Need help with labs recurrent ear infections

Does anyone have an idea on how to treat/prevent recurring yeast infections in dogs? My poor Zena who is almost 2 (Yellow lab) has a constant yeast infection in both ears. I have been working with my vet for the past year put nothing has seemed to work. I have had all types and breeds of animals all my life and have never had this severe of a problem. In fact I have taken in so many animals that have been abandoned or abused/sick that I have been known as the "animal lady" in our rural area. I know I need to raise the ph in her ears but first I need to get rid of all of the yeast cells or they will multiply and grow like crazy which they are doing quite well!! I have tried every conceivable product to clean her ears. (I clean at least daily). I have checked the ph of the blackish gunk in her ears and it is quite high. But when I check the ph of the products I have been using they are not as high as what I get from her ears. I have used, vinegar, peroxide mixes, natural ear cleansers but nothing seems to work. We have tried all of the topical antifungals/yeasts that I know of. Has anyone ever heard of using a systemic antifungal such as fluconazole in these cases. My vet says that she hasnt and wonders if it could get through the natural barrier of the ear canal to take care of the problem We are going to have her sedated and flush her ears good but I am not too hopeful. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate hearing from you! Thank you so much
Barb and the gang from Wisconsin :cry:

 

With recurrent ear infections there is sometimes another problem going on, sometimes it can be related to allergies, like food or inhalant. I know thyroid problems can be a cause, although in my experience there are usually other signs as well. Has your dog had any swabs and lab testing done? Is she bathed regularly, or does she play in water? are there precautions taken to make sure she doesnt get water in the ears? If she's scratching a lot or they are inflamed sometimes steroids help with the other meds and I know a few people who after going through every oral medication and cream available from the vet with no good results that have used Monistat 7 and said that it worked (havent tried that personally though on any dogs).

 

My dog gets yeast infections in her ear too. I give her some plain yogurt every day and it has been working! My cousin spent thousand of $ trying to fix his dog's yeast problem too. Plain yogurt also worked for him! Good luck!

 

As already suggested, a lot of chronic ear infections are allergy related. Food allergies and inhaled allergies are the usual culprits.

One source of inhaled allergies that is often overlooked is household air
fresheners. If you use carpet fresheners, Fabreeze, scented plug ins, etc, get rid of them for a while and see if that helps. If you must use something, use plain baking soda or borax to freshen carpets.

Yogurt is great for yeast infections. Just be sure the yogurt contains active cultures. If your dog is allergic to milk products, acidophillous/lactobacillus supplements will do the trick. If you get a liquid supplement you can mix it with a little warm water and use to flush the ears.

You could also give probiotic supplements a try. Missing Link and Fastrack are two supplements I've heard a lot of good reports on.

 

I had a similar situation with my lab.

I would tackle this problem as a systemic yeast infection maybe caused by diet. its a good place to start, what are you feeding her? you want to treat systemically and not just topically

I would do two things, change her food to an allergy formula, like natural balance duck and potato (found at petco)or california natural allergy formula or something like these. I would pur her on a probiotic regimin like nzymes. please check out this site. www.nzymes.com. they have have a yeast kit, it also is very informative on ear/skin problems.

It does take a long time to heal, I put my dog on it, changed his diet and have not had any year problems since.

I would try this first and then go from there.

good luck

honeybear

 

Found this information on a pet health site that might be of interest:

Treatment

After all tests have been done, severe ear infections should be flushed out when the dog is under anesthesia. The skin lining of the ear canal must be treated, and not the wax inside. Most severe external ear infections show a ruptured ear drum and a concurrent middle ear infection. The veterinarian must clean out the wax to see if the ear drum is intact or gone, so he or she can choose the best topical drug. Some drugs and cleansers can cause damage to the middle ear the ear drum has been ruptured. With severe external ear disease, oral antibiotics are given.

To get the best chance at controlling ear infection disease, dog owners should be prepared for a long course of therapy, and practice preventative care at home to stop the disease from getting worse.

Dogs with severe chronic ear infections should have a complete medical exam to eliminate the possibility of underlying systemic disease. For example, hypothyroidism is a common underlying reason for bad ears. If atopy (an allergic condition caused by inhaled allergens) is the cause, you may need to give low doses of anti-inflammatory medicine during the season. If food allergy is the cause, then a special hypoallergenic diet may be needed. If the dog is hypothyroid (under-active thyroid), continuous thyroid therapy will be needed. In all cases, owners will need to be sure to clean the ears regularly to prevent wax build up.

Dogs that have had severe ear disease for a long period of time usually can't be completely cured. However, if the problem is approached correctly, with owner and veterinarian working closely together, you can usually achieve a controlled condition.

In cases where proper medical therapy still can't control the disease, surgical options are available. These options range from opening up the external ear canal to provide drainage (the Zepp operation), to removal of the ear canal.