My 1 year old cocker spaniel has bad itchy ears...what can I do to prevent surgery?? ANy recipes for cleaners

Question

Has anyone heard of a mixture with baking soda, vinegar, witch hazel, and betadine? I heard it works wonder!! Please help, he i s miserable....

Answer 1

You can get a otic cleaner for dogs from either a vet, or a pet supply store. Follow the directions carefully.

Answer 2

Cocker spaniels are notorious for bad ears. Thier ears are so heavy and floppy it makes it hard for air to get in there, so bacteria can build up and cause irritation and infection. There is a line of products you can get from vetinarians called "Zymox" . It can be a little pricey (about 15 bucks for a bottle of ear drops) but it works really well. I cant remember if Zymox makes an earwash but its a possibility, you can ask at your vet. You can make homemade earwash with one part white vinegar to two parts water, but it may irritate already itchy ears. It's ok to use for normal earwashing on ears that arent having problems. I would ask your vet about the Zymox or another medicine that they might recommend. If your pup hasnt been checked it may help to do so, whats lurking in those ears could be anything from bacteria to a fungal infection. Good luck, but be prepared for an ongoing condition with the ears. It's best to stay ahead and treat as soon as you notice him scratching, they can get really nasty really quick if left alone. Oh and for the mixture you asked about, I've never heard of throwing betadine in the mix, you could use it alone diluted a bit with water, and the other things are okay to use as a wash, but those things probably wont help an infection if its already started, the ear drops with antibiotics will clear that. :)

Answer 3

Cocker Spaniels have horrible ear problems. You really need to have him or her groomed regularly. They should cut out all of the extra ear hair. We always got a cleaner from the vet. I know I wouldn't want someone pouring weird mixtures of stuff in my ears. Take good care of your pet. They depend only on you.

Answer 4

You should go t othe vet to see what is causing the itching if you haven't already. It could be anything from ear mites to an ear infection to a fungus growing in his ear. We have a cocker spaniel, and he got a fungus on the bottom of his ear from his ears constantly being dragged into the water dish when he got a drink. It spread up the cented of the inside of his ear and we didn't know until we took him to the vet, soon after he started to rub his ears on the ground and scratch at them incessantly. I would see what's up before you try to home remedy the dog.

Answer 5

I've heard of it, but I've found that OTC cleaners work well enough for our dog. Also, have you had the ears checked by a vet? Our spaniel used to get yeast infections in her ears that made them itch really bad. It kept coming back until we found the right medicine, and regular cleaners never did the trick.

Answer 6

wanna try for home remedies for your pet's itchy ears?

1. Please switch to lamb & rice food.
2. Even you can switch him to a food that was fish and potato, and the yeast cleared up. You could try it...the fish helps to lower the pH of the dogs body thus making it hard for yeast to grow.
3.Mix white vinegar with water in a 1:1 ration (half water, half white vinegar) The acidity makes it hard for some bacteria to grow and this has an astringent effect. It stings if there is any ulceration of the ear canal, though.
4.Mix 3% hydrogen peroxide 1:1 with warm water. This is less antibacterial but is a little better at aiding in the removal of cerumen from the ears. It is not as likely to cause discomfort if the ear is inflamed.
5.You can try this home remedy also-

2 tablespoons boric acid
4 oz rubbing alcohol
1 tablespoon glycerin

1 eardrop full in ear rub in let dog shake and your done. Do this daily until better.

There are advantages to the commercial ear washes and they are probably worthwhile to stick with if helpful. But these solutions are OK in a pinch.

Hope this little bit of information helps

Answer 7

Yep!! many times a dog with lop ears (ears that hang down) ear problems can happen. Moisture can get into the ear canal & is unable to evaporate because of the breeds ear position. Before bathing your Cocker, place a cotton ball into each ear. NOT DEEP INTO THE EAR!!! Also before washing that side of the head, place your hand under the ear flap with your palm facing out so that the back of your hand cover the opening to the ear to help keep water out, using your thumb to hold the ear (GENTLY)
DO NOT SPRAY WATER DIRECTLY INTO THE EAR CANAL!!
Since an ear infection might be the cause of your dogs distress, my advice is take your dog to the vet!!! Another problem with lop eared dogs is that if something foreign gets into the ear even shaking the head cannot always dislodge it due again to the ear position.
Be sure to get you pup to the vet though BEFORE TRYING ANYTHING HOMEMADE!!!! You can cause a LOT of damage since YOU do not know what the problem is.

Answer 8

I had the same thing with my dog. Nothing the vet did helped. I used a process of elimination. A final solution of antibiotic eye(!) drops (human), the triple antibiotic with pain reliever cream if that's not available, and some of the cream women use for yeast infections greatly relieved the problem, which is now gone. I swabbed it into the ears with my fingers. Please don't dump liquids into a pet's ears, which will lead to more infection. After infection is cleared up, zinc oxide and cortisone 1% cream seemed to sooth to remaining sores. But be careful and watch reactions--some of these substances will "feed" whatever organism is causing the problem; i.e., zinc oxide will feed yeast. I've heard Listerine will kill some organisms, but this may be painful to your pet and I have never tried it.

Answer 9

Visit your vet! Your pup may just need a bottle of "Old Yeller" - eardrops - as well as a bottle of medication to clear up what sounds like a fungal infection (from getting her ears wet and not having them wiped dry promptly - floppy eared dogs are prone to it as the air can't get in as easily).

Answer 10

Your dog probably has a yeast infection in his ears. It comes from the hair in his ears and needs to be clipped. It keeps moisture in there. It should be clipped by a vet or a groomer though because it could be dangerous, to both you and your pet.