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Ears, itching and yeast

Furrfoot

Well-known member
Okay, Rose had brown gunk in her ears when we took her to her first visit to the vet. We saw a vet we haven't seen before in the practice (there are 3) and I didn't care for her, so seeing her again won't be an issue, I will just ask for one of the other two. That said, she said not to worry about it, that they were just dirty (which didn't seem right to me, it didn't look like dirt, too- consistant), and she wiped them out.

But it keeps coming back, and it occured to me today (from somewhere in the recesses of my brain) that it might be yeast. So, several googles, a search here, and a third ear wiping this week by me later, I think it is yeast. One of her ears is worse than the other and she likes a damp washcloth on it (I flip the ear insideout and let it dry after I do this). I am suspecting that it may be an allergy from the treats we have been giving her, since she is on the exact same food as she was at the breeder's home. I've switched her to a single treat that is chicken and cheese. It seems a bit better (the amount of gunk, especially in one ear, is reduced considerably), but one ear does have a few tiny red, raw looking spots. We have a vet appt. already set up for tomorrow, but I will make sure we're seeing a vet I have confidence in or I will change it to the next available.

So, all that to ask this: Are there any foods (like corn maybe?) that would contribute to yeast in the ears (since there has been some improvement since eliminating the other treats), or something else that is a common food allergy that I can try to eliminate (I'm assuming that whatever is in her regular food I can eliminate from the suspect list?) or do you have any other advice? Btw, Rose is 16 weeks old.

Thanks.
 
I'd guess this is far more likely to be ear mites. They keep causing the ears to produce wax. They can be hard to spot initially if they are really deep in the ear at first but are extremely common in puppies. Really doubt this is allergies or yeast. Many puppies arrive to their new homes with really dirty ears too, so your first vet would not have given poor advice, but if the wax keeps coming back, something is causing that to happen. If she is scratching at them too -- almost certainly this is ear mites.

Treats by the way often are a cause of allergic reactions. Store bought treats tend to have potentially problematical ingredients, if allergies are truly a problem (they aren't all that common especially in a young puppy as they often take time to develop). Dairy and chicken and grains are common problem ingredients, plus they often have various additives like colouring and preservatives. Dogs don't actually need (or really benefit from) a lot of processed treats. Getting a pup into the habit of viewing veggies and fruit pieces as welcome treats is better for their health. :) The library section has some nice recipes for homemade treats as well, or something like dried liver treats are generally much loved!
 
Huh. Thanks. Mites have always shown up in my other dogs as black goo/dirty ears. Well, that's why I posted here, as I haven't had a dog with long, floppy ears since I was a kid and never a Cavalier ;) . I'll have them swab and look and see, whatever it is. It wasn't just the dirty ears, she didn't listen very well, either :p . And, I do wish, that with a new puppy, she would have just gone ahead and swabbed and checked like the other vet I usually see does. This brown goo just didn't look like just dirty ears to me, which is why I was keeping an eye on it. Ear mites would be easier to deal with :p .

Oh, and the treats are for crate training and the puppy Kong when I put her in her playpen when I'm doing something that she doesn't need to be underfoot or when I'm grabbing a shower. Oh, and we are starting to learn "sit", etc. too. She's kinda food driven, haha. I'll try the fruits and veggies. She doesn't like carrot, we know so far. I'm assuming that there aren't any fruits or veggies to avoid for Cavaliers that would vary from the general food guidelines for dogs?
 
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I guess I never really noticed the different debris colour in their ears! :lol: Yeast infections I would think would be more likely to be from other factors than a food allergy as so many things can go towards causing them -- vets can give you a cleaning solution though that helps prevent them happening and will clear up a basic yeast infection. As long as a secondary bacterial infection hasn't set in, then it would indeed be an ear cleaning approach at the moment.

Hope it is easy to resolve after your vet visit. (y) Maybe some others have advice on ear infections. I've actually never had problems with ear infections -- I don't bathe the dogs a lot so that might be a reason, and I keep the hair trimmed away from the ear opening and some from on the inside of their ear flap. But several of them swim and so forth so they do get some water in their ears. Maybe some dogs are more prone to them as well, just as some children seem to get a lot of earaches...
 
If you're worried about allergies to treats the easiest thing is to switch to a treat with very few ingredients. I keep duck jerky on hand to use as treats, it's easy to break into small pieces, and only has 2 ingredients (duck and vitamin e).
 
Huh. If it is yeast, I'll run that by my vet. Thanks!

Our first dog was a Cardigan Corgi, so we always saw the insides of his ears, and with our natural eared, very short haired boxer, we also saw the insides of hers alot! Especially since upside down was one of her favorite resting positions! So after almost 20 years of that, I've seen a lot of ear "dirt" on a regular basis, haha . ;)

Since I cleaned them out really well today, she's scratching less, so hopefully whatever it is is clearing up with a little attention paid to it, at least enough to make her feel better. Turns out I'm taking her Tuesday. I thought our regular vet was off on Mondays, and she is, so I changed our appointment. Thanks again!
 
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Soushiruiuma, where do you find treats like that? We have Petsmart and Pet Supplies Plus, and what I think is a local store(?) called Pet Supermarket.
 
I've bought several brands, with none seeming better than the others. My petsmart carries a few options, I tend to buy the less expensive ones. Look for brands like Waggin' Train, DogsWell, I think there was something like Pet Kitchen also. Chicken jerky is more available than duck, but I find the duck jerky is easier to break. There's a company called Beefeater that makes freeze-dried meat, I couldn't stand the smell of the lamb liver so I don't buy those anymore. Dog.com (affiliated with AKC) carries several options, but I find them overpriced, other online retailers may have better prices (be sure to check weight when purchasing online, you don't want to spend a fortune to get a tiny bag).

Everyone at my petsmart knows me and Guinness, we go for walks there when it's stormy, or too hot to go outside. So I know their entire inventory, but if you can't find something ask.
 
I find with Cavaliers that it's worth cleaning their ears regularly. I do both of mine about once a month with Cleanaural. It also helps to clip the fur away from the actual ear opening (small sharp scissors do the job OK, but it helps to have an assistant!).

Kate, Oliver and Aled (who had terrible ear mites when he came into rescue, but has had clear ears since - plenty of running around helps to 'air' the ears!)
 
Sapphire, my ruby, had a lot of brown, yeastly-looking gunk in her left ear. I cleaned her ears but the stuff wouldn't clear. It turns out she had a foxtail in her ear. The vet pulled it out. With a little bit of ear drops, her ears are now clear.
 
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