# Ear Infection?



## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

A normal healthy ear has a very slgiht smell...but it is not really offensive...
An ear infection can smell nasty especailly if it is well established..

Is there any dark brown goo in his ear canal?
Is his ear canal red?
If so, yep, an ear infection is likely...and time to see the vet...


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

BTW, Penny always had problems with gunky, stinky ears and many infections. I started usingthe Vet Solutions cleaner after every bath ( once a week) and she's had no problem since ( probably close to 2 years). I just squirt it in and rub at the base of the ear, then they shake. It cleans, dries, and deodorizes. Now it's just SOP with all the dogs.


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## Prov31 (Aug 16, 2006)

Hi Rachelle, I would be suspicious about an ear infection. Especially since one ear smells different from the the other. It's not uncommon. I keep our dogs' ear hair trimmed around the inside of the ear, so that air can circulate better. We lost our cocker spaniel girl 2 years ago and haven't had a single ear infection here since then. She had chronic ear problems. I'm pretty sure that we paid for the addition to our vet's house! I do clean our dogs' ears weekly with a good ear cleaner and make sure the ears are dry after a bath, etc. I know that food allergies are linked to ear infections, so if it becomes a long term problem, check the food ingredients and maybe make a switch. It is probably just a random thing though. I would have the vet check his ears, as an infection can get nasty very quickly. I saw your recent pictures of your boy and he is really adorable!


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## Rachelle78 (Feb 1, 2008)

Thank you everyone for your advice! We're going to keep an eye on him and if it doesn't improve, he's going right to the vet. There's nothing oozing out of his ear, but it still worries me.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

We've had a fair share of ear infections with dogs (and tons with human kids). Never had oozing out of the ear canal unless the eardrum was ruptured. And if that is the case, NEVER put anything in the ear. I would get the vet to look at it....... if it is an infection, it will clear quickly with the right meds.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Good feedback- I agree with the idea of going to the vet. Even the sweetest dog can get grouchy over a painful ear.


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

My Kady constantly battles ear infections - I've found that she really needs to keep the fur under her ears trimmed way back and I also use a moisture inhibitor once a day.


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## Aprilpa (Mar 24, 2008)

A dog's ear should smell like the dog. If it has any type of odor other than that, there is usually an infection setting in. Look at and smell both ears, they should be the same. If one looks dirty, red, inflamed or smells different, it is probably infected, even if you don't see obvious discharge.


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

I would suggest you don't wait to take action. Use a baby wipe, put it around your pinky finger and insert into the ear canal. After "wiping" the inside of the ear do you see anything on the baby wipe? Any debris at all? If yes, esp. if it's really dirty, then you need to take action. You don't want an ear infection to get out of control... it CAN travel to the brain. 

I use either the vet ear solution or (what i've found works great) is called the "Purple Power Ear Solution"

Purple Power Hotspot Remedy & Ear Cleaner 
1 pint of 90 - 100% isopropyl alcohol 
4 tablespoons of boric acid powder 
16 drops of 1% gentian violet - You can find this at the drugstore. If you can't find it your pharmacist can order it or you can leave this ingredient out.You can get empty squirt bottles for the solution at the drug store. Note: the Gentian Violet does stain fabrics.

You will need to shake solution every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder. This also works well to dry out hot spots. You can cut the gentian violet in half if you are worried about staining the fur on a show dog. Keep solution in a tightly capped squeeze bottle. 

TREATMENT: 

Evaluate condition of ears before treating. 

Flush the ear with solution (gently with squirt bottle). You will need to shake solution every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder. 
Massage gently to the count of 60, wipe with a tissue. 
You may repeat this a 2nd time if needed. 
If very inflamed and sore just flush and then wait until inflammation has subsided before wiping the ear, which will be about two days. 
If the dog will allow, gently swab out the ear with a Kleenex, cotton make-up pad or sterile pad. 
The dog will shake out the excess, which can be wiped with a tissue. 

The SCHEDULE of treatment is as follows: 

Treat 1 - 2x per day for the first week to two weeks, depending upon severity of ears. If there is no improvement please consult your vet. 

Treat 1x per day for the next 1-2 weeks. 

Treat 1x per month (or even less frequently, depending on the dog). 


This stuff really works! Our Geddy had a persistant ear infection, and so we went with the purple power solution, she's not had a problem since! Good luck... but seriously, don't delay in seeing if she has a problem! And definitely don't wait for something to ooze out of her ear.


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## nolasmom (Jul 27, 2008)

I am going to try the solution but I need to know if I can use it while Nola has a red ear. I have been to the vet numerous times and he always does the same thing which is increase the dosage of a drug called Triamcinolone. As soon as I go back to her usual dosage, her ear gets red again. I am getting tired of vet visits for the same thing when he just says the same thing which doesn't appear to work. What do you all think?


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## <3 Goldens (Mar 10, 2008)

if you do give your golden medication, make sure he doesn't scratch it, or it will get worse. That's what happened to my golden, and it took a lot longer to recover.

To prevent more ear infections, I use OtiCalm to clean his ears once a week


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## nolasmom (Jul 27, 2008)

How do I keep her from scratching her ear? I watch her but sometime I can't get there in time. Suggestions?"


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Ike has pristine ears and still shakes them all the time. He's had a double ear infection that re-occurred and had to be treated more aggressively. He's been fine since this past winter, but you can't tell by his ears, they're clean even when infected! His only sign anything was wrong was that he looked sad...he's never sad. The shaking which should have been a tell-tale sign in his case, is not.

My Sam on the other hand had filthy ears that were never infected. I couldn't keep them clean....even with a weekly dousing of epi-otic. Good Luck! Maybe benadryl for the itch?


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## Chicago (Sep 30, 2010)

*Please no alcohol on painful ears*

That purple power must burn like crazy on a raw, infected ear.

Ever put rubbing alcohol on a cut? Ouch!

I'd go for something less painful.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Ugh. Ears. Ugh.

I can't tell you the number of times I have said to my dog, "Oh, poor ears." She has chronic ear infections - even though I am careful and dry them after swimming, and try to clean them regularly. She shakes her head, and groans so intensely as I try to clean them out.  

The ear infection smell that I know is sort of musty. But I agree with the poster above who said, they should just smell like your dog. Anything different, worth a check. Also because a yeast infection requires different treatment from a bacterial infection which requires different treatment from a virus. But they're all pretty treatable with drops.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

nolasmom said:


> I am going to try the solution but I need to know if I can use it while Nola has a red ear. I have been to the vet numerous times and he always does the same thing which is increase the dosage of a drug called Triamcinolone. As soon as I go back to her usual dosage, her ear gets red again. I am getting tired of vet visits for the same thing when he just says the same thing which doesn't appear to work. What do you all think?


I went through this when Maggie was a pup. Finally I decided to look for the cause of the ear infections rather than just treat it. After a lot of research and trial an' error, I narrowed it down to a sensitivity to corn. After taking her off all corn her ear problems went away. 

With Nola, it also might be some sort of food allergy.


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## sheisluckygirl (Apr 10, 2011)

Most assuradely it is, ours is 12 and suffers from the same thing. Its gets very costly we have tried numerous vets with treatments from antibodics to drops, the infection is real foul smelling and is just gross. He now is using ears drops that seem to really be helping out alot also taking fish oil and the drops are called Gentizol that we got from the vet. Try it out or ask your vet. Hope it helps you out


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## LauraBella (Feb 9, 2010)

Upgrading her food (and daily plain, unsweetened, unflavored yogurt) have seriously improved Belle's ear health. She's only had, I think, one or two in the past two years. (One bad one TOTALLY blamed on all the people food she got when my mother dog-sat.)

That said, my vet once told me (when I was "I am a bad Momma" hysterical) that with Goldens she throroughly EXPECT to see occassional ear infections. Some breeds are more prone than others. I've never had an ear infection in my rott-mutt, in my childhood Collie or childhood dachsund, but in my Bella and the ALL the Scotties: ear infections.


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## Charlie1 (Oct 23, 2010)

Gorgeous pictures! LOVE them!


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## nolasmom (Jul 27, 2008)

It has been a long time since I have been here. Nola's ears are better now. We changed her food, use fish oil, and she has meds for allergies. Thank you all for your suggestions and I truly appreciate it.


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## mstout03 (Mar 31, 2013)

*Ear Infection*

My dog also suffers from a chronic ear infection. We have taken him to the vet multiple times. The vet only has one more solution, which is an injection like medicine, its pretty pricey though. Has anyone ever had the injections in their dogs ears?


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Rachelle78 said:


> Marley is almost 5 months old and one of his ears has a slight foul odor. Do you think this could be an ear infection or is this common with goldens since they have longer ears?


I was being paranoid about tucos ears as a pup because IMO they were smelly, but when I went to the vet he's like "what did you think they would smell like roses?" So yea expect a slightly foul door emitting from the ears 


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## Ripley16 (Jan 26, 2012)

Our dog currently has her first ever ear infection. She's 18 months old, so we are going to head to the vet on Sunday to get it checked out. We've been flushing her ears out with vet solution cleaner in the mean time, seeing as we have to wait 2 days to go into the clinic. It definitely has a distinctive smell, I actually gave her a bath because I thought her fur smelt bad, but turns out it was her ear. Hopefully this will get dealt with as quickly as possible! She dosen't seam to be bothered by it yet, but hates it when we clean it.


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## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

Bear had an infection in each ear and we have been syringing the treatment into his ear canal twice a day for 2 weeks. He hates it! When he sees me preparing it he walks out of the room slowly backwards in the hope of us not seeing him...I gave him a treat while doing his ears, he spat it out on the floor in disgust as if to say, you think a treat will make me forget your fiddling around inside my ears??!!


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