# Shaking head but no ear infection??



## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

what else could it be?? 

Charlie has done the head shaking thing since I brought him home in April. He also was scratching himself silly and biting at his feet and lower legs and recently I took him to the vet about all this (last week). She diagnosed him with a staph infection on his belly and groin. I asked her about the head shaking thing, she looked in his ears and said they were perfectly clean and she saw no signs of infection. She gave him a steroid shot and 2 weeks of antibiotics for the staph. The infection on his belly IS getting better, but he still scratches occasionally, and CONTINUES to shake his head. I don't get it, and it is starting to worry me. 

I've had him on a grain free fish based food (Acana Pacifica) for over 2 weeks now, and he continues to scratch and shake his head. I have been a little lax in the treat department, and have been giving him some Old Mother Hubbard treats. The ingredients are: Whole Wheat Flour, Oatmeal, Wheat Bran, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Chicken, Turmeric, Charcoal, Molasses, Paprika, Paprika Extracts, White Cheddar Cheese, Eggs, Apples, Carrots, Garlic, Sea Salt. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, but I DID stop giving him these treats yesterday, and got him some Natural Balance LIT - sweet potato and fish treats. They have no grains, no chicken, eggs, etc. 

Oh how I wish I could afford allergy testing!! 

Any thoughts? 
Thank you!!!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Did the vet check his teeth? A cracked or painful tooth can cause head shaking.


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Hmmm.... she looked at his teeth and gums, but didn't really examine them thoroughly. She just said 'he's got nice pretty teeth!" LOL 

Is there a way I could check at home to see if he has a painful tooth before I take him to the vet again?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Do his ears smell? Including the fur going down his neck <- Like feet or popcorn, it could be he has an ear infection but it is draining. 

Is the skin inside redder than normal? <- That could indicate skin allergies or ear infection

Does he have a lot of thick fur going into the ear canal? Sometimes that can make them a little itchy.

It could be a referred itch (I hope this makes sense). Going off the fact he was chewing at his feet and legs even though the belly and groin area had the infection, it could be he feels itchy all over.

If he seems to be itchy all over from the infection, you could maybe ask the vet about benedryll or something to calm him down a little. Definitely, You want to stop the head shaking before he damages any blood vessels in the ears.


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Megora said:


> Do his ears smell? Including the fur going down his neck <- Like feet or popcorn, it could be he has an ear infection but it is draining.
> 
> Is the skin inside redder than normal? <- That could indicate skin allergies or ear infection
> 
> ...


His ears don't really smell funny to me, but I don't really know how they're supposed to smell! ... but they ARE pink on the inside and always feel warm to the touch on the inside. Doesn't seem to have any thick fur growing into the canal. I don't want him to damage anything!!!  I think I'm going to call his vet.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

firedancer722 said:


> His ears don't really smell funny to me, but I don't really know how they're supposed to smell! ... but they ARE pink on the inside and always feel warm to the touch on the inside. Doesn't seem to have any thick fur growing into the canal. I don't want him to damage anything!!!  I think I'm going to call his vet.


Good luck<:

Maybe have them do an ear swab + lab test. <- my vets know goldens are prone and automatically do them, even if the ears look clean.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

How often do you clean his ears? Ranger's been prone to ear infections ( I had him on Acana light and fit and turns out he does poorly with grains...) so now I'm cleaning his ears with epi-optic (sp?) once a week. I'm supposed to do that for a few months and then start weaning him off to once every two weeks and eventually once a month. 

If I'm a little late cleaning his ears (like last week I did it on Sunday, not Wednesday), his ears start to get a darker pink and warm. Not infected, but not normal. I've just changed up his food so hopefully his ears start getting better.

Good luck with Charlie - I love reading your posts about him - you seem SO happy!


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## 2Retrievers222 (Sep 5, 2007)

Try cleaning them with half dark Listerine and half vinegar and half water.


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Ranger said:


> How often do you clean his ears? Ranger's been prone to ear infections ( I had him on Acana light and fit and turns out he does poorly with grains...) so now I'm cleaning his ears with epi-optic (sp?) once a week. I'm supposed to do that for a few months and then start weaning him off to once every two weeks and eventually once a month.
> 
> If I'm a little late cleaning his ears (like last week I did it on Sunday, not Wednesday), his ears start to get a darker pink and warm. Not infected, but not normal. I've just changed up his food so hopefully his ears start getting better.
> 
> Good luck with Charlie - I love reading your posts about him - you seem SO happy!


Awww, you're sweet. Charlie has a way of making me feel VERY happy.  

At the risk of getting 'slapped on the wrist', I will be honest and admit that I have never cleaned his ears other than at bathtime (which is about every 3-4 weeks). I just didn't realize I was supposed to. :uhoh:

I think I will try cleaning them with one of the solutions suggested here and see if that helps at all. I am worried now that he will shake a brain wire loose or something! LOL


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

firedancer722 - don't feel bad! I didn't realize I'd have to clean Ranger's ears either. We never cleaned our border collie's ears and I don't remember my childhood golden every getting them done either unless he was at the vet's or groomer's! Man did I feel terrible the first time Ranger got an ear infection and the vet asked me what I was cleaning them with and how often. I had the "deer in the headlights" look as I sheepishly replied, "never...". Oops!

I have a blog about cleaning Ranger's ears so I can keep track of when I clean and how they look. Also of when I do his nails, etc...otherwise I find I forget constantly and then his ears get a little red/inflamed. He's the opposite of your Charlie though. He NEVER shakes his head. Not even when he had his first horrendous ear infection that stank so badly I was wondering what the heck that smell was and where it was coming from! I lifted up his ear and it was matted with black stuff, brown gunk and dried blood! In a panic, I tried to clean it and he went berserk with the head shaking and then trying to scratch his ear. He'd scratch it and then whimper cause it hurt so badly. One emergency trip to the vet later, and I learned my lesson!


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

I am going to get some ear cleaning solution (the epi-otic) and see if I can clean out Charlie's ears really well. I envision there being a huge hunk of wax or something inside that the vet didn't budge. When the vet cleaned them, she just took a disposable wipe type thing and rubbed inside pretty good. Looked like it got some brownish dirt out but she said they weren't infected. I would like to get after the ears with a Q-tip but I'm a little hesitant as I don't want to make things worse!! I just know a good cleansing with a warm Q-tip does wonders for my ears. I don't care what the medical professionals say, nothing feels better than freshly Q-tipped and de-waxed ears! LOL :

Thanks all!
Candace


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

Hi Candace,
I can say from experience that head shaking does not always equal ear infection. If there is no funky smell coming from the ear (you would know - it is a sweet, sickly smell) coupled with the fact that the vet also checked the ears and gave the all clear then I would think it not an ear infection. It is likely a symptom of whatever is causing all the itching and secondary infections. Which does sound like an allergy - but NOT necessarily a food allergy. If I were you at the moment I would stick with one food - and a fish based, grain free diet is often a good choice where suspected allergies are concerned (or any other novel protien source that Charlie has not been exposed to) and use that kibble exclusively for at least 6 weeks (using that food as treats as well). But to be honest, it is likely some kind of a contact or inhaled allergy that is causing the issues as food-borne allergies usually only account for about 10-20% of allergic conditions in dogs. 
Inhaled allergies can be harder to manage, especially when you do not know the source. Allergy testing is of course an option, but I know you mentioned it is not within your means at the moment. You may then be stuck with managing the allergies as best you can - and that often means special baths, wiping down paws after each walk, steroids/prednisone to control the itching and the like. 

Every year around late August, my Katie begins shaking her head and knawing at her front paws. The head shaking is the first sign and it is a sign of her obvious discomfort. We highly suspect seasonal allergies which we try to suppress with allergy medications like benadryl (sometimes we need to use temaril-p pills - which have prednisone) and we amp up on fish oils. I have read a lot of people on the board do allergy shots as well with great success.

It is a very frustrating process. I hope you can get to the bottom of what is going on with Charlie as I know how awful it is to watch them suffering with skin conditions and head shaking etc.

I wish you all the best.
---

Kim


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Thanks so much for your input, Kim. The more I think about it and read what a lot of people are saying, I DO think Charlie probably has some sort of environmental allergies. His ears are clean as a whistle and do not smell strange at all, so I definitely do not believe he has an infection. When I give him benadryl, he DOES seem to have less itching and less head shaking so that gives me hope that I can at least manage his symptoms until I can afford the allergy testing. Yesterday, I also started wiping his entire body down with a damp towel to try and wipe off any allergen he might have picked up while outside. He actually kind of liked it.. I guess because it helped him cool down too. I will do practically ANYTHING to help my baby feel better until I can afford to find out what it is he's so allergic to. I hope it's not my cats!!


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Our Logan suffers from seasonal allergies. Chewing the feet, red ears, watery eyes. One thing I found out helped was to add the Digestive Enhancer from Nature's Farmacy to their food. After years of him going through these symptoms, I can honestly say they have decreased dramatically. I always kind of poo-pooed the idea this sort of thing would help. I am a believer now. I know many other GRF use the exact same product. It certainly does not hurt them to take it, and you might find some positive results. Good luck.


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