I have a 17 year old cocker spaniel with cronic ear infections. Anybody with similar experience?

Question

I came home last night and noticed blood on the floor so I checked her ear and blood was just pouring out. We called the 24 hour vet hospital but they wanted too much money when we came in, they wouldn't work out a payment plan, and we don't have the money. I got the bleeding to stop and we plan on taking her to her vet tomorrow but we are wondering if we should just put her to sleep. She is 17 and for the last year or maybe longer it has been one ear infection after another. Antibiotics don't work anymore. We have spent so much money at the vet and my husband has been out of work since last year we just don't know what to do.

It is bacteria and along with antibiotics she gets a cream and her ears get washed regularly. Over the summer it was so bad she had an abcess filled with puss on the side of her head it swelled up so bad she couldn't open her eye. This isn't the only reason we are thinking of putting her to sleep. She also has heart problems. I didn't think of it before but it could be from her medications, she takes a heart medicine, diuretic, and incontinence medicine. But we've been using this vet for 15 years and don't plan on going anywhere else.

Answer 1

I sympathize with you. I had a 17 year old cocker spaniel who was the ultimate in WONDERFUL!! I kept his ears very clean and used OTC cortisone cream whenever I saw the tiniest beginning of ear problems. I have no other suggestion but I did have mine put to sleep when he got too sick. I will always miss my Okie.

Answer 2

Chronic ear infections are often based in allergies. Cocker Spaniels are notorious foe chronic ear problems. What kind of food are you feeding her? How often do you clean her hears? Do you have her groomed on a regular basis? These are all things that can affect how often she gets ear infections.

Oral antibiotics are not a really good idea for ear infections. They often don't pass into the ear that well unless they are given at very high dosages and you end up killing off all the beneficial bacteria in the body. ALSO, the majority of the ear infections in cases like these are caused by YEAST, not bacteria. Ear cleansers and medications are the best option for clearing up yeast infections in the ears, but a hypoallergenic diet and regular cleaning will help your dog so much.

Does your vet perform a cytology when you take your dog in to determine what kind of bacteria or yeast is causing the infection? If not, he or she is just guessing and prescribing an antibiotic that may not actually be treating the problem. I wouldn't suggest putting her to sleep, just yet. I would suggest a dietary consult with your vet (or another one who understands this problem), getting her on a hypoallergenic food, possibly antihistamines, running a cytology to determine the real cause of the infection, and an ear cleaning regimen to keep it under control. Good luck!

Answer 3

This is the best solution I have used when it comes to gucky ears. It was given to me years ago by a veterinarian.

16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution

Mix all ingredients in the alcohol bottle & shake. (make sure you shake before every application).

Treatment: Fill ear with solution & massage gently for 30 seconds and wipe with a tissue. Fill a second time and just wipe without massaging. The dog will shake the excess out. Be careful, the Gentian Violet could stain. I use a eye dropper to fill the ear.

Treatment:
2 times per day for the first 2 weeks
1 time per day for the next 2 weeks
1 time per month thereafter

If you are concerned about the alcohol burning the inside of the ear (it could if the dog has been scratching its ear), then you can substitute the alcohol with witch hazel.

All ingredients are available at a pharmacy. The Boric Acid is usually in the First Aid section where you find the alcohol. The Gentian Violet will be the hardest to find and may need to be special ordered.

You can buy the potion already mixed at: http://www.naturalpetmarket.com/productdetails2.cfm?Product_ID=lhiear&categoryid=150

Even despite the alcohol, dogs don't object to even the first treatment. The Boric Acid soothes the ear & the Gentian Violet is an anti-infection agent. This solution is also effective for the treatment of fungus type infections on the dog including hot spots.

Answer 4

Hi!!
For you : http://www.petmedicinechest.com/canine/discussions/earinfectiontext.asp - please look
REMOVING THE FUNGUS (YEAST) IN YOUR DOG'S EAR

A mature bacteria frequently develops into a fungus which in most cases becomes known as a yeast infection. Such as is almost always the case in an ear infection--it becomes a yeast condition. In order to get a fungus/yeast infection out of the ear, you need to create more blood flowing to the ear to bring the toxicity to the surface. This will enable the dog's body to then excrete the fungus out of the ear. At this point you will see extremely black/brown smelly mucous oozing from your dog's ear.

Here again, this is exactly what you need to see happen. The body is pushing the infection OUT and away from the ear. Sometimes it will take a week or so in order for this process to begin. The reason for this is that the overuse of antibiotics has pushed this ear infection deeply into the body. The longer you have been fighting an ear infection, the longer you have been using antibiotics, the longer it takes to get clean blood to this area and get the body pushing the infection to the surface. Also the longer it takes to finally clear the ear canal. Normally this process will take from three to six weeks to clear the ear.

May be it to calm down.

Good ear cleaning can help a great deal in preventing ear infections from recurring.

I think that rinsing the ears with vinegar mixed half and half with water once or twice a week helps a lot in controlling recurrent ear infections.

Antihistamines, particularly clemastine (Tavist D tm) seem to help some dogs, as do essential fatty acid supplements such as 3V caps (tm) or OmegaDerm (tm).

Jason Homan

Answer 5

Any breed with "floppy" ears is prone to ear infections. I have a cocker spaniel and a cocker/poodle mix and both are prone to yeast infections in their ears.

It sounds like you need a different type of antibotic or you need to keep the dog on the treatment longer. If not fully destroyed, the infection comes back almost as soon as you discontinue treatment.

If the vet says it's treatable and not life-threatening, then I feel as if you should let your dog live. If your vet doesn't seem to know what else to do, I suggest taking your dog to a different vet.

Answer 6

I have a cocker spaniel that was breed and we had to take care of the puppies and in my experience the best way to potty train dogs is by start off praising them and give them lots of attention when they go to the bathroom where you want them too. When they realize thats where they should go to the bathroom, start scolding them when they go in the wrong place, and pick them up and put them down where they were supposed to go and say bathroom is here or something like that. Make sure your persistent and do this every time. Good Luck!

Answer 7

Seventeen! wow! you have taken such good care of her, for her to live so long and happy. I do think it is time for her to go and wait for you..It is very sad, but ear infections are SO very painful. If antibiotics and treatments aren't working any more, I think it is time for her to be pain-free.
May I go now
Don't you think the time is right?
May I say good-bye to pain-filled days
and endless lonely nights?
I've lived my life and done my best,
an example tried to be,
So can I take that step beyond
and set my spirit free?
I didn't want to go at first.
I fought with all my might!
But something seems to draw me now
to a warm and loving light.
I want to go! I really do!
It's difficult to stay.
But I will try as best I can
to live just one more day .
To give you time to care for me
and share your love and fears.
I know you're sad and are afraid
because I see your tears.
I'll not be far, I promise that,
and hope you'll always know
that my spirit will be close to you
wherever you may go.
Thank you so for loving me.
You know I loved you too.
That's why it's hard to say good-bye
and end this life with you.
So hold me now, just one more time,
and let me hear you say,
because you care so much for me,
you'll let me go today.


Copyright © Susan A. Jackson
Written for a beloved pet and friend.

Answer 8

OK my dog has something like that but does not bleed she has like dirt or something built up in there so we tale cotton balls and clean them maybe you should just clean her ears out and see if that works!