ear infection

my dogs ear is reli red and swollen reli dry and has little lumps all over it i dont know if this is a reaction to the vinegar i have bin using to clean it it smells really bad and she keeps shaking her head and scratchign at her ear so much so its making the outside reli scabby and sore i reli cant afford to take her to the vet right now and i dont want to go to have them tell me i need X Y & Z drugs which i cant afford on top of the check up (it reli * me off that they will let an animal suffer vs letting you pay the cost in installments !!) i reli dont know what to do about her and all they will want to do is give her antibiotics and steroids which i really dont want her having im so torn and dont know what to do and feel so upset and frustrated as every since we rescued her its bin 1 thing after another with her health. she ahd bad ears when we rescued her and was on antibiotics and a special cleaning solution and some stuff called surolan that i had to put in and on her ears
i reli dont know what to do but it upsets me so much to see her like this can any one please give me some advice on what i can do to help her

You need to get her to the vets - that's an infection. You may not like using antibiotics, but I'm afraid she does need treatment. If she doesn't get it, her ear will likely just get worse.

Also, if you ever use vinegar to clean a dog's ears (which I wouldn't use again after this, if I were you), it should be white or cider vinegar diluted with water.

Also, make sure you don't clean her ears too often - even with a dilution. It will dry her ears out and get rid of skin oils.

Please stop using neat vinegar! It's acidic & an irritant.

I'm afraid that the vet is the only one who is qualified to deal with this.

Is this an ongoing thing, or has it just started?

ive bin using diluted white as we have run out of ACV.. it has come on no loner than about a week ago, some one was meant to be sending me some thornit powder but i dont know if they have yet , we have just bin cleaning with white vin and using our daughters nappy cream its a natural one on ehr ears its helped with all sorts of skin things and weve ran out of dermacaton otehr wise i would be trying that.. i cant afford the vets right now not with consult fee plus any meds i hate my current vets. my old ones where we used to live would let me pay when i could my new one only cares about the money my husband dosent get paid till the end of the month and hes just changed jobs so i dont know what to do short of making a vets appointment and begging and kickign up a fuss for them to give me what i need i cant bear her suffering but if there going to force me to pay there is nothing i can do  

Also, just noticed you said she had bad ears when you rescued her; please, in future, consult a vet before you put any home remedies on her ears - she probably has sensitive ears.

Thornit powder is good, but if it's a deep infection then it won't clear it up.

Have you tried talking to the vets & explaining the situation? Would they perhaps accept some money now, and the rest later?

Is there a PDSA, a Blue Cross or an RSPCA clinic near you that may be able to give you discounted treatment?

Poor Lexie, that does look sore. If it was just the outside of her ear I could suggest applying Sudocreme, but as the inside of her ear looks red, hot and inflamed (I notice also that her throat looks bare and has a pimple) so antibiotics do look indicated.

I know vets are expensive (we all moan about it!) but if they really won't take payment by instalments maybe you could find another vet in your area that will? Or, if you qualify, PDSA may be able to help you.

that was from being in a kennel for so long she also had kennel cough and was in a generally bad state when we got her this was a few years ago. i thought we had finally fixed her after trying loads of things and dermacaton (spelling) finally fixing her feet and then this happens

yer the fur on her throat has always bin thin the soreness is because weve had to put her buster collar back on her to keep ozzy from licking her ears and to stop her scratching at it so when she shakes and stuff it rubs i will have a look at the pdsa etc and ring the vets tomorrow and see what they say, just last time we took her in for her feet adn they wanted me to pay £80 for various lotions and stuff i said i couldnt afford that and they wouldnt budge

Caryll wrote:Thornit powder is good, but if it's a deep infection then it won't clear it up.

Have you tried talking to the vets & explaining the situation? Would they perhaps accept some money now, and the rest later?

Is there a PDSA, a Blue Cross or an RSPCA clinic near you that may be able to give you discounted treatment?

^^ This!

Infections really shouldn't be left to worsen, particularly ear infections. Even if you just phone your vets to ask for advice, that would be a step in the right direction!

If you haven't already, it's best that you stop cleaning her ear while it's infected.

no blue cross, no dogs trust and no pdsa near me, there is an rspca though so i can call them, any other month this wouldn't have bin a problem its just this month because my husband has just changed jobs so pay is a bit erratic

im not going to touch her ear again untill ive spoken to a vet i really am going to try and find a new vets near me they are just alll so expensive, mine had the cheepest consult fee at £30 something so i didnt want to move

what should i look for when trying to find a good vet ? xx

Yes definitely take her to the vets, untreated ear infections can leave permanent damage as happened with Daisy, she was a rescue and came to me with untreated ear infections  

My vet charges a consultation fee of £35, so that's about average.

As to what to look for - recommendations are a good place to start. Friendly reception staff are also a good indication of how the surgery is run. Let's face it, all the vets have similar qualifications, so it's down to the way they treat you that sets them apart.

I'm very lucky here. My vets are very good; friendly, experienced and willing to listen!

I take it you don't have any insurance for your dogs? Mind you, you'd still have to pay the first £70+.

yeah both my dogs are insured but its always bin a bit of an issue as they don't cover pre existing conditions so as some of her problems were there when we got them like her skin problems.....they wont cover it

ive found two vets in the local area that i am going to ring first thing and explain the situation to and see if they are willing to help us

Good luck! Hope you keep us updated about her

good news i rang a few vets the morning and found 1 that actually cares about animals and was willing to help work out payment with me so im taking her in first thing saturday morning :-) and hopefully we will be able to get her sorted out i shall update again once we have seen the vets with there "diagnosis"

Very pleased to hear you found an understanding vet near you, they are a God send.

I would offer to work a shift with the veterinary nurses there to pay off a debt if need be.

That's good news, its good having an understanding vet hopefully they'll sort the problem out

lexiepb wrote:good news i rang a few vets the morning and found 1 that actually cares about animals and was willing to help work out payment with me so im taking her in first thing saturday morning :-) and hopefully we will be able to get her sorted out :)i shall update again once we have seen the vets with there "diagnosis"

That's great! I'm glad you managed to find a vet willing to look past money and focus on the welfare of the animal.

i would happily do that i love animals, but im a stay at home mum with exclusively breast fed twins so i cant go any ware for more than a hour, hopefully the bill wont be much

My only concern is what treatment they will want to give her as i know how negative antibiotics are. dose any one know when it comes to yeast (as i presume its a yeast ear infection) what other types of treatment they could offer, also dose any one know what would be best to wash her with in general as even after we had fixed her feet she in general still had a mustyness to her even when she had bin washed xxx

Great news Lexie about your new vet, well done.

Please don't worry if anti-biotics are given, they are a God-send of the modern age and have saved many lives and alleviated many, many more sufferings.

Oh and congratulations on having twins - double trouble! And double joy, but they must be keeping you very busy!

thanks hun :-) it was a little while ago they were born but they keep me sooooo busy i dont get to sit down untill they nap lol

well ive bin getting advice from a kinda natural dog page type thing that im part of

ive bin washign with diluted white vinegar, rubbing and feeding coconut oil. i have ordered some tea trea dr broners to wash her with and my homeopath gave me recommendations for remedies which i have bin giving her and its looking a bit better it is a lot more grey in colour like her good ear so the red is going away i think the swelling is slowly coming down. i am still going to see the vets tomorrow but do want to avoid antis as they will just make any yeast infection worse. i more just want it checking so i know exactly what im dealing with the people ive bin getting advice from have bin in similar situations with there pooches so hoepfully all of ^^ will help, ive also bin advised to give her some pro biotic so need to hunt some of that down i reli want to fix whattever ti is that keeps flairing up with her i just think we need to be reli thorough and consistant and not get slack when things get bettter like we did last time with letting her start havign scraps again

Be careful with th T Tree as this could also cause a burning sensation on the ear, will you be using it diluted or neat ?

its tea tree Castile soap not essential oil so will be very mild, we use dr broners soaps head to toe for the whole family they are lovely and natural, ive bought a small bottle of the tea trea for washing her with to try and help her skin in general followed by a vinegar rinse

im scared off using actual tea tree oil after finding out it can be toxic to dogs xx

How often do you clean her ears with the vinegar?

ive bin cleaning them morning and night,


went to the vets today they wer lovely. bin given some ear cleaning stuff and some surolan. so im hoping this will help and once its a bit better i shall revert back to the more natural things. still using coconut oil in and out for her and still giving her the homeopathy too :-) hopefully she will be better soon

Unless your vet has recommended daily cleaning, I would limit the vinegar cleaning to once every couple of weeks if necessary. Too much cleaning can damage the delicate ear membranes and skin. In between cleans, you can use a cotton wool pad just to wipe the outer flaps of the ears.

Hi
We have had exactly thus with jess for 18 months. It cost a fortune in vet bills and I did not like all the repeated anti biotics and steroids she was prescribed. The vet suggested even cutting the tubes in her ears to widen them!!!!!
I tried to find an alternative solution and after months of research found it was likely to be a wheat allergy. She now has no biscuits at all. Treats are special wheat free dog buttons. Her diet is chicken (frozen strips from asda are great cooked) steak/beef, turkey, vegetables and rice. She also has doggie vitamins. After a few weeks there was a massive difference and she now is having her first flare up in six months! Prior to this she would drag her ears around the floor, scratch till they bled etc.. I also changed her bed for 100% cotton cover as opposed to the fleecy blanket type cover. (This is when she is not in mine!).
I'm not sure what food you are giving her but reconsider her diet. Not only is it cheaper that the vets bills but she is happier!
Good luck x

Thanks for sharing, glad Jess is doing well