Guest SweetJordan Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I hope this is okay that I posted in here. This isn’t about my BC, but I really need some help. I've found BC owners to me more savvy than most so I'm hoping to get some help from you all. My labby has been having a problem with his left ear. Vet did a culture on it and it is yeast, no bacteria present. This problem has been ongoing during the year. Today he was given more meds(oral med to go w/ topical med(which he has been on for a prolonged period in my mind at least). And I was told to try an elimination diet as it may be food allergies. He told me that I could try venison(have never used it as I don’t know where to buy it), fish (which he eats twice a week already and gets fish oil on most other days) or even duck and potato. He said no veggies and no other protein sources for at least a month or two to see if his ear clears up. So basically to pick one protein source and to feed that w/ potatoes. Now I’m so confused. I’ve been making his food and he eats mostly raw, but that doesn’t seem complete to me. I’m wondering if this could be caused by candida overgrowth, and even if it’s allergies I’m thinking about consulting a holistic vet. In the mean time, however, I have no idea what to feed him. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Back in May, Jake got an yeast infection in his right ear. The vet told us it was a secondary sign of allergies and gave us an ear wash and a med. I had removed the yogurt from his diet due to his lactos intolerance when he got it. DH suggested I add it back in, only not as much. I found the amount he could consume without any side effects and he has not had another ear infection since. I don't know if yogurt will work for your lab but I feel it helped Jake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Ongoing ear infections can be a sign of food allergies. What I did is the following: 1. Fed only Innova Evo - including the treats 2. The vets prescribed an anti-fungal medicine for a month 3. The vet prescribed antibiotics to get rid of the ear infection 4. We cleaned the ears twice a day for 2 months (yes we skipped it sometimes) Riot has been ear infection free for 2 yrs now. He has flare-ups but they are not actual ear infections and meds have not been needed. I did try a raw diet with him and it actually made him worse so that is whehn we did the Evo. Riot had yeasty feet, hotspots and leaked urine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetJordan Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Back in May, Jake got an yeast infection in his right ear. The vet told us it was a secondary sign of allergies and gave us an ear wash and a med. I had removed the yogurt from his diet due to his lactos intolerance when he got it. DH suggested I add it back in, only not as much. I found the amount he could consume without any side effects and he has not had another ear infection since. I don't know if yogurt will work for your lab but I feel it helped Jake. I do currently feed him yogurt(usually goats but sometimes cow). I also use kefir. If he gets neither of the two it's cottage cheese. Though generally everyday he has a small amount of yogurt or kefir(but not both) in one of his meals. I'm actually thinking of taking it out of the diet and giving him probiotic pill sinstead. At least temp. anyway to make sure that he's not allergic to dairy. He's never had loose stools or anything though from dairy. But come to think of it when I started giving him yogurt/kefir on a regular basis he started having nice poop all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I had removed the yogurt from his diet due to his lactos intolerance when he got it. Odd, because the advantage of yoghurt over milk is that the lactose is (mostly) converted to lactic acid. Maybe it was just a case of too much? How much were you giving him? Senneca gets about 4tbs a day and thrives on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 My BC Skye had an ongoing problem with ear infections. When he was put on thyroid meds, the infections disappeared. Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 Odd, because the advantage of yoghurt over milk is that the lactose is (mostly) converted to lactic acid. Maybe it was just a case of too much? It was a case of too much. I cut it back and he does fine now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetJordan Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 I did figure out an elimination diet to try for my labby. We are keeping w/ it even though he saw another vet today who thinks that his one ear just isn't acidic enough which is what the vet he usually sees thought(so neither of them feel that it's allergy related, but I figured I would stick w/ the trial diet just to be sure[he's only been on it a short time]). After using 'the purple stuff' in his ear it is now clean as a whistle. So much so that the vet he say today was a bit puzzled and said that he had 'the cleanest, healthiest ear that she had seen in a very long time. And then she asked what I had done and took notes. Anyway, thanks to all of you who offered advice and shared your stories even though it wasn't about my BC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesney's Girl Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Tucker had an ear infection a few months back, not sure what it was from but it could have come from the fact that he wasn't as healthy as he should of been due to a lack of variety in his raw diet, he was getting too much chicken and pork and not enough red meat and it kind of threw him off for a little while and I think that the ear infection stemmed from that... Anyways to treat it I have had good success from mixing vinegar (usually apple cider vinegar) with equal parts water and putting a few drops in the ear and 'mushing' his ear around to get it all over inside then letting him shake it out. It usually clears up an ear infection in a couple of days, depending on how bad it is you might have to repeat it once but usually not more than twice have I ever had to do it. So you could try that too next time instead of a vet trip. Or at least to make him comfortable until you go to the vet if you feel the need to go. But I would try cutting out the foods with Lactaid in them and see if thats what is causing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetJordan Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Tucker had an ear infection a few months back, not sure what it was from but it could have come from the fact that he wasn't as healthy as he should of been due to a lack of variety in his raw diet, he was getting too much chicken and pork and not enough red meat and it kind of threw him off for a little while and I think that the ear infection stemmed from that... Anyways to treat it I have had good success from mixing vinegar (usually apple cider vinegar) with equal parts water and putting a few drops in the ear and 'mushing' his ear around to get it all over inside then letting him shake it out. It usually clears up an ear infection in a couple of days, depending on how bad it is you might have to repeat it once but usually not more than twice have I ever had to do it. So you could try that too next time instead of a vet trip. Or at least to make him comfortable until you go to the vet if you feel the need to go. But I would try cutting out the foods with Lactaid in them and see if thats what is causing it. I did use apple cider vinegar w/ water after his infection cleared up. I tried to use it in the past to "re-set the ear," but I think I didn't have much success w/ it due to the fact that he probably had too much gunk in his ear which needed to be cleaned out first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Tex was at the vets this morning to be treated for yet another ear infection. I have always considered it to be linked to his allergy to corn. I was living in a motel room for 2 months this past fall with no fridge and his diet suffered. I have a hard time finding corn free kibbs on this island. He went back on raw recently. This morning the vet suggested testing his thyroid production. Tex is the only chubby Bc that she has ever seen. Sh recently had a golden retriever patient who had similiar symptoms - overweight + chronic ear infections - and low thyroid was the culript. I will get the results of the test in a few days. He will need a simple, inexpensive thyroid medication for the rest of his life if he tests low. He can't afford to have his hearing compromised so we need to keep after these ear infections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetJordan Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 I don't think my boy has a thyroid problem. He's ripped like a body builder. Very lean and solid. I did switch him back to his regular diet as the allergy diet messed up his bowels, which prior to that had been perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 My Tex is built like a Sumo wrestler... Ear infections are so frustrating. I hope you find out what is causing the ear ouchies in your dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.