Sajan's Eyes and ears

[spoteet]

Well, apparently Sajan's bum thyroid isn't his only problem unless his med dosage just isn't high enough. His eyes have been getting more and more runny over the past week and now he one ear is all red and sore. I had noticed him shaking his head more than usual the past few days and last night he started crying out when he shook his head. I still have some of the ointment from last summer's ear infection which looked just like this one, so I put some on his ear and gave him an antibiotic.

I may have to have him allergy tested afterall :( This poor guy never gets a break, it's just one thing after the other. Makes me wonder if it's all my fault, if I'm not feeding him a balanced diet or something :(

[Judi W]

Keep in mind that the swimming can promote infections. If you haven't been treating his ears with a wash after each diving session you should consider starting.

[lblax]

Originally Posted by spoteet

so I put some on his ear and gave him an antibiotic.

(

has anyone explored the possibilite of him having thrush. several times ive heard you say we gave him antibiotics or they put him on antibiotics and antibiotic overuse is on of the major causes in humans and animals do get it.

and as far as the balanced diet i am a firm disbeliever in the raw diet...because there are very few people that are really doing it right or would even have the ability to do it right although the concept is good it is probably doing the animals more harm than good....i just cant imagine unless someone is a nutritionist that throwing something together in the kitchen without knowing the levels of protien--carbs--sugars--calcium--other minerals and then supplemant like crazy would be as good as a good dog food. more and more people are finding that even the holistic dog foods (the kitchen sink aproach) with tons of ingrediants are backfiring after time and causing problems.

[spoteet]

I have never heard of thrush, what is it? Neither I nor my vet like how often he has been on antibiotics but it was the only way to control his symptoms while we found out the cause.

I have had a nutritionist look at his menu and was told it was a very good diet. As I have said before he was not put on this diet because I thought it was the only healthy way to feed, I have no problem with high quality kibble. I did have a problem with a dog that had constant gastric upset when he ate kibble.

[spoteet]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Keep in mind that the swimming can promote infections. If you haven't been treating his ears with a wash after each diving session you should consider starting.

I have a drying solution for his ears I just haven't been using it yet this year. I think I will start.

[lblax]

Originally Posted by spoteet

I have never heard of thursh, what is it?

http://www.medinfo.co.uk/conditions/thrush.html
Candida albicans, a yeast fungus that normally exists in balance with other microorganisms in the body, can sometimes get out of control. The results include vaginal infections, intestinal upsets, and infections of the mouth and throat called thrush. These show up as white patches in the mouth, tongue, and throat that can be painful and make chewing and swallowing difficult.

In adults, the most common cause of thrush is using antibiotics, which wipe out both the bacteria for which they're intended and "friendly" lactobacilli that normally keep Candida in check. Thrush can also occur during pregnancy, and as a result of a poor diet or a depressed immune system (as in people with AIDS or on chemotherapy). Smokers, people who wear dentures, and diabetics (the fungus thrives on high glucose levels found in saliva) are also at higher than normal risk of developing oral thrush. "
this is for humans but any throat problem and fungas affects ears and such.. i looked this up once and found a site that was particular to dogs but cant find it again but i'll keep looking

[Judy Chrusch]

Sharon, hasen't he recently been in salt water? That can be very irritating. I would imagine you rinse him off good though to get all the elements off :). I agree with Judi about treating his ears after each swim. I hope he's better soon and he can once again enjoy life to it's fullest :) . Just be careful with that salt water .

Judy

[spoteet]

Originally Posted by Judy Chrusch

Sharon, hasen't he recently been in salt water? That can be very irritating. I would imagine you rinse him off good though to get all the elements off :). I agree with Judi about treating his ears after each swim. I hope he's better soon and he can once again enjoy life to it's fullest :) . Just be careful with that salt water .

Judy

I thought maybe the salt water was the cause. We rinsed him as well as we could at the shower stations but it was hard to get the little crevices.

[spoteet]

Originally Posted by lblax

http://www.medinfo.co.uk/conditions/thrush.html
Candida albicans, a yeast fungus that normally exists in balance with other microorganisms in the body, can sometimes get out of control. The results include vaginal infections, intestinal upsets, and infections of the mouth and throat called thrush. These show up as white patches in the mouth, tongue, and throat that can be painful and make chewing and swallowing difficult.

In adults, the most common cause of thrush is using antibiotics, which wipe out both the bacteria for which they're intended and "friendly" lactobacilli that normally keep Candida in check. Thrush can also occur during pregnancy, and as a result of a poor diet or a depressed immune system (as in people with AIDS or on chemotherapy). Smokers, people who wear dentures, and diabetics (the fungus thrives on high glucose levels found in saliva) are also at higher than normal risk of developing oral thrush. "
this is for humans but any throat problem and fungas affects ears and such.. i looked this up once and found a site that was particular to dogs but cant find it again but i'll keep looking

Thanks Larry! Sajan doesn't have any white patches, I wonder if they can be absent?

[lblax]

Originally Posted by spoteet

Thanks Larry! Sajan doesn't have any white patches, I wonder if they can be absent?

i dont know but sajan has many of the lead up to's for this heavy antibiotic use and wasnt he on predisone??? those two things deplete the immune system

[Judi W]

I'm sure you've heard of swimmer's ear. These things are all of the same family. Yeast. Swimmers have for many years learned a rinse with a viniger solution keeps it from becoming a problem. Yeast overgrows in damp and dark environments and the killing of normal bacteria (like from the anitbiotics) really helps it along. The rinse is a preventative like the drying solution shouldn't be saved until there is a problem.

[spoteet]

Originally Posted by Judi W

I'm sure you've heard of swimmer's ear. These things are all of the same family. Yeast. Swimmers have for many years learned a rinse with a viniger solution keeps it from becoming a problem. Yeast overgrows in damp and dark environments and the killing of normal bacteria (like from the anitbiotics) really helps it along. The rinse is a preventative like the drying solution shouldn't be saved until there is a problem.

I've never heard of using vinegar, Thanks! When I get this cleared up, I will be using something to dry out his ears.

[HerculesMomma]

Originally Posted by spoteet

Thanks Larry! Sajan doesn't have any white patches, I wonder if they can be absent?

I can't speak from doggy expierence, but from a human experience, if you have oral thrush you'll have some white patches in your mouth (most noteably on the tongue). I've had it 3 or 4 times in my life and it's awful. When I was in college I worked at a daycare center and was always catching something. Certain antibiotics the Dr. gave me must have been very strong and/or prolonged use of them would cause me to come down with thrush.

I wouldn't be surprised if Sajan was on antibiotics for a long time, combined with what Judi W suggested of being in the water might not have pushed him over the top with his ears? I have noticed that when Hercules ears (he's had a yeast infection in his ears since I got him) are bad his eyes are more gooey. When I first got him I could be cleaning his eyes 5 to 6 times a day or more. But you would know your dog best and I doubt there's any medical evidence to support my gooey eye claims.:) Good luck with Sajan!

[lblax]

Originally Posted by spoteet

I've never heard of using vinegar, Thanks! When I get this cleared up, I will be using something to dry out his ears.

i use a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% rubbing alcohol it was recommended by my vet and she said it is just as good as anything she could sell me..she also said before swimming put baby oil in the ear then after wash it out with that rinse

[jas'smom]

Dont have any other suggestions for you, but wanted to say I would be thinking about you guys. Hope it clears up soon:(