[Vet Hat]
Recurrent ear infections are almost always a sign of underlying allergies in pets, although the allergies are not necessarily simply food related as bjo3030 suggests. The skin is irritated by the allergies and the normal yeast and bacteria that live in the ear take advantage of the weakened skin defenses and have a party.
In fixing the secondary infection, it is important to have a clear idea of what is overgrowing and to be heavy-handed about the treatment with the proper medications to get the infection under control. Although I can’t tell you if a ear culture is warranted, an ear swab is rarely a bad idea. Any good vet clinic should be able to do an ear swab in-house and at least determine if we are dealing more with a yeast infection or a bacterial infection, and if the bacterial infection is rods or cocci. An ear swab will also tell you if you are dealing with ear mites, which require a completely different course of treatment. A good clinic will also at least try to look down your dog’s ears with an otoscope to assess the ear drum and make sure we aren’t dealing with bigger problems.
Once that’s figured, a good clinic can get you set with the proper meds which will more than likely involve some sort of steroid (either topically or tablets/injectible), a pet-specific medicated ear wash, ear antibiotic/antifungal cream, and possibly also antifungal/antibiotic tablets. In my experience, the antibiotic/antifungal tablets are less useful than the topical ear antibiotics and ear wash in most cases. But, every pet is a little different and exactly what gets picked depends on the experience and judgment of the veterinarian who is actually looking at your critter.
Once the infection is more under control, then you have to figure out the allergies. Like in people, pets can be allergic to a large variety of things, often multiple things. The most common thing we see are flea related allergies. If your pet is not currently on a good flea prevention, you might as well start. My particularly favorite products are Advantage, Comfortis or First Shield (with Frontline mostly ok if you apply it every 3 weeks). Or Revolution if you can get the heartworm testing first. Remember, fleas are sneaky. Like roaches, by the time you know you have a problem, you actually have a nightmare.
The other things that pets can be allergic to fall into the broad categories of “environment” and “food.” Environment means just that: any thing and every thing that is nearly impossible to even remotely control, like pollen and dust mites. You can try eliminating the most obvious item, like woolly dog beds that haven’t been washed or whatnot. But, don’t drive yourself crazy. Food is also a tricky category. There are over-the-counter kibbles that are designed with “limited ingredients” or “for sensitive pets” and some critters do quite well on these. There are also prescription diets that are pricey, but worthwhile in stubborn food-sensitive pets. Any of those may be difficult to get ahold of in your country. Either way, any new diet has to be fed exclusively for 6 weeks before you can start to judge if it is working. That is harder than it sounds, particularly if other family members think you are being mean by denying the pet his favorite table scrap that he simply cannot live without. Plus, you have to keep the allergies mostly managed in the mean time. But, you have to do those 6 weeks.
Many pets that I have worked with end up on some combination of flea prevention, antihistamines, medicated shampoos, routine medicated ear wash, or allergy-minded food, although not necessarily one of each. Exactly what combo works changes by the pet; there is a lot of trial and error. So, even after the infection is stabilized, expect to be working closely with your veterinarian over the subsequent months to get the allergies more managed. Sorry, but that’s just the ugly truth of the situation.
I strongly recommend against using a home-brew ear wash, particularly one that is based on rubbing alcohol. The skin of pets is different than ours; it is much thinner and responds to medications differently. While bjo3030 is correct in that excessive moisture can contribute to ear infections, so can excessive drying weaken the skin’s defenses. It is worth the money to use products that have actually been formulated for animals, preferably the particular species you are trying to fix.
PM me if you want my credentials. I am a real, hand-to-Og, licensed and practicing veterinarian currently working largely on dogs and cats. I see at least a dozen pets with your dog’s symptoms a week.
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