Thanks for the recipe. I've seen a few versions of this. Right now, I'm trying to stay away from alcohol, as his ears were so irritated, that I think the alcohol was painful for him. I think we have a temporary solution to the cat food thing, but I'm still working on a long term arrangement, probably involving building a big enough shelf for all three cats to fit. We have a baby gate, but I live with a husband and two teenagers, so the baby gate being in place is not something I can count on. Lucky has swiped several cat food meals this way. I cleared off a shelf to put the cat food up on, but only one cat at a time can fit comfortably up there to eat, so for now they get fed on the floor, and the food is picked up and put on the shelf when they are done. Since I feed them most of the time, I can count on it getting done. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> If someone else feeds, them, then I always have the option of nagging! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

The yeasty ears and paw licking/chewing is something I am going through with my 1.5 year old male czech gsd. I feel os bad for him. Shaking and scratching his ears alot. We have switched his fiet. I meal is 1 pound of raw ground chuck with 3 fish oil capsules, kelp, bone meal, vit e, vit c, andsometimes cod liver oil. The other meal is made by IVD and yes it is duck and potato kibble. This has helped somewhat. I bought a meat grinder and may switch out the IVD kibble for 1-1.5 pounds of ground up chicken wings. He also gets a probiotic pill once a day and a garlic capsule once a day. any helpful hints? we have been cleaning his ears with 50/50 mix of water and vinegar. he cant tolerate any fruit or starchy veggies.

Nate,
It may not be food allergies, but the only way to know for sure is to simplify the diet as much as possible and see if that makes a difference.

First things first, though, is to knock out the current infection. Use a gentle anti-yeast earwash and follow the instructions. It can be hard to tell if the dog is responding to the diet changes if you don't clear up the current infection. You can get such an earwash from your allopathic vet, or there are holsitic/naturopathic alternatives. Just a note on the vinegar/alcohol stuff: It's great for dogs who have healthy ears, and you just want something to clean them out every now and then. I haven't found anything that cleans better. But for dogs with inflamed and irritated ear canals, it stings like an SOB!!!! Next time you get a paper cut or a scratch of some sort, put some vinegar/alcohol solution on it and see how it feels. I suggest that you try something more gentle (alcohol free) with a special yeast-killing ingredient.

Use one protein source (preferably one that has not been a regular part of the dog's diet; if you feed chicken every day, then it can't be chicken) and raw leafy greens (run through food processor) ONLY for 6-10 weeks. No treats, no recreational bones. That means no supplements, either. If the ears clear up, then you know it was food. You can then add ingredients back into the diet, one at a time. It takes up to 14 days to see a reaction to a food, so only add one new ingredient each two weeks. When you see the reaction to the latest food, then you know that was the offending ingredient, and you cut it out of the diet. That's the theory behind the elimination diet.

Right now, all my dog gets is turkey and leafy greens such as spinach or romaine lettuce, for the next 6-10 weeks. I have cut out all supplements with the exception of his glucosamine/chondroitin, since he had major surgery last year due to a torn ACL. No more fish oil, no more alfalfa powder, no more kelp powder, etc, for now. I will add them back in one at a time after this 6-10 week period is up, and his ears have remained healthy. For training treats, I made turkey jerky by slicing up some turkey breast and baking it until it was all dried out. Then I cut it into small squares and placed it in a container in the fridge.

If it is not food, but something like mold, dust, or pollen, then managing the ears by using special ear wash, in addition to supplements to the diet such as fish oil, probiotics, and ester c would be the way to go, from what I understand. You can also have a scratch test done to see if it is anything commonly found in the environment.

My advice is my opinion only, and should not be a substitute for a qualified veterinary opinion.

Just me - I actually never used an ear wash on my old gal, the vet cleaned her ears twice - and that was it. I would follow vet advice and use supplements - like the one I posted earlier - and do elimination diet. This old doll has a folded over left ear, surgery scar from a hematoma and defaced tattoo, and I was told problem would be lifelong - and kinder to euth her, and she is awesome now - no sign of a problem, no itchy scratchies, raking at ear, or moaning and groaning in pain - I am thrilled at her recovery.

Just because I think she is so cute, and can't resist posting this feisty old blind 13 year old (guesstimate) angel, here is my old dolly, Grandma Winnie, with her left ear all bunged up: http://www.gsrt.net/Winnie11a.jpg

She has absolutely no probs with her ear now.

wow guys! 98 cents a pound OUCH

i get 30 lbs of turkey necks for $5.25, tureky wings same thing. I couldnt afford barf diet for 4 dogs @98cents a lb! I'm fortunate to have a turkey processing factory about 4 miles from home <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Bubba - mine go nuts for turkey - given the last jerk coming in my yard, with 4 GSDs - I have been tempted to blow up a photo of one of them with a turkey neck in their mouth and a sign saying this is what happened to the last intruder and stick it on my fence! LOL (those who have not seen a turkey neck, or even a chicken neck or beef tenderloin- trust me - it would be effective, BARFers - you can picture it) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Laureen - hee hee hee <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Hey Everyone,

While you are all on the topic of ears - How do you know if your dog has a yeast infection?

My GSD has had very itchy ears for the past year or so. I've taken her to the vet and then just gave me the mite drops and said to try it. I have used them a few times - it seems to help for a couple of days and then the itching returns. How can I tell what exactly she has?

What has actually worked the longest is having her retrieve things under the water at the ocean. The salt water seems to flush her ears out well...

Also - my dog goes absolutely NUTS when I try to put drops in her ears. It takes 2 people and a lot of thrashing to get them in there. Any suggestions??

Heather,
Your vet should take a swab to determine what the cause is. Once the cause is determined, it often takes 7-14 days of treatment to completely knock out whatever it is. Using the ear stuff for a couple of days will not clear it up.
Also, it's important to keep the ear canals dry. While salt water in the ears may provide some temprorary relief, the moisture in the ear canals will only contribute to whatever infection is present. It's not recommended that any water get inside the ear canal during treatment. After the infection is cleared up, it's important to dry the ear canals every time they get wet, by using a paper towel or napkin to wick away moisture.
If your dog is really making a fuss over getting the ears done, it may be because the earwash you are using stings or burns the tender, inflamed skin inside her ear canals. You might want to try something more gentle.
It's really really important to get rid of ear infections. What happens if the irritation continues for too long, is the ear canals harden, to the point of eventually closing off the ear canal so that the ear cannot drain. At that point, surgery is neccessary to open the ears back up.