Ear Problems 
Ear Problems Chronic ear problems, when both ears are involved, indicate allergies, an ailing liver or kidneys, or some other internal disorder. This is definitely a scenario that calls for a holistic approach and digging down into the cause.
Many alternative veterinarians regard allergies as a common trigger of ear infections. There is often a secondary yeast infection present, the result of moist ears created by the underlying allergy process. The yeast infection requires treatment, frequently on a fairly regular basis, unless the underlying allergic response is handled.
MITES? REAL OR IMAGINED?—CARVEL TIEKERT, DVM
The most common misdiagnosis made by pet owners is that their dogs have mites. “My dog has mites,” they will tell me. “The ears are red. The dog is shaking his head.”
Some dogs will shake their heads so much that they actually do circulatory damage to the tips of their ears. And it probably isn’t a mite problem. Frequently when we look in the ears and see inflammation, but no sign of mites, the problem is usually an allergy. The itchy ears are part of a generalized allergy problem.
I don’t believe that mites are that common. If they are present, just put a few drops of mineral oil in the ears with a dropper. That will drown the mites, but the presence of mites may require treating for a length of time.
In general, see a veterinarian when an ear problem develops. The animal could have a damaged eardrum and you would never know it. The veterinarian needs to look in the ears with a otoscope. If you put the wrong thing in the ears on your own, you may cause problems. For instance, if the ears are inflamed and you think there are mites involved when in reality there are none, using a strong mite medicine may make the condition worse.
Conventional medicines tend to suppress the normal immune response in the area of the ear and perhaps systemically as well. Strong antibiotics are often used. There’s a danger in this type of treatment, says Joseph Demers, DVM: “The ear infection may go away, but in six months the dog develops another one, or maybe bronchitis. The animal is then put on more antibiotics. The condition clears up temporarily. Then sometime later it returns again, or the animal this time develops gastrointestinal symptoms with diarrhea and vomiting. Again antibiotics are used, along with perhaps other suppressive drugs. Has the condition gotten better? No. The dog may have been on drugs for years before a frustrated owner tries an alternative treatment to deal with the chronic ear infections or a more serious problem such as colitis. Situations like this demonstrate the shortcomings of a purely drug approach to illness. The disease was originally at the surface level—in the ears—but became suppressed and went internal, became suppressed again, and went deeper.”
Stress is an overlooked cause of recurrent infections and dogs continually scratching their ears. “You need also to look at potential stress factors in addition to considering offending substances in the pet’s diet or environment,” says Paul McCutcheon, DVM. “Look for the reasons, and do not just treat the symptoms. You can use as much medication as you can stick down the ear canal, but that won’t resolve the initiating reason.”
Neem oil is a powerful antifungal and antiparasitic herbal agent derived from the Neem tree (Azaradichta indica) in India. It generally eliminates the problem without the need to use any toxic insecticide. It is available through Ayush Herbs at 800-925-1371.
5 to 10 drops twice daily in the affected ears for one week. Skip a week and repeat treatment. Skip another week and repeat.
The combination of acupuncture and eardrops is often helpful. You may want to try colloidal silver for an uncomplicated ear infection. If there is a smelly discharge, and the dog is shaking its head, use the classic combination of garlic and oil of mullein. These products are available in health food stores. If neither of these preparations work, see a holistic veterinarian.
Colloidal silver: 5 to 6 drops in the ear daily for up to ten days.
Oil of mullein: Follow label instructions.
For either bacterial or yeast infections of the ears, use an acidophilus supplement containing this friendly strain of bacteria that normally resides in the body and provides many essential functions. Here’s how to do it:
Buy a container of acidophilus in capsule or powder form at the health food store.
Clean out the ear of your animal using any of the good natural pet ear cleaning products. Or put 1 ounce of vinegar in a cup of water and flush out the ears. Animals will shake their heads afterward. That’s normal any time you put something in their ears. Make sure you get all the water out.
Put the equivalent of 1/4 of a capsule of acidophilus into 1 ounce of water. Take an eyedropper and squirt the liquid into the ear to get it deep down. The animal will again shake its head.
The acidophilus helps chase harmful bacteria and yeast out of the ear. Leave the acidophilus residue in the ears. The acidophilus will die in there—the ear canal is not a normal habitat for them. Simply repeat this procedure periodically to replace the acidophilus that die.
Bacteria infections are usually gooey looking and may have some pus. Yeast infections are identified by their strong odor—like smelly feet—and an abundance of sticky, dark brown wax. Sometimes there may be a combination of yeast and bacterial infections. Mite infestations are also associated with copious wax; however, the discharge is black in color and crumbly.
The longer that ear infections have gone on, the more debris there will be in the ear canal and the longer the condition will take to resolve. If the infection is of recent origin, you can expect to see improvement within a few days. If the ears stink, you should notice an improvement in the smell. If the ears are full of gunk, you should see less debris. If there is a discharge, you will see a change from color to clear.
Twice a day for therapy, once a week preventively for dogs such as Cockers, who tend to get ear infections often. For dogs such as German Shepherds, who have a drier ear, repeat once a month.
Change your animal’s diet to more wholesome, natural food. Years ago I had a case of a dog with cruddy skin and constantly infected ears. The owners were feeding the dog a very poor diet. I advised them to switch to a natural food. In a short time the dog was transformed. Poor diet is often the reason for poor health.
I see many dogs, and particularly Cockers, with otitis, an inflammation of the ear canal. Often these animals have been referred after being “through the mill” of steroids and antibiotics. Their problems haven’t cleared up.
Typically you will see a nonpurulent buildup of brownish or yellowish wax along with red ears. Animals are scratching their ears and shaking their heads. I regard this in large part as an allergic reaction to poor-quality food and things like pizza, french fries, and cheese that animals shouldn’t be eating. My recommendation is to change the diet to the most wholesome food you can buy. Better yet, if you have the time, prepare home-cooked meals with vegetables, rice (long grain, not instant, and cooked until it is mushy), chicken, and healthy items that are not allergic to the animal.
I also suggest putting the animal on a good vitamin/mineral supplement. I use K-9 Forte from Vetri-Science (800-882-9993), a product sold through veterinarians.
Step 1: Mix 1/2 ounce of olive oil and 400 IU of vitamin E in a dropper bottle. Warm to body temperature and apply a half dropperful into the ear. Massage the ear canal for a minute or so. Let your pet shake its head and then gently clean out the canal with cotton swabs. Apply the oil every other day for six days. Then let the ears rest for three days. The oil mixture smothers mites and initiates a healing process.
Step 2: Dilute a tincture of the herb yellow dock by putting 9 drops in 1 tablespoon of water. Treat the ears with this mixture, as done in step 1, once every three days for six weeks. Ear mite eggs are quite resistant after they have hardened. For this reason it is necessary to undertake this step. The eggs will hatch out in cycles. If the medicine is present for six continuous weeks, the mites will be eliminated.
Step 3: Thoroughly shampoo the head and ears every two days for at least two to three times to eliminate any mites that may have ventured out from the ears. Also shampoo the tip of the tail, which may have acquired mites when it is curled near the head. Make a tea infusion of yellow dock, cool it down, and use it as a final rinse.
Generally, healthy animals have less problems with ear mites.
If the ears are somewhat waxy, irritated, and inflamed, use diluted vinegar to wash the ears. Use two parts water and one part vinegar to flush out the ears every day or two. This will keep up the acid level and produce an unfriendly environment for any yeast organisms populating the ears. If the ears are soupy with pus, see a veterinarian. This may indicate a serious bacterial infection.
For chronic infections, such as Cocker ear, I recommend the following combination:
Earth Bounty Oxy-Max, a liquid oxygen product that neutralizes hostile microbes, from Matrix Health Products (800-736-5609), available in health food stores.
R-7, an ear wash made by Rich Health, a product you can buy in pet stores.
The combination mechanically cleans out the ear, which most ear products don’t do. Most tell you to put in a few drops, but you can’t clean an ear with a few drops. The infusion of liquid oxygen stops the bacterial growth. The main reason for the infection is that there is little or no oxygen in the ear, and the bacteria thrive in that kind of a situation. By adding the oxygen, you eliminate that. Most of the time this approach seems to eliminate mites as well.
Put 6 drops of Oxy-Max in 1 ounce of R-7. Stir together. Fill the ear canal with liquid, then massage the ear at the base. Gently wipe out the material with cotton balls on your fingertips, not with cotton swabs. Use this technique preventively once or twice a week or as needed. For some dogs you will need to do it every couple of days and for others maybe once a year.
Twice daily until no more debris comes out of the ear, and then to make sure, repeat for another two days.