Dog Ear Yeast Infection

by Kim

Reader Question: Dog Ear Year Infection

I have an eight year old Crocker Spaniel, Buddy, and for a couple years he had a yeast infection in his ears. At one point it got so bad that his skin dried out, lost a bunch of his fur and stuck to high heaven.

I have been to the vets, spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on tests and steroids, but they haven't fixed his problem. For this reason, I simply cannot afford to take him.

I started doing my own research and found that it was due to allegies and food products such as wheat. I have changed his diet, now he is eating Iams lamb and rice. I shampoo him with a medicated shampoo and have found a product from Dinovie, which has literally saved his life.

He is a much healthier and happy dog; however, he still has the yeast in his ears, and at times it flares up badly. It is yellow, runny and sticky.

Do you have any other suggestions or products that can help the yeast go away?

Thank You,

Kim

Vet Suggestions for Treating Dog Ear Yeast Infections

Hi Kim,

As you have unfortunately found out, ear problems in cockers are incredibly common and very frustrating to deal with.

The first strike against cockers is their ear anatomy. Those droopy ears are cute, but they trap moisture, bacteria, and yeast inside the ears. The next problem is a predisposition to allergies, which increases a dog’s risk for ear infections, and finally, with repeated infections, the ear’s internal anatomy can become deformed, making it even harder to treat the infection.

You really do need to involve a veterinarian in your dog’s care. These infections can get so bad that they travel through and rupture the ear drum leading to infections deep within the skull and sometimes even within the brain. Some types of ear cleaners and medications can cause deafness in dogs if the ear drum is ruptured so it is dangerous to treat a severe ear infection without veterinary guidance.

Also, your dog may very well need prescription medications to control inflammation, itching, and allergies or even surgery to prevent future infections. In the long run, it is often less expensive to definitively deal with a dog’s chronic health problems (you may want to see a specialist), rather than to continue to look (and pay) for cheap quick fixes that rarely work.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM