Yeast infection in his ear

[Spoiled Rott'n]

My boy Sabre usually gets yeast infections at least 2x a year. Just took him to the vet yesterday because he has been shaking his head and tilting his head. The doctor, who was new to us, was very nice, but Sabre did not take to kindly to him fiddling around with his left ear. After much time and coaxing, the doctor was able to get a swab of the nasty stuff, put some drops in it and told me to continue cleaning them and daily drops for the next two weeks until he comes back. Is there any way to prevent these infections?? Sometimes they seem to just develop quickly, other times not. Is it because they way there ears are?? Any advice?

[spidey]

What does he eat? Diet often plays a role in ear infections.

As to prevention - you should be cleaning his ears once a week or more with a veterinary ear solution or a home-made one. Squirt the room-temperature solution into the ear (against the wall of the ear canal, not straight in), massage it, then wipe with cotton.

[DNeff]

What are you feeding?

There is a great article by Lew Olson on yeast issues and prevention:
http://b-naturals.com/Apr2002.php

HTH!

Dawn + Osa
U-CD Cammcastle's Mystic Riven CDX OAC OJC OGC OAJ NA TT CGC
http://members.aol.com/dplantier
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[Spoiled Rott'n]

Sabre gets Pedigree, small crunchy bites. Some other food he was on when we first got him thru his first year he did have allergic reactions to so we switched until we found one that worked. Cody, our other miixed breed dog has never gotten a yeast infection or ear infection in any way. Should I be feeding something else? The vet did not even mention his dog food, except to decease his food intake.

[DNeff]

Well if you read Lew's article, food can have a lot to do with yeast issues. Pedigree is not a good food to be feeding your dogs. I would strongly recommend you look in to getting a super premium food rather than the pedigree.

Each dog will have it's own level of sensitivity to ingredients. I would recommend a food like California Natural Lamb and Rice because of it's lack of "extras" and it's quality of ingredients. Wellness foods would also be another good option since they have a good range of choices for dogs with allergies.

Dawn + Osa
U-CD Cammcastle's Mystic Riven CDX OAC OJC OGC OAJ NA TT CGC
http://members.aol.com/dplantier
http://members.aol.com/rottweilerworld

[CanadianRotts]

Hi there....

A good friend used to recommend diluted apple cider vinegar....use a clean, soft cloth to gently wipe out the ears.

Dianna

[mmgy]

It's common for dogs that are fed grain-based foods to have problems such as yeast. I own one of those dogs, and since we switched the way we feed 5 years ago, he hasn't had one iota of trouble. I'd at least upgrade to Iams or Nutro.

[Spoiled Rott'n]

Well, thanks for the replies, we will be on the hunt for new dog food for the boys. Sabre does not mind us cleaning his ears, thankfully, and often will just plop down when he sees the ear cleaning squirt stuff.