Ear Infection/Vet Visit Updated.

Hey David, Hilary chiming in here - LOL. Personally I haven't had a problem with my lot with either chicken or beef. Not saying it doesn't happen - it does, but it just hasn't happened with mine, fortunately. Every dog is different. The first thing I think is to get them off grains because yeast thrives on the sugar in grains. If that doesn't clear the problem, start an elimination diet to see what they are allergic to. I've written about it here: http://www.pugauthority.com/medical-wellbeing-by-topic-f2/food-allergies-and-elimination-diets-t5123.htm?highlight=elimination+diets. If you've got questions, ask away.

I've been doing some more research lately about systemic yeast infection (candidiasis, the infection caused by the candida albicans organism). If the dog's beneficial bacteria are destroyed - by an overgrowth of yeast in the presence of favourable conditions such as stress, bad nutrition, antibiotics, prednisone, vaccinations, and other triggers, the immune system will be unable to fight off any number of problems including but not limited to seasonal/environmental allergies and digestive problems. Once the candidiasis takes hold, it's hard to reverse even if you try to counterbalance with the beneficial bacteria in yoghurt. Symptoms frequently diagnosed as allergies (such as ear infections) can turn out to be caused by candidiasis.

It gets worse. The single-celled candida organism grows and mutates, sending out shoots in the body which penetrate the intestinal walls and potentially results in leaky gut syndrome. At this point the body begins to treat some foods as foreign invaders and sets up a reaction - this reaction is an allergy symptom (see the early part of the article I referenced earlier for a fuller description of this reaction).

Moreover, when it gets to this point, the thyroid is starting to malfunction and it would be beneficial to have a full thyroid panel done. The thyroid gland is extremely important because it controls the metabolism of EVERY CELL in the body; when it is compromised, any of the body's functions can be affected - e.g. tear glands (dry eye), kidneys (urinary tract problems/stones), nervous system, etc., etc.

On another note, I used the Blue Power Treatment successfully for many years. It is the only thing I know of that truly clears up the ear infections if you follow the instructions religiously. Of course, you also have to eliminate the underlying reason for the infection. I am an anti-Otomax person now. They even say on their monograph that it can cause irreversible deafness: http://www.1800petmeds.com/Otomax-prod10108.html . And if you read some of the information here, it will make your hair curl: http://www.drugs.com/vet/otomax.html.

Blanche, what's that name of the lactose-free probiotic supplement that you give and how much/often do you give it?

smoochieface wrote:Blanche, what's that name of the lactose-free probiotic supplement that you give and how much/often do you give it?

I give Dophilus Plus,made by Sisu. And Tank and Theo get it once a day in their morning meals. I also supplement Tank's meal with bromelian and Papain as we are pretty sure his absorption of food is not great and most digestive supplements have too many ingredients for Tank.

What Hilary just described pretty much described my Tank and, to some degree, my Theo. I'm the Yeast Queen. I have a fairly long protocol for what I've done with Tank and Theo that has, so far, been pretty successful. It's very labour intensive, but I am seeing results. However, Lola isn't anywhere near needing to launch into the War Against Yeasties that I have engaged in.

It's also important to use probiotics carefully. When first diagnosed, hold off on the probiotics until the antibacerial/antifungal meds have kicked in and reduced the amount of yeast - about 2 -3 weeks. Then go for it. Coconut oil and garlic are also effective in combatting the candida. High protein, low carbohydrate diets help as well by removing the sugars from the diet that encourage the yeast. And of course, no vaccinations - this is a serious enough condition to get a medical waiver for rabies.

I figured I would update everyone on Lola and her ear infection. We went to the vet today, if you live in the Atlanta area I would really recommend going to Well Pet. The whole crew was awesome, when we got there they had double booked due to an emergency which was fine by me since I saw the dog they were treating and he needed to be seen before me, even though he didn't get to leave :(. Lola of course was the center of attention, which she loves. The vet basically said that her ear infection is not bad at all, if it was bad it is now going away. She said that she loves Tresaderm so to keep using it and she also said that it is multi-purpose, it is also a great acne medicine if Lola is to ever get a pimple. Other than that they said she is a bit chunky, she needs to drop down to 17-18 lbs. She seemed really excited by the fact that she is on a raw diet and just said that I should do the same amount of overall food but less meat and more filler like green beans and such. She gave us a new set of heartworm meds and we were off. Overall this was the best Vet experience that I have ever had. I made the appointment for her rabies, parvo, and Bortella Vac. and we will be making the hike back to this vet from now on even when we are in Chattanooga.

The only thing she mentioned is that she has extremely narrow ear canals so I need to make sure to keep her ears clear of debris and moisture.

Alright, it might be too early to tell but I think Lola's ear infection and allergies are under control *knock on wood*. She has not scratched her ears all day, she also has not rubbed her eyes or gotten eye buggers. All I had to do was get rid of the Honest kitchen. So she is 100% grain free. Now there are a new set of issues that seem to be something that is going to be more long term.

The Doc said she has extremely narrow ear canals, so we will see what she says about that at our next visit. Now the second issue is teeth. She seems to have a tooth that is either a baby tooth that has not fallen out that is crooked or a adult tooth that has grown in sideways. So far it has no affect on Lola but it seems like something that has the potential to harbor a ton of bacteria and become painful eventually. So is there anything that I should be aware of? I am guessing that the best way to handle the situation would be to have a cleaning and an extraction at the same time? How often do you reccommend having cleanings? Once a year? At 14 months old is there a chance that its a baby tooth?

I'm sure that SEPRA or Jana can recommend a pug friendly vet in the Chattanooga area. Even if you keep going to Atlanta for well checks, knowing one close by will be handy.

There's a very good chance it is a baby tooth that never fell out. I see it alot with the rescue. My dogs rarely need dentals. Most get two in their lives if I have them 10 years or more. Partly because of their diets and the bones they chew and partly because I brush their teeth. Some of my dogs have such crooked teeth that no amount of bone chewing is going to clean all the areas so I brush their teeth. Has saved me a fortune in dental work.....

How often do you brush their teeth? I brushed hers about 3 or so weeks ago and it was like pulling teeth. She has her own toothbrush usually she just drinks the toothpaste as I brush or squirms away. I do give her Bully sticks and Pig tail things. Although she is so weird and doesn't like the bully sticks.