- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
I have never touched Rourke's ears and up to this moment, they are fine.
Ear infections
- Thread starter HAH
- Start date
Poor Stilton, ear infections are awful, and distressing watching them shake their head in discomfort. Axel was very prone to ear infections, I always had to have antibiotic ear drops on standby. He hated having the drops administered at first, it always took two of us the first several times but he got used to it and I think he ended up realizing I was only helping him. As soon as he saw me shaking the bottle he would walk up to me, sit down right at my feet and wait for me to do both ears. I gave him lots of hugs and kisses each time of course 
Maybe having one of you hold a spoon with some magical peanut butter on it to lick, while the other one puts the drops in? Hopefully he isn’t prone to them but if he is I feel he will soon take the drops in stride
Maybe having one of you hold a spoon with some magical peanut butter on it to lick, while the other one puts the drops in? Hopefully he isn’t prone to them but if he is I feel he will soon take the drops in stride
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
Maxx lets us know when it is time to clean his ears by increased head shaking and rubbing his ears on the mat or the end of the bed (ick). The second he sees the bottle he is off like a ninja; but a pigs ear works and he stands and lets us squeeze the solution in and then gently clean with cotton wool just as @Candy mentioned. He had an infection as a puppy and our vet recommended this and he hasn't had once since
Poor little Stilton
Poor little Stilton
Wispa has had ear infections occasionally. The vet mentioned keeping her ears dry, especially after swimming. I’m not sure whether she would approve of a tube around her neck, though!
i hope the antibiotics have done their work for Stilton.
Thanks @Granca , and to everyone for your kind replies. Fingers crossed it’s really settled down and his little ears are looking a gentle pink and clean as a whistle. Now I really need to push on with our cooperative care so it’s all a less distressing experience in future.
Well, it's not quite over - Stilton's ears are again irritating him and we've had a bit of a saga with treating it - my OH took him in a week ago ago, I made the appointment and made sure we booked with one of the experienced, patient vets but when OH and Stilton turned up at the surgery they were treated by a different vet who was not particularly gentle, and said the ear wasn't infected but needed drops 2 x a day for 2 weeks. It was a bit wham bam, and when the dust settled we realised daily drops would be too much for Stilton right now as he's nervous of his ears being touched, so took back the meds (£90!) and regrouped.
Today we took him back to the vet and saw a locum who was brilliant. Stilton has now become very scared of the vets and handling, so after sticking in the reception area we retreated to the car park where the vet gave him antibiotic and steroid gel in both ears. She explained that because the ear canal is quite long and has a distinct bend half way down, deep-seated infections can lurk and flare up again within 2-4 weeks of the original observation - it's not a new infection, just a resurgence. We'll go back for the same in a week, and then check in 2 weeks after that. In the meantime, we'll continue to work very gently on handling and vet visits where nothing happens. I was so pleased both with the way we managed to advocate for him, and with his bouncy resilience - he was back to his usual optimistic self as soon as he had a good shake off which was excellent to see.
Today we took him back to the vet and saw a locum who was brilliant. Stilton has now become very scared of the vets and handling, so after sticking in the reception area we retreated to the car park where the vet gave him antibiotic and steroid gel in both ears. She explained that because the ear canal is quite long and has a distinct bend half way down, deep-seated infections can lurk and flare up again within 2-4 weeks of the original observation - it's not a new infection, just a resurgence. We'll go back for the same in a week, and then check in 2 weeks after that. In the meantime, we'll continue to work very gently on handling and vet visits where nothing happens. I was so pleased both with the way we managed to advocate for him, and with his bouncy resilience - he was back to his usual optimistic self as soon as he had a good shake off which was excellent to see.
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Very well done indeed for advocating for him.
You know him better than the vet does and that sounds like a good result.
You know him better than the vet does and that sounds like a good result.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Exactly this! Everything just clicks into place when it's explained well and you feel fully powered to make good decisions, rather than a bit limp and all at sea.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Emily_Babbelhund
Mama Red HOT Pepper
- Location
- Regensburg, Germany
Poor Stilton, I’m sorry you’re still battling the ear ick. Three big cheers for sticking up for the little man, though! With time, hopefully new positive vet experiences will overcome his current fears.
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Poor Stilton, but he does sound as if he has more confidence after seeing the more experienced vet who handled him well. Having seen many ear operations I do know the anatomy and the ear canal does not go straight down as your vet says, almost turns at right angles!
I was told the same thing about the ear anatomy of a dog, and was advised after inserting the cleaner or antibiotic ear drops, to allow them do a bigggg shake before massaging and cleaning the ears out. That helps distribute the cleaner or antibiotics further down the ear canal
Hope this is the end of this ear infection!
Hope this is the end of this ear infection!
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Ugh, the timing of this post... We're off to the vet with an ear infection 
We stupidly left Ella's cytopoint injection a little late so she'd become quite itchy by the time when had it done. The itching has gone (yay) but the damage is done in her ears and they're red and yuk.
Oh dear.
We stupidly left Ella's cytopoint injection a little late so she'd become quite itchy by the time when had it done. The itching has gone (yay) but the damage is done in her ears and they're red and yuk.
Oh dear.
Poor Stilton. Life is a lot easier when you get a vet that understands how nerve wracking it can be for a dog to be prodded and poked and explains what’s going on rather than just handing out meds and instructions. Murphy used to get ear infections. It turned out he had ear mites which was missed the first couple of times. No idea how he’d got them but once he’d got rid of them he was fine.
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Ow, poor Ella. But man, you’ve had a lot on - don’t beat yourself up. Hopefully it calms down nice and quickly.Ugh, the timing of this post... We're off to the vet with an ear infection
We stupidly left Ella's cytopoint injection a little late so she'd become quite itchy by the time when had it done. The itching has gone (yay) but the damage is done in her ears and they're red and yuk.
Oh dear.
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Ella is quite susceptible to ear infections with her allergies/itchiness. I'm usually on top of the cytopoint but every now and then I stuff up and she ends up with an infection. Vet said this one is a yeast infection. We opt for the slightly more costly option where the vet cleans her ears and puts some gel in that lasts a week. Then we go back and repeat. It's not great but it's better than us trying to do drops at home.
Ouch - $600 at the vet this week
