Quote: Jenni Williams

Honestly, rather than all this trial and error, why don't you just go for an evaluation w/Dr.Becker?

I agree. If the vet actually diagnosed food allergy from nothing more than looking in the ears, and if that vet knows about the hypothyroidism and did not mention or test for yeast, then something is amiss. JMO.

I would want more information.

vet said to do ear wash and clean out very well,now putting in drops of pcm ear medicine for 5 days.
i think his paws smell doggy,not a clean smell,i just woke him up taking a wiff of his arm pits lol,they dont stink
the orijen is fish based no grain or poultry,but i have mixed in different protein with that so he has eaten many types of protein
the debris in ears has been on/off forever he is a 18 months old.a lab

it takes a while to get into dr.becker,i will gather records and make appt.we are leaving for florida feb 22 so it will have to be when we get back
tell me about yeast,i dont know why they get yeast,will a probiotic supplement help?

his ears dont stink,they just get brown sticky gunk in them

I would call the vet tomorrow and ask if he had considered yeast, especially in view of the hypothyroidism. (You did mean hypo, right? Not hyper?)

Then I would ask if he had considered a non-food allergy.

If the ear problem has been forever, though, I don't understand the diagnosis of a poultry allergy. The dog had the same symptoms on non-poultry food, I gather from the Orjen post .... ?

the kibble is fish but he always gets many proteins along with that ,cans of venison,turkey,rabbit,everything,now backs necks,chicken,and turkey.if it is yeast what do they do for that?how is it cured?

yes hypothyroid,was sleeping all the time,not eating,loss of hair,neck and back of legs,looked up skin disorders in library he fit alot of symtoms,got bloodwork, test positive ,next day started meds .took about 4-6 weeks to really start feeling/looking better,now has a full coat,shiney

 Quote: sue lessner

yes hypothyroid,was sleeping all the time,not eating,loss of hair,neck and back of legs,looked up skin disorders in library he fit alot of symtoms,got bloodwork, test positive ,next day started meds .took about 4-6 weeks to really start feeling/looking better,now has a full coat,shiney

Yes, I had a dog with hypothyroidism a few years back. Synthroid did wonders with her. She did have a problem with yeast, but we managed it pretty well with no grains, topical stuff, shampoos like Malaseb (left on while she stood in the tub for a while), and, initially, oral meds (Nizoral).

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_yeast_infection_of_the_skin.html
http://healthierdogs.com/dog_health/causes-and-treatment-of-yeast-infections-in-dogs/

The big thing was getting it under control initially, and then managing the conditions that would trigger it. I kept her dry and clean, kept moisture out of her ears, kept her immune system as healthy as possible with fresh raw foods (no grains, of course, especially with yeast), and testing for allergies. She did have environmental allergies, and I did the whole desensitizing injections route (after the testing).

But allergies do not necessarily underlie yeast infections; sometimes re-checking the thyroid and tweaking the meds helps.

If there is an allergy contributing (and that's common, I'm afraid), then that has to be addressed.

But again, step number one is to find out whether there is a yeast problem.

Or maybe the vet did suspect yeast and give you combo yeast-bacteria ear drops ....

Probiotics will often help with a yeast overgrowth.
Acidifying the system (feeding apple cider vinegar, preferable with the mother in it, Bragg's is my favorite brand) will help control yeast.
Limiting sugar producing foods also will help control yeast. Grains and high sugar fruits are common culprits.
Any food that already has mold on it (moldy cereal grains are common) can contribute to yeast.
If you have only had the hypothyroid condition under control for about 4-5 months he may still be having some issues because of it that aren't completely resolved, such as the yeast. It may just take a bit longer to get his system back to normal. Maybe his meds need some tweaking. Have you had his thyroid rechecked lately?

i had the complete blood work done sat,will get results monday,he did have a spot near his wiskers and i thought it was a sore from dog playing- small bite possibly,well that got a little larger and i asked him about demodetic mange,he scraped it and said it was but doesnt think it should be treated ,said he has a strong immune system,i am not too worried about that too much.jake doesnt eat grains or sweets,bananas frozen in summer,but summers long gone.i have bragg apple cider vinegar,i could sneak it in food if he would eat!if it is yeast it really doesnt seem to be out of control ,there is no stinkyness,i dont know what the drops are he gave it just says says pcm maybe a steriod???once i had him look in ears ,they wear a little red but not with black stuff,he gave me a topical not the drops,cleared it up,with the mange,that is caused by a immune upset,i am doing everything i can to get him healthy..thanks!!!!