moldy gunk & smell in dog's ears

[SageTheRage]

Apparently (thank goodness) this condition is not contagious as I have other dogs and several cats and they do not have nor never have had this condition but for the
past 2 yrs. (non-stop/year round; 24/7, 365) my dalmatian has had thick black gunk in his ears that smells very moldy. It is of a soupy, syrupy texture (definitely not ear mites). I know it's some sort of a fungus but I can't get rid of it!

I've tried all sorts of 'homemade' remedies from yogurt and garlic in his food, to vaginal yeast infection cream in his ears, to expensive oral antibiotics and antibotic creams in his ears (purchased at GREAT expense from Vet); also have had his ears professionally flushed but the moldy yeast (?) still keeps coming back.

Actually, it never goes away but is only slightly reduced in appearance and odor for a matter of a few hours or overnight. Next day, its as if I'd not done anything to remedy the situation, sigh. Amazingly it has not spread to his eyes, nose, mouth, etc nor has he had any ill effects in his overall health. His hearing has not diminished either.

He does not cry in pain nor does it seem to bother him much aside from sneaking into another room to scratch his ears (heh, he's learned not to scratch in front of me for fear I'll get out my 'equipment'; poor guy!) Sometimes, though, when his ears are especially full, he tilts his head to the side containing the most gunk. He does seem to have it in one ear more than the other but both are pretty bad.

Have also tried children's benydral allergy tabs (vet suggested) as well as an ear solution from health food store containing: tea tree oil, almond oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic oil, mullein & echinacea root.

The commercial dog ear cleaning washes and drying cremes availabe at pet stores don't seem to do the trick either.

I've been having great success keeping it at bay this last week by squirting OTC 3% peroxide in his ears every few days with a syringe but wonder of the long term damage from excess dryness or irritation if I keep this up. His ears don't stink, he doesn't pull or scratch at them constantly and they are pink again but I worry if this is a good course to continue on or not.

I have read that sometimes surgery is the only solution. Any other suggestions as to what I might try? I simply cannot afford high vet bills. The ear flushing & creams from the vet were in the hundreds of dollars PER visit and as I said, didn't tackle the problem anyway.

TIA,
Sage (P.S. He is an 'inside' dog and only goes out as needed - he does not live outdoors)

 

[blue gecko]

If the peroxide seems to be working I'd continue the process. You might keep using the ear solution from the health food store but add a couple of drops of oregano oil and colloidal silver to it. When it gets 'under control' a weekly treatment may be necessary to keep it at bay. If it is a fungus it can be extremely difficult to get rid of completely. Keep his nails cut short and disinfect his bedding. You may want to evaluate his diet and move to a rice/vegie based food for awhile. Good luck! BG

 

[Kathy in WV]

Hi!
Actually a really bad case of ear mites can look like that. Sometimes when theres that much gunk in there the meds can't get to the problem. Its gross but helps to use Q-tips(carefully) and use a rag to clean out as much of the goop as possible before you use medicine. You're on the right track with peroxide. Try using a wash made of 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup alcohol, and 1/2 cup water. Its the only thing that worked on my Boxers. Fill up the ear and rub the area where the ear canal is located( you can feel it). Its a 2 person job since they start shaking like crazy trying to get it out. Good luck with your furry friend- hope this helps. Kat

 

[goatlady2]

My dog has that also - my vet calls it "allergy ears!" My dog also scratchs and nibbles periodically on her feet and body. She definitely has an allergy the vet and I just cannot find what it is. It's not just dry skin, she gets plenty of oils/fresh meat/fish in her diet. She doesn't mind me cleaning her ears daily even with Q-tips and I have found the ointment VEDCO really seems to help keep the itch down to a manageable level - Not very expensive at my Vet's, about $5 per tube which lasts about a month for my dog. A little dab will do ya'.

 

[Never Mind]

MuttPuppy had been having recurrent yeast infections in her ears with
opportunistic bacterial infections setting in almost simultaneously. We went
through months & months of vet rinses/antibiotics/washes/flushes/and mostly $$$
until someone told me about apple cider vinegar.
I mix one part apple cider vinegar (yes yes "Mother Bragg'ss") and one part
warm (NOT HOT!) water. After gently wiping out the gunk as best I could
in the outer ears, I'd wrap gauze around my finger, dip in the solution, and
just lightly rub around inside her ears, careful not to push any deeper than
my finger would easily fit. The warmth and easy rubbing felt good to her
itchy ears, I guess, as she'd sit quite calmly while I'd do it....once a day for
1-2 weeks until it cleared up. Nowadays, if she starts showing signs of itching,
or gunk forming, I'll use the solution for a couple days and that's been all I've
used for almost 2 years now. I wouldn't use it as an ear rinse or even let
any more than unavoidable drip down into her ears...think that'd sting?


NM

 

[SageTheRage]

Thx you all SO MUCH for the wonderful tips!!! I thank you too for your kindness, love and concern! I KNEW I'd come to the right place for help.

Ya know, what, when reading goatlady2's accounting of her dog's nibbling on her feet, that got me to thinking just how much my dog licks his paws. He does it quite a bit. I remember that being a sign of allergy too but since we've not changed his diet since this mess began 2 yrs. ago, I don't think its a food allergy unless he's suddenly become allergic? It's a well-known commercial brand lamb and rice dog food.

Back when he was a puppy, he had all sorts of ailments for his first yr. of life (he's now 6 yrs. old) and I fed him boiled (and twice rinsed) ground beef and rice. Being 'people food' of course, he loved it! Wondering if I should go back to that as well as the various suggestions y'all supplied me with here?

Thanks again guys; I am most appreciative of the wonderful tried and true advice. I'll be sure and let you know how it goes over the next few months and if I see a steady improvement. If so, perhaps a total cure might be in the foreseeable future!

 

[Herbmountain]

It sounds to me like yeast. Does your dog swim in a pool, lake or stream? Yeast needs a moist warm environment to survive. I would try giving your dog caprylic acid internally. Im a little apprehensive of the hydrogen peroxide as it is not tissue friendly and can be very drying to the tissues. I would do an ear flush with goldenseal and yerba santa in equal parts.

Then I would also put your dog on essential fatty acids. Many times essential fatty acids, lacking in commercial dog foods today will take care of many problems.

The surgery your talking about is called ear canal resection. It is horrible and renders your dog deaf for the rest of his life. You might also consider giving your dog human child vitamins. They are available in liquid or tablets.

The essential fatty acids come in two kinds. Omega 3 is from fish oils and Omega 6 is from seeds like flax, borage, primrose and black currant. These oils are great for all kinds of skin conditions like dermatitis, hot spots, dry skin and more.

Good luck what ever you decide.

 

[SageTheRage]

Thank you, Herbmountain fro the info on the surgery. I understood it was a serious operation but your description let me know it was even worse than I had imagined.

I will check into the fatty acids as you kindly suggested. My dog, although a dalmatian, does have very, very pink skin on his underbelly and as I said, he licks his paws (forefront area) quit a bit.

I, too, was worried about the repeated process of using peroxide because of its drying effect, You have confirmed my suspicions. This is most likely why blue gecko mentioned combining the peroxide (since it was the only thing working thus far) with the oils I was already using as well as mixing in some oregano and colloidal silver.

Again, I am sincerely appreciative of your & everyone's help. It is great to have benefit of such expert knowledge!

P.S. and I'm sure he'll love the yummy kid's vitamins!!!

 

[AnniePutin]

Vinegar and water can be used as often as needed with no fear of damage. I also like to mix in some alcohol as mentioned above to help remove excess moisture that gets trapped in there, especially after bathing, but 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water can be used with even less concern and is recommended by my vet to maintain healthy ears.

 

[SageTheRage]

Thanks, AnniePutin, the water, vinegar & alcohol mix seems like it would be a gentle, sensible and extremely inexpensive preventative measure once I get his condition under control. I like that!!!

After all these great tips, my dog shall have the healthiest ears in town!

Thank you very much.

 

[Wise Owl]

Sage, our dog also had that messy stuff going on with her ears along with the tumors. Not to scare you. She had the ear thing for years before the tumors.

My husband and myself both think it is the commercial dog food that is the culprit.
Since taking her off all pet food and pet treats and using the diet, she has no more ear junk! He skin and coat are starting to shine again. And of course she is beating the cancer....

For anyone with a pet, please think about what you are feeding your pets. They did not have commercial food for them years ago and the animals did just fine with "people food".
My dogs diet is a mix a dark meat minus the fat, (chicken thighs and legs simmered, not boiled) and rice and veggies. She is doing enormously well on it. She is also 13 now. I do not recommend beef at all. chicken (dark meat) lamb, fish, (canned salmon is full of good stuff for them) turkey (again the dark meat)...
The only "extra" that I give her is flax seed oil for pets. It has omega 3 and 6.
The other vits she needs she gets from the veggies. And don't forget to give the juice from the veggies to them. Half of the vitamins end up in that juice!
Oh, and our dog loves the fresh carrot juice! And carrots.

Don't fall for that line that they give you about "people food". If you give your pet fresh meat cooked correctly and veggies and use the rice as a base you will notice a huge difference almost immediately. And guess what! They love it.
Our dog is actually losing weight that she didn't need. I can't believe how much healthier she looks and acts since I threw away the commercial stuff...

 

[Herbmountain]

Wise Owl. Very interesting. I would love to start feeding this way. What do you feed to supplement calcium? I hear with home cooking dog food, this is the one vitamin left out. I read in one alternative book that it is very important to supplement with vitamins and minerals

I worked with a vet that specialized in exotic cats. It was very interesting as the zoo's were feeding fresh meats and all fruits and vegetables but the cats were loosing their teeth. The one ingredient they were missing was the calcium and the cats obtained this from eating the bone too. Im thinking this might be good for the dogs also. I do give rib eye, knuckle and femur bone to my dog. She loves taking hours to grind it down.

Taurine is obtained from the red meats and is needed for cats and dogs, so taurine needs to be supplemented if not feeding red meat. Just wondering if you researched this? I have forgotten a few things since being a tech.

 

[SageTheRage]

I thought turkey was toxic for dogs? IIRC, my mother told me her vet warned about it around the holidays a few years back. Hmmm.... but yes, I do agree that proper preparation of 'people' food would be good for our pets and it is definitely something I plan to look into doing next grocery shopping list.

I do appreciate the heads-up about the tumors, Wise Owl because he's had a few tumors (benign thank goodness) removed from his throat (chin area actually) several years ago at the tender age of only 3 yrs. old and had a actively open sore on the tip of his one ear for years that bled constantly. It kept having to be restitched and has a hard lump there now as a scar.

Thx again for all the wonderful help I've found here.

 

[Wise Owl]

Calcium sources:

One of the highest sources is Almonds. I cup equals 600 milligrams of calcium, it also contains a slew of other vits and minerals!

Other sources of calcium include:
Salmon, spinach, mackeral, sardines, oysters, broccoli, great northern beans, white beans, winged beans, white beans, soybeans, collard greens, squash, figs, rhubarb, and tofu.
Don't forget you need vit D also. 15 mins of sunshine will take care of that.

(I am copying this from the book.)
If you are really concerned about calcium suppliments for your pets. Do the diet at night that is oxalic acid higher (watch how much) but in the morning you can add the calcium suppliment like in a powder of such.

Dairy calcium is called free calcium and is hard to digest and absorb. If you were to add some cooked soybeans or tofu to the rice and meat diet it will probably satisfy the calcium needs. I like to mix her diet up a little. She loves veggies so that is not a problem and she doesn't get palate fatigue. Remember she has cancer so I am giving her more oxalic acid than you would a fairly healthy animal.

You guys really need to get the book. Joe said yesterday on Franks show that if you are financially challenged right now just call him and explain. He will send you the book for free. Of course if you can afford it please send him the payment so he can afford to help those who can't pay..

I will adding another pic to the thread I have going on the diet soon. The tumor is shrinking faster now since she is getting the organic fresh juiced carrot juice.
(Joe sent us a hand juicer!) I couldn't find the Hollywood brand carrot juice up here.

The carrot juice is very important to the diet. She gets one tablespoon once a day.
When she started she was supposed to get two. she also weighs 50 lbs. Smaller dogs and cats would get less. The full breakdown on the diet for dogs and cats is in the book.

Please if you haven't been to Joe's website, go read. www.coljoe.com
It is so worth your time.

Edited to add, if you go to this website for juicing veggies and fruits it is an excellant source for the total breakdown on the vitamins, minerals and acids in most veggies and fruits.
You could do juicing to suppliment the vit stuff.
http://juicingbook.com/vegetables/wheatgrass/
The link is to their wheatgrass page as that is what I have been looking at doing for us and the dog.

That stuff is FULL of vits. Dogs and cats eat grass to help digest their food. So it has to be good for us.

If nothing else this house is going to get healthier whether we like it or not! So far it isn't a problem.

Please feel free to ask questions. although it probably should be on the other thread so nothing gets lost.

 

[goatlady2]

When I make dog food for my girls, I add oat flakes, what flakes, barley flakes, lots of garlic granules and nutritional yeast. They love it. Just cook the meats and veggies and the last 10 minutes or so I add the grains and other stuff. I add 3/4 cup powdered milk also, but that is a no-no on WiseOwl's plan. It's the turkey BONES that are bad for any animal, as well as any bird bone - they splinter and can lodge in the throat, stomach, intestinal tract and cause hemorrhage, pain, puncture, death. Mammal bones do not splinter and my girls get deer or elk bones weekly to keep the teeth clean and they get the marrow also. By the way my girls LOVE carrot juice especially with that Green Magna stuff in it.

 

[Wise Owl]

Oh yes, NO bones from the meat of fowl! Bad, bad, bad...

Candy gets deer bones also in the winter when we have them. She used to love her beef bones but the beef calcium and the vit b6 that is in beef and pork is a definate no no.
I asked Joe about venison and he said he didn't know but was going to research it. But, that considering it was so low in fat and range fed he thought it would be fine!
So bring on deer hunting season! About 10 days and counting! Can't wait. She will love it. Oh and make sure those bones are uncooked. They will splinter if you cook them...

 

[Willow]

My first guess would be allergies....and as others have stated...they often chew on their feet too with food allergies. Dalmations are notorious for food allergies. Often the allergy is soy or wheat. I don't have the web sites handy but you can find diets to relieve your dog's allergy problems by doing a search for natural raw diets. Dr. Pitcairn has a book out with several diets. The most important thing is feeding raw meat....although many people have a problem with that and cook the meat.

I have used the raw natural diet on cats with urinary tract infections and they never had a problem once on the natural homemade diet. It is the perfect substitute for the all natural mouse diet. :-)

As for treating the ears, my vet told me to mix 3/4th alcohol with 1/4th apple cider vingar. I use this as a general cleaner for my dogs when cleaning their ears and it works great. Very drying and takes the itch away. Saturate a cotton ball and really get down in the ear and clean it out. While it will not give permanent relief unless you get to the root of the problem, it will provide temporary relief.

Willow

 

[SageTheRage]

My only prior hold out on it not being food allergy related was that his food had not been changed prior to the ear mold growth but I do admit that he did have the tumors and the constant paw licking before the ear problem started so more than likely the damage was done and then spread to the ears.

Because of that realization, I am definitely convinced this is all allergy related due to his dog food. That would explain why no amount of prior treatments were doing any good.

I will change his diet as well as utilize the ear cleaning tips presented in this thread. I feel confident that this will be a winning solution.

Thank you one and all! This has been most enlightening. I have learned a great deal because of your kindness and willingness to take the time to share your wisdom.

My deepest appreciation (and on behalf of "Bill" too - my Dalmatian)