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Ear infections?

Rumor

Well-known member
How do I keep them from getting ear infections? Went to the Vet a month ago & all three had infections. Loki in just his right ear. After a month of medicine we went back Saturday for recheck. Ears are still infected. Loki & Leopold have yeast. Remus has a bacterial infection. This time I was loaded up with stronger medicine with steroids I have to put in their ears twice a day & a bottle of Kelco to use twice a week.

She also thought Remus might have a cyst in his ear that is blocking the air flow but she won't know for sure until the swelling goes down.

When I finally get them all clear what can I do to keep them clear? I was cleaning their ears 3 times a week & keeping the hair shaved from the ear opening to help with air flow. What else can I do? :confused:
 
Not sure if I can quote this here, but on Laura Lang's site, www.Roycroftcavaliers.com, she has this recipe for ear cleaning and the ingredients are identical to the K-9 solution Kathy linked. This would be cheaper though. She also has LOTS of good info on her site and I refer to it often.

What to buy:
One (1) sixteen ounce bottle of isopropyl alcohol
One (1) small bottle of Boric Acid Powder
One (1) small bottle of Genetian Violet Solution 1% which can be ordered at almost any pharmacy for only $3 or $4

Put 4 tablespoons of the Boric Acid Powder directly into the bottle of Alcohol.
Put 16 drops of the Gentian Violet Solution 1% also into the bottle.
Shake VERY well before every single use because the Boric Acid tends to settle.

If your Cavalier develops an ear infection squirt a small amount of this solution into each ear and massage it well for 10 seconds, then leave it. Do this twice a day for 2 days. After that do it once a day and clean the ears before putting the solution in, then leave it in. Do this for 5 more days--the infection should be gone.

I will try this too, although lately I've been using a 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol & white vinegar and it seems to really help as well, and much cheaper than any solution you can buy!
 
Thanks for the recipie. Is this something to do outside? I'm wondering if the Gential Violet is strong enough to stain. Sounds like a good mix to dry out those ears.
 
Yes...it will stain so it does say to be careful when using it. I haven't used it yet so don't have any further input.
 
I just wanted to add that I would definitely use this outside, since the Genetian Violet will stain just about anything. I spilled a bottle of ear cleaner with Genetian Violet in it all over our light wood floor and it stained it purple! :yikes I had to have the wood flooring people come over and sand it out, it immediately absorbed into the wood so there was no way of getting it out with any kind of cleaner. You would have thought I'd learned my lesson after that, but shortly after that incident I spilled a bit more, and it stained the floor again! This time I used a nail buffer and lightly sanded it out :eek: Now I use a clear ear cleaner, and never around the wood floors! ;)
 
The iso and white vinegar solution I use all the time. Our Pit, Mia, is very prone to getting yeast infections, and when I used the vet solution, she would still get them at least twice a year. Since I've been using the $5 solution that lasts forever, she hasn't had one in almost a year and a half.

I've also spoken to many Cav breeders and rescuers in my area who use that solution also. And the nice thing about it, is it doesn't stain, and only smells for a little bit, lol. Initially, when I first start a dog on it, I use it twice a week for about a month, and than move it to once a week or a week and a half. The iso will help ensure that their ears don't collect too much moisture, being all floopy and such, it's easy for moisture to get trapped. And the vinegar will destroy any infections in there, particularly yeast. It's a very nice alternative and doesn't hurt your puppy at all. Cotton ball and a teaspoon of solution in the ball....your golden.
 
will try this mischa suffers from this quite a lot and it drives her crazy at times poor mite ! does the alcohol come in different percentages/strengths or if i just ask for isopropyl alcohol will i get the right stuff ?
 
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