My father has a German shepherd and it has an ear infection that won't go away. It has been on antibiotics for over a year and my dad is always cleaning out the ear. The vets are stumped as to why this continues. The infection does goes away and comes back quickly after getting off the antibiotics. My father has been told that surgery is recommended to get rid of it once and for all but the drawback is that she may lose her hearing so that is not an option.

I remember reading somewhere that diet may play a part of this. Something about having too much corn and starch may contribute to the problem. I also read that yogurt is good and so is apple cider vinegar. If this is worth trying, how much do I give of either one.

 Quote: Denise Hau

My father has a German shepherd and it has an ear infection that won't go away. It has been on antibiotics for over a year and my dad is always cleaning out the ear. The vets are stumped as to why this continues. The infection does goes away and comes back quickly after getting off the antibiotics. My father has been told that surgery is recommended to get rid of it once and for all but the drawback is that she may lose her hearing so that is not an option.

I remember reading somewhere that diet may play a part of this. Something about having too much corn and starch may contribute to the problem. I also read that yogurt is good and so is apple cider vinegar. If this is worth trying, how much do I give of either one.

1. Yeast or bacterial infections, or a combo?
2. What antibiotic?
3. Do you mean a year of CONSTANT antibiotic meds? Or a year of repeated regimens?
4. What food is the dog eating?
5. Does the dog also have atopy (skin itches)?
6. What kind of surgery?

If you will answer these questions, I can tell you what I know about repeated ear infections.

In the meantime, no matter what the underlying cause (usually allergies), the dog will be better off by a LONG shot with zero grains in the diet. This means preferably fresh raw food, but at least a no-grain commercial food. No grains in treats, either, since this might have a yeast component.

Grains for this purpose include corn, wheat, millet, barley, rice, brewers rice, soy, brewers yeast, and anything else that you cannot immediately identify as plain meat or greens.

Just spoke to my dad about the questions you asked.

1. Both
2. Smztmp 480mg 2x day
Ketoconazole 200mg 2x day
3. Never goes away
4. Nutro Lamb & Rice Small Bits
5. Itches all over

A vet recommended removing the whole inner ear. The drawback is that she would be deaf and could lose facial control. Currently the dog's mouth is lopsided.

My father did feed boneless chicken thighs to the dog and her behavior changed. She kept rubbing her muzzel on the couch cushions. When they discontinued the chicken, the behavior stopped also. They think she is allergic to chicken.

They mentioned other things happened when all this started: playing in a nearby creek, playing in the lake on the property, drinking out of the toilet, or possibly after going to the groomers.

Have you gotten a second opinion?

Did the atopy start before the ear infections?

What is the lopsided mouth from?

Does the dog already have thickening of the ear canal from repeated infection?

I called my father again and they couldn't answer the questions asked. I thought my father took the dog somewhere for a 2nd opinion and was getting nowhere. That didn't happen. He did say that the vet didn't take any interior ear samples to check under the 'scope to see what was going on. My brother and wife did (they are med techs) and told him what medications to cure whatever they found. My father got the medication from his vet which was prescribed by my brother and the stuff didn't work.

They did talk to their breeder yesterday and got the name of another vet who is supposed to be really good for a 2nd opinion.
I thought it was strange that the vet would dispense medication that non-veterinarians suggested. Are human meds safe for dogs?

Many meds are used for humans and dogs.

But the whole story, based on what you post, makes me say that a second opinion is vital.

Here's why:

This is probably an allergy AND yeast overgrowth issue.

I don't see where the vet is saying to stop feeding ingredients that yeast feeds on. I don't see where the vet is using the most universally acknowledged med for bacterial ear infections. I don't understand why the vet would not go to all possible less invasive lengths before advising something as radical as removing the inner ear. I'd be doing a strict elimination diet along with skin (scratch) tests to identify all the allergens, both food and environmental. Ear infections are secondary to something -- usually allergies.

But I am not a vet. I HAVE had a lot of ear infection experience with adopted dogs, and I have done a couple hundred class hours on canine nutrition and allergies, though, and I know that I would RUN to a second opinion.

One thing that will be beneficial in fighting inflammation (both skin and ear) is fish oil. Omega 3 EFAs from marine sources are hugely beneficial to dogs suffering from inflammation.
http://www.leerburg.com/47.htm

I would work up to at least a gram of fish oil per ten pounds of dog weight. (This works out to about 1.5 teaspoons for a 70-pound dog.)

And I would eliminate all grains immediately. Today. There are grain-free commercial foods, even if your father isn't ready to feed fresh raw food.

Wellness, for example, now has three canned recipes with no grain, containing 95% meat.

QUOTE: The infection does goes away and comes back quickly after getting off the antibiotics. The vets are stumped as to why.......END

The "why" of ear infections secondary to allergies is simple.

The scratching and the lowering of resistance of allergies breaks the natural defense, both directly (scratching at the ear and skin) and by overloading the immune system. Ditto (basically) with yeast overgrowth. Both conditions offer a nice moist dark perfect venue for settling in and colonizing --- for both yeast and bacteria.

Treating the infections is vital, but the real work is managing the allergies. This can be done, but I see no vet attempt to do so in the posts.

I don't know the whole story with the dog and I am really stumped as to why my father didn't pursue this problem with another vet ASAP months ago. If it was my dog, I'd be back with that vet or another one in a New York minute if the problem didn't go away within a reasonable amount of time.

Thank you for the information. I would have associated ear infections only with moisture getting into the ear one way or the other and not the diet. Is this something new? I mean should vets know to inquire about the diet? Most common folks, like me, wouldn't because we have been taught that kibble is good for your dog.

 Quote: Denise Hau

I don't know the whole story with the dog and I am really stumped as to why my father didn't pursue this problem with another vet ASAP months ago. If it was my dog, I'd be back with that vet or another one in a New York minute if the problem didn't go away within a reasonable amount of time.

Thank you for the information. I would have associated ear infections only with moisture getting into the ear one way or the other and not the diet. Is this something new? I mean should vets know to inquire about the diet? Most common folks, like me, wouldn't because we have been taught that kibble is good for your dog.

This is SO not new and I would be SO unhappy if my vet failed to discuss the obvious connection. This dog has both atopy (skin itch) AND ear infections. This is classic allergies.

QUOTE: Further testing may be in order to determine why the infection continues to recur. Allergy is the most common reason for recurrent ear problems. END from
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ear_infections.html

and

QUOTE: Causes of ear disease

Dogs can have ear problems for many different reasons. When we see a dog with ear disease we need to think about the possibility of:

* Allergies such as atopy or food allergies
* Parasites - ear mites
* Microorganisms - bacteria and yeast
* Foreign bodies, e.g., plant awns
* Trauma
* Hormonal abnormalities, e.g., hypothyroidism
* The ear environment, e.g., excess moisture and ear anatomy
* Hereditary or immune conditions, and tumors
END from
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1591&articleid=273

and

QUOTE: For ears it is important to figure out whether there is an underlying cause leading to the recurrent infections. This is usually the case. Allergies are the most common underlying cause. END from
http://www.vetinfo.com/dogear.html#Ear%20infections%20and%20fearful%20pre%20vet%20visit

These are written by vets. Google ear infections in dogs and this is what you will see in every single return.

The vet MUST have some other diagnosis to have not brought up allergies, because it's the number one suspect.

There has to be more to the story. It's not believable that any vet just didn't consider allergies.... something must have led to a different diagnosis. I would find out what, immediately.

The poor dog. Ear infections and skin atopy are miserable.

JMO.

Please note that I didn't say there was necessarily a food allergy.

What I was saying is that with yeast, number one is to eliminate the grains (sugars) that yeast feeds on.

But he may have environmental/inhalant allergies and/or food allergies. The thing is, I don't see that the vet is doing an elimination diet (for food allergies) and antihistamines, etc., plus possibly scratch tests for inhalant/environmental allergies.

Second opinion - man, I'd be calling a different vet first thing tomorrow morning unless there is much more to the story that your father hasn't said.