Dog Ear Infection Treatment Advice

by Irene
(Cusco, Peru)

Reader Question on Chronic Dog Ear Infection Treatment

Hello,

My name is Irene, I live in the mountains of Peru, with my family and two labrador - rottweilers.

One of my dogs has an ear infection that every time gets more severe. She has it now for over two years. Most of the time it gets much worse when I travel. (I leave the dogs well taken care of!)

The ears of Pia, are full of pus. When I clean them I take out a brown substance. She bleeds, because she scratches it. One time it became so bad, it was in her mouth, under her legs and she could hardly walk.

We have tried different kinds of creams for bacteria, for mites, they took amoxicillin, that stops it a little bit, but never cures it.

I really don´t know what to do anymore!

Could you give me some advice?

Thank you..

Irene

Labrador Dog Ear Infection Treatment

Hello Irene,

Most chronic ear infections develop because a dog has another, underlying condition that is not being addressed. Possibilities include allergies to environmental triggers like pollen, mold, and house mites or ingredients in the diet; hormonal disorders; anatomic abnormalities, etc.

Two aspects of therapy are critical:

1. Aggressively treating the infection until the ear is completely normal (or as normal as possible if permanent damage has been done). This can involve multiple ear flushes in the clinic (anesthesia is sometimes necessary), daily cleaning and topical medications at home, oral medications, and sometimes even surgery.

2. A thorough search for one or more underlying conditions. This may involve blood work, a urinalysis, a fecal exam, skin or blood testing for environmental allergies, an elimination diet for food allergies, and more.

A local veterinarian could help you figure out which possibilities are most likely given where you live and your dog’s condition.

Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM