My friend has a 7 month old white staff who continually has an ear infection in one of his ear, she takes him to the vet to have his ears cleaned regally and is going again today to try to get some antibiotics as he has itched his ear so much its beginning to bleed.

He was allergic to his food and has been changed to James Well be loved with the addition of piriton morning and evening as advised by the vet.

Is there anything else she could try, Iv heard a dollop of natural yoghurt a day helps, but iv also been told about something else but for the life of me I cant remember what it was. Has anybody tried anything with good results?

are you sure it was his food he was allergic to? i would expect a food change would have solved the problem if it was food that caused it. i wouldnt like the thoughts of my dog having anti histamines (sp) everyday.
if it were me after having the ears cleaned out by the vet i would take my dog to a friend or relatives house for the dog to live for a week, if things clear up in a new environment then you know its something in the house causing it, maybe a plant, wash powder etc and you can begin to eliminate things step by step. i know its not ideal but if it cures the dog then it must be worth it.

i may be wrong, but i thought natural yoghurt was to help the gut like people drinking actimel or yakult type thing.

im sure someone else will be able to help further
xx

i would use seline to clean my dogs ears out

when vets wash out  ears in surgery they use seline only,

my bitch has ear infections galore until I changed her food to raw then they stopped.  She is allergic to HD mites also.  I can only assume that whatever an ingredient is in complete was not helping her ears.  I would ask the vet to do a full allergy test on him.  Blood sample is tested for inhouse and outhouse allergens, your friend could also do an elimination diet to find out what foods he may be intolerant to.  This is time consuming and you have to be very vigilant.  You can have food intolerance bloods taken which is easier. This all costs money as you can imagine.  Steroid use must be stopped for 2 weeks prior to testing, unsure if piriton would interfere with the results tho.

have you considered thornit around the outside of the ear exellent product for canker ear. I would get the antibiotics have the ear cleaned and then use thornit as part of my grooming regime.

Also does your dog regularily swim?? if yes I would stop or go to a different area.

dont like JWB but thats a different story!

Another vote for Thornit ear powder. It's great stuff and keeps my dogs' ears clean and healthy!

I would also consider changing to a grain free food, that might help if it's to do with diet.

I have never used Thornit, some people swear by it but others don't (from previous posts on here) I would be inclined to get to the bottom of why the dogs is getting bad ears not just treating it. Diet is often to blame so thats where I would start.

Yes he was allergic to his food as he got a skin complaint then the vet told her to change and the problem cleared up. Maybe it is something in the house as they have been doing it up over the past year, ill mention it to her.

I don't think she has the money to do blood tests as she bought him from a terrible BYB, and had hearing tests done on him and found him to be deaf, because of this she been taking him to special one on one training classes specially designed for deaf dogs, but the trainer told her he was too stupid to train, so stopped that but now he has started chasing his tail constantly so has got in contact with a trainer who owns staffs.

Iv told her to sort out the ear first, Ill tell her about the powder and get her to discuss a raw diet with the vet as this with the change of environment might be the best option for her.

Cheers guy's

Another vote for thornit here.
Do get them cleared up first, then encorporate it into grooming, we have had no problem since doing this and this is now a couple of years on.

karen

> she been taking him to special one on one training classes specially designed for deaf dogs, but the trainer told her he was too stupid to train

No dog is too stupid to train!  Doesn't say much about the trainers skills does it?

With regard to the ear cleaning - do suggest she asks her vet to teach her how to clean ears.  It's very simple and will save her money on consultations.  My vet supplies me with CleanAural, I've tried other cleaners but this one has proved the most successful for my boy.

i love thornit, i use it for everything! including myself

Hi Tanya

I would be really interested to hear what else you use Thornit for apart from just dogs ears?

quicked nails, minor hot spots, cold sores, insect bites

Interesting to hear comments on Thornit. I have never used it myself, but a friend has, and got an absolute slating from the Vet. Her boy had started to scratch at an ear so she used Thornit as she had done previously. As is didn't clear she took him to the Vet, only to be told she was lucky he didn't have a perforated ear drum. I know the vet in question and he certainly doesn't give owners a ticking off for nothing, infact he actively promotes alternative/homeopathic treatments. To be honest it has made me really worried about using it.

this surprises me, never heard a bad comment about it before.

*

was she putting it IN the ear?? as it should only be placed around the outside of the ear .
I also use it between the toes esp as my breed have very long hair around thier feet.

I have never heard a bad word about thornit ... I dont think  vets even knows about the product as its only available at dog shows and some websites.Out of curiosity I will ask mine when I see him next .

It depends what kind of infection it is I believe. If it is a yeast infection thornit probably wont help. I have used it for years,but with one of mine it is no use-(allergy related). I know how hard this is to deal with. If it is a yeast infection 50% apple cider vinegar and 50% water mixed together,then clean ears with it, (has been known to help).

It's been called on here previously in the past, I used it but to be truthful didn't seem to do a thing.

was she putting it IN the ear??
I don't think so, but am not positive. The Vet my friend saw shows and breeds, so I am sure she knows of Thornit. My friend was absolutely mortified as she got a real dressing down and felt she had let her boy down badly. This vet has saved us a fortune by recommending alternative treatments and we really do trust his judgement. I have a bottle of Thornit in the cupboard, but have never been brave enough to use it.   

If it is a yeast infection 50% apple cider vinegar and 50% water mixed together,then clean ears with it, (has been known to help).
I have just started a thread on the uses of apple cider vinegar, as it seems to be a really useful product. It will be interesting to see what people use it for.