[nagdu] Allergic reaction to ear cleanser?

Fri Sep 25 18:41:44 UTC 2015

OH, poor boo. Poor you, too. I hope it turns out to be something you can 
address through diet and without huge hassle and expense. I know you 
really like him, but you need a healthy working dog. If his allergies 
are severe, working won't help him much, either. Still, it's not an easy 
decision.

How old is he now? Sometimes a young dog's body chemistry will still 
have some instability even when it seems like the dog is an adult, then 
they'll outgrow the problems when their system finally settles down at 2 
or 3. If it's an allergy, though, that probably wouldn't be the case. 
Sometimes dogs, like people, outgrow them. Sometimes not.

Does your vet take cultures to find out if antibiotics are called for in 
addition to topical medication? I've noticed that some vets treat the 
most likely cause at first, which is usually yeast. But if the yeast 
infection is masking a deeper problem or a result of the deeper problem 
then, well, you still have a problem. Sigh.

I hope this new gunk works or that you find out the underlying cause and 
can treat it without undue hassle and expense. It's just really 
frustrating. We'll have our fingers and paws crossed over here.

Tami

On 09/25/2015 10:28 AM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu wrote:
> Thanks Tami.
> Poor Krokus's infection is getting worse!  Clearly my efforts so far have
> not been effective.  The vet gave me a stronger bottle of drops, plus a
> bottle of medicated cleanser.  I'm supposed to do one in the morning and one
> in the evening.
> And his anal glands are filling up like mad, which the vet says is an
> allergy symptom.
> I had blood drawn for an allergy test, though only for general categories.
> If it turns out to be something he's going to need shots for the rest of his
> life, I think I'll send him back.  That seems like an awful lot of trouble.
> Damn his golden genes.
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tami Jarvis via
> nagdu
> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 12:25 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Tami Jarvis
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Allergic reaction to ear cleanser?
>
> Tracy,
>
> Okay, this is how I understand it. It hink I'm remembering what my vets have
> told me over the years correctly.
>
> Squirting the stuff directly into the ear gets it down into the ear canal. I
> also kinda massage and pull the ear to straighten out the canal so the goop
> will go further down, Then I wipe it out of the outer ear as it comes back
> outt. A lot of infections reside deep down where you wouldn't want to probe
> around with a cotton swab or anything else.
>
> Swabbing the outer part of the ear and the outermost portion of the ear
> canal does keep dirt from traveling down and causing infections or
> blockages, so it's a good thing to do. I seem to have heard or read that
> cleaning too much with a disinfectant can also kill healthy bacteria that
> help keep the ear free of yeast.
>
> Now you've reminded me I need to get busy and do some basic ear maintenance
> on our dogs. Poor neglected creatures.
>
> Tami
>
>
>
> On 09/25/2015 05:01 AM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu wrote:
>> I have an ear cleaning question, too.
>> The technique I learned in class is to put some ear solution on a
>> cotton pad and gently wipe the ears, then dry them with another cotton
>> pad.  But the method for the ear infection ointment, and the
>> instructions for the ear solution I bought from Amazon, is to squeeze
>> some of the solution into the ear, then massage the ear.
>> The first way, with the solution on a pad, seems a lot easier to
>> control the amounts, and to actually clean the ear.  So I'm a bit
>> confused about why the other method is being recommended for the
>> infection, when it seems like the ointment just stays in the ear, then
>> I add more the next day.  I'll ask the vet about it today, but I wonder if
> anyone else knows.
>> I sure am getting tired of trekking to the vet.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Danielle
>> Cyclorama via nagdu
>> Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2015 4:13 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Cc: Danielle Cyclorama
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Allergic reaction to ear cleanser?
>>
>> I use an equal mixture of water and apple cider vinegar to clean my
>> dogs ears. I don't miss those ear infection days. I was lucky that the
>> first thing I removed from Thai's diet was the allergen, but it took a
>> lot longer to get rid of pet dog's ear issues. Hope Jenny feels better
> soon.
>>
>> Danielle and Thai
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Sep 24, 2015, at 3:35 PM, Tami Jarvis via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Daryl,
>>>
>>> Poor Jenny! Her system may be ultra sensitive, since you just
>>> recently
>> changed her diet and things are still balancing out. I don't know if
>> the oatmeal would be a factor or not. If there's a pattern of
>> flare-ups when you use that cleanser, that is a clue. Intermittent
>> recurring problems like this are so frustrating, since tracking down
>> the underlying thing you need to change is a matter of trial and
>> error, and it takes time to find out if any given change is the right one.
>>>
>>> I've used both Epiotic and Zymox and liked both. I think the Epiotic
>>> is
>> more of a cleanser; it's been a few years, since I couldn't find it
>> for a long time. I haven't tried the Zymox cleansing solution, just
>> the medicated goop. Boy, does that clear things right up! Loki seems
>> to have outgrown regular yeast infections. It seems like puppies are
>> prone because their body chemistry is always changing and frequently
>> out of balance. So I sniff his ears a lot. /lol/
>>>
>>> If it's a yeast infection, probiotics might help, since those support
>> healthy bacteria that are unfriendly to yeast. Antibiotics can kill
>> off healthy bacteria, making yeast infections more likely. I always
>> eat a lot of yogurt when I'm taking antibiotics, so I give my dogs
>> yogurt when they're on antibiotics. Nowadays, there are a lot of
>> probiotics in pill form that are supposed to be better.
>>>
>>> hth,
>>>
>>> Tami
>>>
>>>> On 09/24/2015 11:05 AM, Daryl Marie via nagdu wrote:
>>>> Hi!
>>>> On the topic of ear infections... Jenny got another one last week. I
>> inadvertently gave her treats with rice and grain in them... silly me
>> didn't read the label!
>>>> I've been cleaning her ears with a solution she's had before, but
>>>> have
>> gradually increased the time between cleaning to 2 times a week while
>> the infection is present. Until yesterday, she was doing great!
>>>>
>>>> I cleaned her ears on Tuesday night. Admittedly, I may have put too
>>>> much
>> solution in them, but I did wipe them dry. About 18 hours later, both
>> ears were hot to the touch, she was pawing at both of them, she kept
>> pulling them away, and they were slightly pink and obviously irritated.
>>>>
>>>> This morning they are much less sensitive, less pink, and she's
>>>> pawing at
>> them less.
>>>>
>>>> So I have a few questions:
>>>> 1) Is it possible to have a reaction to an ear cleanser? In looking
>>>> at
>> the ingredients, it looks like it's an oat extract-based cleanser. If
> so...
>>>> 2) I've been told that a grain allergy is generally only if it's
>>>> been
>> ingested... but by flushing her ears out with it, is it not
>> technically an ingestion?
>>>> 3) Any ear cleanser recommendations? My vet carries Epiotic, and
>>>> I've
>> heard good things about it and Zymox. I've also got coconut oil
>> coming, but buying it locally is insanely expensive.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Daryl
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