Ear Problems

[Kirsten04]

My 6-year old German Shepherd has been having a great deal of ear trouble. She started with ear problems in her left ear. We took her to the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with a yeast infection and given antibiotic drops, 2x a day for 7 days. It went away, but then the same problems occurred in her right ear, with black, gummy stuff in her ear and a bright red, sensitive ear. Instead of going back to the vet, I decided to join the HA network and try a new approach. I removed kibble from her diet and replaced it with Honest Kitchen grain-free dehydrated fruits and veggies (recommended by the Medical Medium, but also dehydrated food is ranked higher on the HA vitality scale). I also chop up fresh apple, celery, spinach and one clove of garlic each day and include vitamin C (also recommended by the Medical Medium) in her food. She also gets one tablespoon of salmon oil each day.

I have been cleaning out the troubled ear twice a day with cooled green tea. It is still sensitive to the touch, very red and has a very unpleasant odor. She often shakes her head in discomfort, and she tends to keep her head tilted lower on the side the ear has trouble in). She has also been licking the floor and her bed.

I do understand that these symptoms can be the sign of something more serious going on and I am trying to be patient, as Dr. Jeff recommends, but it is hard to see her so uncomfortable.

Thank you for any advice you can give.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Welcome Kirsten!

Thank you so much for starting this important thread.

Yes, it's very hard to watch our beloved companions have any discomfort.

It may help you to know that you can definitely help her without drugs.

Have you tried warm compressing her ear, or using warmed sweet almond oil in it?

Reiki and flower essences are also fantastic ways to help soothe her discomfort without working against her body.

You can also tell if her ear discomfort is affecting her profoundly or not by using her BEAM.

No matter the symptom, BEAM will help you see how deeply it is affecting her.

You can read about how it can help in other allergic (ear irritations have an allergic basis) pets by reading this: www.holisticactions.com/beam

I'm so glad to hear that you are working on upgrading her diet.

This is an important step to help increase her Vitality and healing ability.

Has she ever had an ear (or any other skin) symptom before?

I ask because this will help you put her ear symptoms into context.

It's also helpful to know that Shepherds have a higher than average incidence of skin and ear problems.

What were her initial ear symptoms?

Things like the nature of any discharge (color, quantity, consistency), discomfort, ear odor, moving left to right, etc. are awesome clues to her underlying imbalance!

Other important context includes whether she was vaccinated in the past few months.

Any other symptoms now or in the past?

Thanks.

Dr. Jeff

PS-Please include any pictures that you have of the inside of her ear.

 

[Dr. Christina]

To help you be patient, and I know it can be very hard, knowing how the body heals and how it becomes ill is useful. First, each animal is born with certain sensitivities that can trigger an energetic imbalance, and the ability to heal itself by producing symptoms when pushed off balance by one of those triggers. Does that make sense?

When very healthy, a trigger does not produce any observable symptoms and your pet can completely recover her energetic balance. When less healthy, which can happen with age if we have not discovered what is needed to maintain health, they make symptoms on the outside of the body, like skin and ear dis-ease. This is a fairly safe place, because ailments of the skin and ear are not life threatening. If these symptoms are treated by allowing your dog to heal herself, then there is less likelihood of future illness. If the symptoms are stopped artificially (by using drugs or even some holistic approaches) they often return.

As Dr. Jeff mentioned, knowing the medical history of her 6 years can give you a context for this ear problem. If she had never had ear problems, and never been sick in other ways, it indicates good vitality and balance.

"She started with ear problems in her left ear. We took her to the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with a yeast infection and given antibiotic drops, 2x a day for 7 days. It went away, but then the same problems occurred in her right ear, with black, gummy stuff in her ear and a bright red, sensitive ear. Instead of going back to the vet, I decided to join the HA network and try a new approach."

Good for you, Kirsten, for recognizing that the drug approach was not working. As you will see in many of our courses, this return of symptoms indicates her energy field was "palliated", or temporarily helped.

Feeding a fresh food diet is always the best. My question is what proteins are you feeding with the Honest Kitchen grain-free dehydrated fruits and veggies? It is not intended to be a complete diet.
Also, it is best to puree or juice (and give both the juice and the fiber) all vegetables for maximum absorption of nutrients. Whole veges can be treats.

Rescue Remedy, a Bach Flower available in most stores and on-line is excellent to relieve pain. Put 4 drops of the essence (no need to buy the pet one) in 1 ounce of water. You can put a few drops of that into any liquid you put into the ear - green tea, almond oil, calendula, mullein & garlic drops, etc. Also, put a few drops in each meal. At the beginning, also put a few drops in her mouth several times and day, and put some on your hands when petting her. If it does seem to relieve her distress, even if there is still redness and discharge, you can try doing it less frequently and see what works best for her. You can also add 2 drops of Bach Flower Crab Apple to the dilution. This helps with a lot of skin issues.

And, as Dr. Jeff suggested, if you learn to do Reiki, this can both help the current ear problem and prevent other health issues for her in the future.

Dr. Chambreau

 

[scrapgenie]

Hi, my baby who is now 10 months also came down with red ears, was scratching at them and succeeded in scratching the inside of her ear. The vet smelled the ear, (no smell) did not look into her ear as he feared pulling on the ear would cause pain, so he determined by looking at it there was an ear infection. He prescribed Posatex ear drops once a day. His assistant administered the first dose. The next day, she seemed better, not shaking or scratching at her ears so much, (but still red and painful looking) so we administered a second dose. A few hours later she was losing her muscle coordination in her back leg. The leg would cramp and stick straight out for a minute or two. I administered mag phos for this muscle spasm and her leg returned to normal. The ear still red, I decided to utilize belladonna 30c as the redness was deep and it looked painful. After one dose the redness went down about 50%; after the second dose a few hours later, the ear cleared up. She has since had one recurring incident after eating a dehydrated chicken treat. Once more one dose of belladonna cleared it up. I am hoping that the leg no longer has any residual effects from the medication Posatex. I will follow your lead with adding the pureed veggies, as I have been adding steamed veggies. Also if you can share which salmon oil you use, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

OMG she is adorable!!

Excellent choice of the Belladonna and fantastic response to it!

Regarding chicken, in a few weeks you may want to see if she again responds negatively to fresh chicken.

If not, then try the chicken treats again.

As her Vitality and Balance strengthen over time, prior allergic triggers will resolve.

The allergy webinar-course discusses the goal of raising the allergy threshold in more detail.

Click/tap here to view it or read the slide handout and toolkit.

Regarding salmon oil, I tend to use fish-oils from other sources (krill, anchovies, sardines, etc.).

However, for salmon oil, the Nordic Natural brand is one of the best.

They also use anchovy and sardine for their omega-3 for pets.

Dr. Jeff

 

[Kirsten04]

Thank you, Dr. Jeff and Dr. Christina, for your replies and great suggestions. I am so happy to report that she turned a corner and the ear has improved greatly! Dr. Jeff, you were right. In making these changes, it takes time to see improvement and patience is so important. Dr. Christina, I will incorporate fresh veggie/fruit juices into her food, in addition to the celery juice that Dr. Jeff already recommended. She is not completely healed, but she is a happy, peppy dog again and I am thrilled.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Those ears look great from this picture, Kristen! They are nice and perky!!

Be sure to keep a journal of what happened. All symptoms that ever occur are important, even when an animal is healthy enough that they do not need homeopathic treatment to resolve the dis-ease.

Also, have you checked out the Early Warning Signs of Internal Imbalance for her? This would be a good time to have a good baseline, then see if there are any changes after the diet changes.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dana]

Help! Murphy is 10 months old. He has been shaking his head excessively since the day I brought him home at 9 weeks old. In the beginning we thought it was allergies but as the seasons changed I was looking for other reasons. We tried ozone therapy in the ears which seemed to help for 2-3 days. Per Dr. Jeff, we tried Calcarea Carbonica. Following the remedy, Murphy had an extreme behavioral change. He became very skittish and afraid of everything ... this lasted 3-4 days. As he started to return to himself, the head shaking went away.... for 2 days then came back. We tried a sanawave treatment last Wednesday with no apparent effect. Then last Friday morning Murphy yelped when I touched his head. Dr. Jeff recommended Belladonna. No more yelping but still shaking his head and avoiding contact with ears. Our conventional vet evaluated him on Friday afternoon and suspects an inn ear infection. I was not here for the appointment but he told my husband that IF he has had this infection for a long time, it could lead to hearing loss, facial paralysis or loss of balance. He suggested a "3 in 1 antibacterial, anti fungal and anti inflammatory oil treatment to be done 2 times 1 week apart". My husband is insisting that we do the treatment and I dont want Murphy to have long term effects from the ear infection. What should I do?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Dana, I'm so glad that you were on tonight's homeopathy webinar.

Perhaps start by downloading the recording to your husband's phone so he can listen to it.

That way he'll have some context for my patience and perseverance recommendation.

 

[Dana]

Jeff, Richard was listening to the webinar last night. He is supportive of holistic healing BUT this has been going on for a long time and we are both worried about permanent damage. The treatment is a gel/oil called Osurnia. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[Dr. Sara]

Patience is important in getting real healing, as there are many conventional products that provide a quick fix, but do not get to the root of the problem.

For instance, if you look at the Elanco page for Osurnia
Osurnia®
you will a list of significant adverse reactions on the bottom of the page.

You will also see that the Indications - reasons for treatment - do not include inner ear infections, only otitis externa, or outer ear infections. If the outer ears look normal, an inner ear infection is supposition. Osuria is not labelled to be used with inner ear infections, anyway.

I understand your concerns, and sympathize. It is upsetting when your puppy is uncomfortable, and I know how much you love the little guy. It sounds like Murphy primarily has itchy flaps, rather than inflammation in the ear canal. Inner ear infections don’t generally have signs of ear itchiness, they have signs of balance problems, and Murphy does not show any indication of that.

If you feel treatment is needed, I would consider Zymox without hydrocortisone, as it is much less suppressive than other conventional treatment. Another option is daily gentle wiping of the flaps with cotton well dampened with a soothing solution like Wondercide Skin Tonic Spray. That is what I use if my girls get itchy ears. Murphy, as a puppy, has quite large floppy ears, so they will stay moist, and will itch. For chronic otitis, I have used Pellitol in the ear canals, but that is not indicated with no inflammation.
Keep us posted!
Regards,
Sara

 

[Dr. Sara]

Thank you Sara!
But what about the yelping when I touched his head on Friday, and they way he has been carrying his head low (like he has been beaten) and he avoids hands going to rub his head.
There is definitely something wrong more than just itchy ears.
Dana

Dear Dana,
As I understand it, Murphy’s ears look normal inside, right? Then Murphy does not have an external ear infection, and a topical medicine to treat fungus and bacteria is not appropriate. The antimicrobials will encourage the growth of resistant bacteria. Most topical medicines for external ear infections also contain a steroid (as does Osurnia), which can decrease pain and itch. Perhaps the steroid content is why the local vet wants to prescribe it. Steroids are not a good option to treat pain, as they are just masking signs, and steroids can, in some cases, cause pain and itch. As you can see from the Adverse Reactions and the package insert (both on-line), there are definite negatives to this product.

Ears can become sensitive, and Wondercide Skin Tonic Spray is quite soothing, which is why I would try gently wiping that on the inside of the flaps. In addition, this topical treatment can’t hurt anything.

If you feel there is something going on internally, like a neurologic problem, or a deep seated irritation, then I would go to an internal medicine specialist or neurologist. I would not use Osurnia, as Murphy doesn't have the problem for which the medicine is labelled.
There are odd ball things that can cause these sorts of signs. Dogs can get awns in awkward places, and perhaps that is the cause of his discomfort. Teeth can erupt abnormally or things can get lodged deep in the mouth, which can cause strange feelings in the ear.
Cheers,
Sara

 

[Dana]

Thank you Sara!
But what about the yelping when I touched his head on Friday, and they way he has been carrying his head low (like he has been beaten) and he avoids hands going to rub his head.
There is definitely something wrong more than just itchy ears.
Dana

Dear Dana,
As I understand it, Murphy’s ears look normal inside, right? Then Murphy does not have an external ear infection, and a topical medicine to treat fungus and bacteria is not appropriate. The antimicrobials will encourage the growth of resistant bacteria. Most topical medicines for external ear infections also contain a steroid (as does Osurnia), which can decrease pain and itch. Perhaps the steroid content is why the local vet wants to prescribe it. Steroids are not a good option to treat pain, as they are just masking signs, and steroids can, in some cases, cause pain and itch. As you can see from the Adverse Reactions and the package insert (both on-line), there are definite negatives to this product.

Ears can become sensitive, and Wondercide Skin Tonic Spray is quite soothing, which is why I would try gently wiping that on the inside of the flaps. In addition, this topical treatment can’t hurt anything.

If you feel there is something going on internally, like a neurologic problem, or a deep seated irritation, then I would go to an internal medicine specialist or neurologist. I would not use Osurnia, as Murphy doesn't have the problem for which the medicine is labelled.
There are odd ball things that can cause these sorts of signs. Dogs can get awns in awkward places, and perhaps that is the cause of his discomfort. Teeth can erupt abnormally or things can get lodged deep in the mouth, which can cause strange feelings in the ear.
Cheers,
Sara

@ 10 months old are there still teeth coming in?
as of yesterday, he wont eat his vegetables. This morning he would not eat his chicken. I deboned it and microwaved it and he ate. Lunch was beef and he seemed to be having a hard time chewing it so I cut it into tiny pieces and he only ate some of it. ?

 

[Dr. Sara]

The last permanent teeth, the molars way in the back of the mouth, generally erupt between 5 and 7 months, and the bigger the dog the closer to the end of that range they erupt. This does sound like mouth or jaw discomfort. I would consider seeing a canine dentist. I had a Ridgeback patient who at 16 months of age had a bizarre eruption problem with a molar, so it could be a tooth problem, or something wedged in the mouth.
Let us know how it goes!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Regarding his eating, it sounds like more of an appetite issue than any discomfort from eating as he may just not have been hungry.

Cutting the beef made it higher value so he might have eaten even though a low appetite may have kept him from eating otherwise.

It would be interesting to see if he'll eat the deboned chicken without any cooking (or prompting).

As Dr. Sara said, this could definitely still be a tooth or mouth problem. Did Dr. Neil examine Murphy's mouth?

Also, is this recent morning head shaking much different than it's been since he was adopted?

 

[Dana]

He seems hungry as he is hanging out by his food dish. He definitely is having sensation in his back teeth - more on the left side. When he chews something, he does it with a wide mouth. (see video) Dr. Neil did look in his mouth and all seems normal. If we manipulate his jaw, ears, skull there is no discomfort. The head shaking continues to be the same as always.
Last night Murphy had caramel colored soft ice cream consistency diarrhea all over the rug. I offered raw ground turkey for breakfast, no interest. I cooked it, no interest. He did eat left-over roast chicken.

 

[Dana]

View attachment IMG_5369 2.mov

 

[Dr. Sara]

I'm sorry, but I can't see the video.
I suspect the diarrhea is due to stress, and the change in eating habits.
It is hard to examine the mouth thoroughly when a dog is awake. Even the calmest dog can't help flipping their tongue around. My girls will let me look closely in their mouths, and I can get a thorough look at the outside toward the cheeks. Once I open the mouth, I can see inside the upper jaw quite well. It is virtually impossible to get a comprehensive look at the inside of the molars in the lower jaw because the tongue is in the way.
I would suggest a thorough exam, by a veterinary dentist, under sedation.

 

[Dana]

I'm sorry, but I can't see the video.
I suspect the diarrhea is due to stress, and the change in eating habits.
It is hard to examine the mouth thoroughly when a dog is awake. Even the calmest dog can't help flipping their tongue around. My girls will let me look closely in their mouths, and I can get a thorough look at the outside toward the cheeks. Once I open the mouth, I can see inside the upper jaw quite well. It is virtually impossible to get a comprehensive look at the inside of the molars in the lower jaw because the tongue is in the way.
I would suggest a thorough exam, by a veterinary dentist, under sedation.

?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

I also can't view your video (sorry Dana).

Fantastic thought @Dr. Sara about the digital mouth x-rays to rule out any structural problems!

I suggest having them done either by my friend Gary Lazarus, owner of Rippowam Animal Hospital on High Ridge, or the specialist dentist Dr. Carmichael on Long Island.

Rippowam Animal Hospital is under construction

www.rippowamanimalhospital.com

Dr. Daniel T. Carmichael, Dental Specialist & Surgeon, Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island

Dr. Daniel T. Carmichael is the first and only board-certified veterinary dentist on Long Island. Dr. Carmichael graduated from the Cornell University Veterinary College.

vmcli.com

Regarding Murphy's appetite and totality, we'll discuss them during his next phone recheck.