is not scratching ears or anything - just wonder how they get them

From what I know they are passed from Long grass in warm weather, also other dogs and especially cats carry mites, you will get a brown waxy build up in the ear.
Not saying that is bible, just what I know.