# Ear infection



## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

I think Lilo has an ear infection...

We noticed she was a bit smelly when we brought her home last week, but nothing too bad. We thought that she might just need a bath... but after washing her it has become clear that the smell is coming from her ears only, one in particular. She has also been scratching that ear a lot and she sometimes squeals a little at the same time. So after consulting Dr.Google, I realised she must have an infection. I can see a bit of black inside her ear too.

So I also read that this can be treated naturally? I'm a little short on money this month so if I can treat this at home it would be great! I read that some use peroxide, some part vinegar part water, etc. 

What is the best way to treat this? Thanks and sorry if it's been asked before!


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## Alula (Feb 3, 2013)

I think it depends on what is causing the ear infection, it could a number of things, for example you would treat a fungal infection differently to ear mites, differently to a bacterial infection, differently to an infection arising from an allergy. 

Here is quite a good website with some homeopatheic ideas and explainations about different infections of the ear. As she is so young though it may not be a bad idea to get her seen by the Vet, has she been for her first check with your vet since you bought her home? I imagine he'll prescribe antibiotics, which shouldn't be too pricey, plus the price of your check up, I am not sure how much they are in the UK.

Everyone's at home starting point seems to be a wash of Apple cider vinegar and distilled water. Some recommend adding essential oils such a witch hazel or lavender, which is antibacterial and antifungal. The problem is with these is that some dogs can be extremely sensitive to essential oils so popping them straight into the ear canal isn't a recommended starting point! Especially in a pup so young, that is what is making me more reserved in this situation, you don't know how hardy she is yet and what her tolerances are like.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, there is tons of reading you can do to make an informed decision that you feel happy with, google How to treat a dog ear infection at home naturally or something similar. Just make sure you take a look at who the author is, there are a heck of a lot of people posting rubbish on the net  Maybe look into the distilled water and apple cider vinegar a bit more, it would be the most gentle. ACV is great to have on hand for the pup anyway if you don't have it, lots of amazing health benefits (PH Balance, help with allergies, cleans the digestive tract), Basil gets a little bit each day in his breakfast and is also washed down in it after his shampoo - makes his coat so soft, it works better than the conditioner we used to use!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Thanks a lot! I have some apple cider vinegar so I'll go and do some reading about all this! I haven't taken her to my vet for a check up yet (though she was checked up by the breeder's vet) so I know I will have to pretty soon... I guess I was hoping to delay the visit a bit, but we may have to go after all. 



Alula said:


> there are a heck of a lot of people posting rubbish on the net


Yeah, that's why I thought I should ask on here!


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## Alula (Feb 3, 2013)

In all honesty I can't see there being much harm in trying the ACV diluted with distilled water, I have no idea how potent it is or how quickly it will clear the infection up, if at all. That's the problem. I love natural remedies though.

I am just starting to use lavender and ACV on Basil as I think he has a mild fungal infection in his toes which is making him scratch, one you get reading about natural remedies and the values of these oils for dogs it just makes you want to try them all and read and read. I have read such a lot of conflicting information - always use ACV and oils diluted in water, always dilute in a carrier oil, Lavender oil can be used neat, Lavender oil is dangerous to dogs - Urgh! I am going with background checking the author as much as possible, going with the most cautionary advice and then scaling back even more to take into account that he is a little dog! lol 

I would get her to your vet relatively quickly thought. There are a lot of stories, especially on here, of babies being "vet checked" by the breeders vet and in reality not thoroughly checked or looked at all in some cases. It shouldn't cost very much at all, a check up should be about £25 plus any meds. I have forgotten how old Lilo is, is she vaccinated etc?


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## BellsMommy22 (Dec 23, 2012)

Boo had an ear infection when I first got her. We noticed her ears were dirty and tried to solve the problem with cleaning. But it kept getting worse, so we brought her into the vet and they gave us ear drops that cleared it right up. I think simple ear cleaning will work if the problem hasnt progressed to far, but if it has she may need something stronger.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Alula said:


> In all honesty I can't see there being much harm in trying the ACV diluted with distilled water, I have no idea how potent it is or how quickly it will clear the infection up, if at all. That's the problem. I love natural remedies though.
> 
> I am just starting to use lavender and ACV on Basil as I think he has a mild fungal infection in his toes which is making him scratch, one you get reading about natural remedies and the values of these oils for dogs it just makes you want to try them all and read and read. I have read such a lot of conflicting information - always use ACV and oils diluted in water, always dilute in a carrier oil, Lavender oil can be used neat, Lavender oil is dangerous to dogs - Urgh! I am going with background checking the author as much as possible, going with the most cautionary advice and then scaling back even more to take into account that he is a little dog! lol
> 
> I would get her to your vet relatively quickly thought. There are a lot of stories, especially on here, of babies being "vet checked" by the breeders vet and in reality not thoroughly checked or looked at all in some cases. It shouldn't cost very much at all, a check up should be about £25 plus any meds. I have forgotten how old Lilo is, is she vaccinated etc?


Lilo is 14 weeks old (nearly 15). She has had all her vaccinations (including rabies), has been microchipped and has a passport too. The breeder was planning to keep her to use as a show dog (like her mum) so she had everything done, but she decided to wait for black and tan puppy instead. I think you're right though, taking her to the vet is a good idea (you can never fully trust these people). My vet actually charges £40 per visit, but I'm trying to find a better one anyway as I've had bad experiences with them. She's a bit judgmental of chihuahuas to begin with! 

Yeah I'm interested in natural remedies too and use essential oils. I had never looked into it for dogs for some reason so it's all new to me! I'll have to do some research.  I might give the apple cider vinegar/water a try and will most likely hunt for a new vet too.


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

Ike had a bacterial infection, when I brought him home, had to go to vet.


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## lilbabyvenus (Feb 8, 2009)

I have no advice about an actual infection. Our first vet trip when we first got Venus, the vet told us she had an ear infection. There was no smell, no debris, no anything. She never exibited any symptoms. But the vet told us she had an ear infection and needed her ears cleaned thoroughly three times a day for 2 weeks. She also prescribed us drops. We were new pet parents, so we believed her. She sold us the most expensive ear cleaner she had, and I later found out that the "prescription" she sold us was a plain saline solution used basically as a placebo. Venus never had an actual infection  I would try the apple cider vinegar, I know it's good at fighting germs. I use both acv and plain white vinegar as my main cleaners around the house. I would also recommend grapefruit seed extract. I use that stuff for everything. It's safe to drink in water to help boost your immunity, and I even used it to kill germs when I washed Gabe's cloth diapers (in many cases, it's more effective at disinfecting than bleach). I add it to the dogs drinking water as well.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Sorry, but I wouldn't put ANYTHING in this pups ear. If it is raw at the base of the ear (which you can't see) putting vinegar down there would burn like mad. I would bring her to the vet and maybe pay 1/2 and see if you can pay the rest on your next pay check? There are ear washes that are ment for that, and maybe I'd try a ear wash brand?


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## WinniesMum (Jan 20, 2013)

Can you not pay in instalments with the vet? 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

lilbabyvenus said:


> I have no advice about an actual infection. Our first vet trip when we first got Venus, the vet told us she had an ear infection. There was no smell, no debris, no anything. She never exibited any symptoms. But the vet told us she had an ear infection and needed her ears cleaned thoroughly three times a day for 2 weeks. She also prescribed us drops. We were new pet parents, so we believed her. She sold us the most expensive ear cleaner she had, and I later found out that the "prescription" she sold us was a plain saline solution used basically as a placebo. Venus never had an actual infection  I would try the apple cider vinegar, I know it's good at fighting germs. I use both acv and plain white vinegar as my main cleaners around the house. I would also recommend grapefruit seed extract. I use that stuff for everything. It's safe to drink in water to help boost your immunity, and I even used it to kill germs when I washed Gabe's cloth diapers (in many cases, it's more effective at disinfecting than bleach). I add it to the dogs drinking water as well.


I can't believe your vet did that! How rude. The vet I used to go to were money grabbers too... It's annoying when you can't even trust your vet to do what's best for you and your pet. There are some good ones out there though, just have to find one. 

I tried the apple cider vinegar and I'm seeing improvement. Her infection doesn't seem too bad because she doesn't mind me touching her ears/there's no sign of pain. I used small cotton pads that I soaked in diluted vinegar and cleaned her ears (rather than pouring some vinegar in there like some websites said to do!). She actually didn't seem to mind at all. The smell is mostly gone now and she scratches a lot less. She didn't scratch them since I cleaned them yesterday. 

I wonder if it has anything to do with the kibble the breeder was feeding her (Royal Canin)? I've not heard good things about it and read online that many dogs on it tend to get ear infections.  I took her off it a few days ago because she seemed very itchy overall (especially after eating) and didn't have enough energy. I was never planning to keep her eating that anyway as I want to feed her raw... but I already noticed a big change. She's so hyper now that she's eating meat.


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## Alula (Feb 3, 2013)

coco_little_bear said:


> I tried the apple cider vinegar and I'm seeing improvement. Her infection doesn't seem too bad because she doesn't mind me touching her ears/there's no sign of pain. I used small cotton pads that I soaked in diluted vinegar and cleaned her ears (rather than pouring some vinegar in there like some websites said to do!). She actually didn't seem to mind at all. The smell is mostly gone now and she scratches a lot less. She didn't scratch them since I cleaned them yesterday.
> 
> I wonder if it has anything to do with the kibble the breeder was feeding her (Royal Canin)? I've not heard good things about it and read online that many dogs on it tend to get ear infections.  I took her off it a few days ago because she seemed very itchy overall (especially after eating) and didn't have enough energy. I was never planning to keep her eating that anyway as I want to feed her raw... but I already noticed a big change. She's so hyper now that she's eating meat.


That's good news  It quite possibly could be that she is allergic to something in the kibble, the obvious thing would be Grains, itchy ears can sometimes be a sign of an allergy, does she lick or bite her paws too? Thats another classic allergy symptom.

It's never too early to switch to raw, if your planning on doing it, keep her on it from now. Did you feed Coco raw? She'll need to be chicken only for a couple of weeks so it's nice and easy right now, gives you a couple of week to prepare for the full raw experience! lol


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Alula said:


> That's good news  It quite possibly could be that she is allergic to something in the kibble, the obvious thing would be Grains, itchy ears can sometimes be a sign of an allergy, does she lick or bite her paws too? Thats another classic allergy symptom.
> 
> It's never too early to switch to raw, if your planning on doing it, keep her on it from now. Did you feed Coco raw? She'll need to be chicken only for a couple of weeks so it's nice and easy right now, gives you a couple of week to prepare for the full raw experience! lol


She did bite her paws for the first few days. She calmed down with that too! She ate a bit of rice the other day and started scratching a lot after so it does seem like grains are a big no for her!

Yeah I had been feeding Coco raw for a few months and was so pleased with the result. She was in such good health. I wish I had started her on raw right from the start! I'm planning to start with Lilo today. I'm going to have to re-read the raw feeding threads on this forum though. hehe Coco was already fully grown when I started so I'm not sure what needs to be done differently for young puppies (if anything?)!


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## Alula (Feb 3, 2013)

coco_little_bear said:


> hehe Coco was already fully grown when I started so I'm not sure what needs to be done differently for young puppies (if anything?)!


It'll all come back don't you worry. We started basil at 10 weeks I think, It's pretty much the same, the hardest part I have found with a pup is finding the right amount to feed. Some say up to 10% of their current weigh, some say 2-3% of their predicted adult weight. How much does she weigh right now and how many weeks is she? I recently upped Basils food again, some pups just burn through it more effectively than others and he was looking a little ribby. 

The rest of the principles are the same, start with chicken for 2 weeks or until her stools are consistent, she'll probably need to be a little bone heavy to start with, Chicken wing tips are an ideal bone source. If her stools are a little loose, give her a wing tip with her next meal, if they are chalky then cut back on the bone. After 2 weeks you can slowly add another protein in one bite at a time and you need to start introducing a little bit of organ in too at that time. That's the basic plan for the first 3 weeks or so  Eventually you'll cut back on the bone and end up with the standard raw balance.

Brody's Mom's threads and recommended links are the best as you'll know and there are plenty of people who have been raw feeding for a long time on here to help you out. 

I find it really convenient to feed raw. I spend an hour or two portioning it all out in zip lock bags, 1 ziplock has 1 days food in it, throw it all in the freezer and that's me done for the month. We never have a whole roast chicken any more, I always remove the legs, wings and back and roast only the crown of the breast now - the pooch gets the rest lol!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Alula said:


> the hardest part I have found with a pup is finding the right amount to feed. Some say up to 10% of their current weigh, some say 2-3% of their predicted adult weight. How much does she weigh right now and how many weeks is she? I recently upped Basils food again, some pups just burn through it more effectively than others and he was looking a little ribby.


Thanks! That was one of my main concerns. I fed Coco 3% (sometimes more as she was quite active) and she was at a perfect weight, but for a puppy there are no real guidelines from what I've seen. You just have to experiment with different amounts and I have no idea how much to give Lilo. lol She's nearly 15 weeks and weighs 1.1kg. I don't think the breeder exercised her much so she's not overweight, but I can't really feel her ribs the way I could with Coco. 



> she'll probably need to be a little bone heavy to start with, Chicken wing tips are an ideal bone source.


Oh that's another thing I was concerned about. Which bones (or part of bones) are appropriate at that age. Good I bought some chicken wings today. 



> Brody's Mom's threads and recommended links are the best as you'll know and there are plenty of people who have been raw feeding for a long time on here to help you out.


Yeah I started feeding Coco raw based on her very helpful threads. 



> I find it really convenient to feed raw. I spend an hour or two portioning it all out in zip lock bags, 1 ziplock has 1 days food in it, throw it all in the freezer and that's me done for the month. We never have a whole roast chicken any more, I always remove the legs, wings and back and roast only the crown of the breast now - the pooch gets the rest lol!


Oh that's what I used to do with Coco. In fact my freezer is still full of prepared raw meals that I just couldn't bring myself to throw away when she died... They will come in handy now.


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