Very helpful trainings for any dog:
For training on puppy/dog biting [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U)
For training on early socialization [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7cPE-2wNw)
For training on becoming a good leader [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QntS570VFZ0)
For all newly adopted dogs, check out the [3-3-3 rule](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/The-3-3-3-Rule-Setting-Your-Rescue-Dog-Up-For-Success).
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Hello juice and fam! My dog used to get this… it was caused by the protein in her food. Specifically chicken, which is pretty common among our sensitive babies. What kind of food does he eat?
Try some ketochlor shampoo wash for him for immediate relief.
And a generous amount of belly rubs… please! 🐶
Edit to ask: does his ear have a funky smell?
Belly rubs a given!
He just started purina hydrolyzed food which we’ve been adding water and coconut oil too because it’s very dry. We’ve totally stopped giving him other treat products for now (just using the food as treats).
His ear has a somewhat bloody smell if you get very close to it but nothing obvious from a normal distance away
Came here to recommend the same! It works wonders on my Pittie who used to have infections and chronic ear irritation. (Hydrolyzed protein diet as well)
She hates having it applied but I think she knows it helps her because when I get out her “medicine box” she comes running over with her tail between her legs and flops onto my lap like a lil shrimp and lets me put it in.
We call this the “Muttley slink” because Muttley (Snidly Whiplash’s dog- the villain from Dudley Do Right) does it when he and Snidly are being “sneaky”.
I was just about to suggest this!!!!!! I tried it for my baby’s bad ear infection since it was a weekend and my vet was closed and they couldn’t see him till like 3 days later. it helped right away!
I still took him to the vet and told them what I gave him and the vet said it was a good idea.
To treat his infection they put some gel in his ear abd did a re-check 2 weeks later abd he was all good :)
Hydrolyzed food means the proteins are broken down so much that the body didn't recognize it as that protein source. It's made for dogs with food allergies.
He had a salmon food before this! I think it was chicken before that and then salmon but still weren’t seeing great results unfortunately. Researching the hydrolysis food, it says allergens take around 8 weeks to be affected so just trying to hang in there for now
Just an FYI, a lot of non-chicken dog food still has chicken in it as a filler. It may say salmon on the package, but you check the ingredients and it has both salmon and chicken. Just something to look out for.
this makes me CRAZY. my pup has a chicken allergy for sure and it's so difficult to find her treats sometimes cos I'll go for salmon flavors and check the back and bam, chicken. Ughhhh
But purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon does not contain chicken, that's what I feed my pup now. And I just check the ingredients for every treat I buy her unfortunately.
It's also crazy because some stores (I'm lookin at you petsmart) literally just dont carry any treats she can eat. I have to either order them or make a special trip to a better pet store farther away. It's super annoying
My dog is allergic to everything. We’re doing okay with apoquel, prescription food and keeping him off grass. Now that your dog has started rx food. You likely need to do a round of medicated ear drops to get his ears clean. After that use apoquel for flair ups. My boy is so used to it. He asks for medicine these days.
The smell has a bloody mineral metallic funk to it huh? It’s nasty!
My dog used to have ear infections and all sorts of skin allergies too. We tried cytopoint shots, apoquel tablets, special shampoo, switched to salmon based kibble and nothing helped — EXCEPT for the hydrolyzed protein diet.
I’m so glad to hear you started him on it, and I am hopeful it stops the infections like it did for my pitbull.
And yea the food looks soo dry and plain but my dog still inhales it like it’s a steak. I add omega 3 fish oil pills for some flavor and anti inflammatory effects too.
Please check the ingredients on your hydrolyzed protein food. My pit was on Purina Elemental, which worked great except it got recalled. She got switched to Hills Hydrolyzed Protein and her skin never cleared up. Turns out that had chicken in it. She’s on Purina Hydrolyzed Vegetarian now and that works great.
They can be allergic to more than one meat. Mine is allergic to chicken and salmon and lamb and all poultry. It also takes like 4-8 weeks for the skin to fully clear up after changing foods so give it more time if you haven’t yet.
Also do your best to keep the ears dry. Mine also used to get chronic ear infections and I noticed they happened more often when her ears were wet and it was cold out. Like letting her outside on a rainy day. Dry the ears well after being in rain or a bath. You can also get over the counter ear cleaner and clean the ears with that every week/after a bath. And check them frequently. Sometimes you can stop a minor issue from becoming an infection that requires a vet just by noticing the signs early and taking action. If there’s extra gunk in there or it starts to smell, clean it, even if the ear isn’t swollen and your dog isn’t scratching. Unfortunately pitbulls’ big ear holes mean they are extra probe to ear infections just because it’s so easy for dirt and bacteria to get in there and fester.
Does the Vet know you're adding coconut oil to the hydrolyzed food (adding anything sorta defeats the purpose, what if he's allergic to coconut)? I went thru the same thing w/ a dog I watch sometimes. Ear infection caused by allergies and shaking his head opened wounds, made him bleed. The owner got a head wrap which helped big time to stop the bleeding and allowed healing to begin along w/ meds and a Cytopoint shot (really helped alleviate his suffering temporarily while wounds healed). But make sure its a wrap he can't remove or move down to the neck. The Vet said it would take 3 months to determine if the food he was eating was the cause.
Check out the reviews for the food the dog was eating, some ppl post ratings of their dogs having sudden reactions (like all of Costco's Kirkwood brand). They put anything in pet food, no regluations, and you have to be careful when feeding no-grain foods (assuming he won't be on the hydrolyzed diet forever). They've noticed grain-free foods might cause Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) so that's another concern if he's allergic to grains. Hydrolyzed food is great for this issue but expensive. Could be an environmental issue tho, or in addition to, some are really allergic to grass. Alaway eye itch relief was also prescribed and really helped w/ the conjunctivis-like eye goop.
https://preview.redd.it/2hamv73il6ad1.png?width=2930&format=png&auto=webp&s=3164df364b3b18aa19696009b09301b82c451c23
I'll have to disagree. It's not debunked, they just need more info. Much points to grain-free products but it seems to involve particular ingredients in those grain-free products. They haven't ruled it out, they just aren't doing anything right now until more evidence is presented to make a solid determination. Personally, that's not good enough for me, I wouldn't risk it. [https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy](https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy)
Here to recommend kangaroo as a protein alternative! Our dog struggled heavily with allergies like this until we switched to a mix of 75% hydrolyzed and 25% kangaroo! It’s expensive to get the pure kangaroo but worth it! After we switched we haven’t had any issues for 6 years
chicken allergy for my boy, too. cleared right up when we switched. depending on where we live, he might get a light ear infection in the fall as a seasonal allergy but the chronic ear infections, itching and discomfort went away once we gave up chicken.
My pit/boxer got these infections, and they cleared up for us aa well with a poultry free diet. The salmon u may have tried my not have worked because alot of foods still add chicken meal. Hope your pup is better soon.
I'm a former vet tech and had a pit with the same issues. It was also chicken. It took 2 years of food trials to figure it out. Chicken (of some sort, broth, meal, etc) is in EVERYTHING, lol. We went to a salmon with grains blend and he was perfect after a few months. Grains are important for heart health in dogs.
Thank you for all that you do for our furry friends :)
Some people think that “oh hey it says need food, that should be fine” but if they read the label, chicken product is first on the ingredient list. We tried everything - even kangaroo meat - but the best was a salmon and pea blend with a drizzle of olive oil. Happy dog 🐶
🧀‼️The reason I asked if her ears smelled funny is because sometimes when a dog has a yeast infection in their ears, one of the symptoms is a cheesy odor. I’m sure your vet checked this, but I wanted to add it to my list of funky dog ear information 🧀
It could be a build up of yeast. My white pit has chronic ear problems and allergies. We switched his food to a fish based food and that seemed to help a lot. I also use an ear cleaner with ketaconazole in it every couple of weeks or so if it gets really bad and that usually clears things up in a day or two at the most.
Everything they 👆just said lol plus I found these little ear wipes that go over your finger (I also use their toothbrush finger things) but they just help make it easier bc my baby hates when I mess with his ears. I had that yeast issue with him and my god that smell will knock you out 🤮
Same as @nursesalsabjj - the drops with ketoconazole helps for maintenance and catching early infections but if it progresses, mine usually needs an antibiotic to get rid of it.
https://preview.redd.it/sw0j9mzlh6ad1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a177f4d0d3dc4569ecbb7ccda3c00171a9ff935
Not sure if it’s over the counter, though. We got it at the vet.
Thank you so much. I really love reddits dog community. Well pit bulls and husky I know are two really great subs. Hopefully the feed store has it. Very helpful thank you.
My vet gave us something similar Triz Ultra + keto for our dog who had recurrent ear infections and it cleared it up permanently. They had rinse his ears out daily for about two weeks I think and then weekly and and the once monthly and it never came back.
My pup gets ear infections from time to time though not chronically, more sporadically. I use an ear wash called Epiotic Advanced and clean as much gunk out as I can with a paper towel. Then I add a few drops of this medicated ear drop stuff Mometamax and massage it in. Both can be found online for about half of what my vet charges. As with all medications check with your vet if you’re considering this. Also with all that head shaking and ear scratching I’d be concerned about the pooch developing a hematoma in one or both ears. Those are no fun for anyone, especially if a drain has to be installed after the initial lancing. Best of luck.
This, the food comments and keep his ears dry especially dry them after rain, a bath; a swim etc. my previous boy also had this issue and while I don’t think his was food in his case, it definitely got better with cleanliness and sprays / drops such as those mentioned above.
Talk to vet but our girl had the same looking ears- she’s allergic to everything. Cytopoint and Apoquel completely changed the game and fixed her ears so ask your vet
Ours is constantly on apoquel for this. He's such a baby and really doesn't want us cleaning his ears but that's the only thing (along with regular baths, which he also hates, with a sensitive shampoo) that really helps. We've tried every kind of food for multiple months to give it a chance, nothing seems to help much, lived in two different houses, still the same.
We may try crytopoint as well since there are some days he wakes up in the middle of the night shaking and I wake up and give him more apoquel and feel terrible until it kicks in. Has everyone had good luck with crytopoint?
My pit/chow used to be on apoquel constantly for allergies and ear issues. She was on a high dose with max dose Benadryl for her weight but it still wouldn't even get her through the day without horrible itching sometimes. So many nights being woken up by her flapping her ears and having to stay up rubbing them until the meds kick in. It was miserable.
About a year ago I decided to try the cytopoint shot at the recommendation of the vet and it has been a miracle!!! The itching has completely gone away and her ears have been in great shape. The only time we've had to give her apoquel is when the shot wears off after a few months, then when we notice the itching I schedule another cytopoint shot.
I would highly recommend giving it a try. It is kinda expensive (like $160 at my vet) but it lasts about 2-3 months and having her be comfortable instead of miserable is worth it imo.
Please see this [link](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/benadryl-for-dogs/) for Benadryl dosage and other important information.
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I started making my dogs food 2 years ago, the change was almost instant. Seasonal skin rashes, gone. Limping was gone and he lost weight. He is 11 years old and doing great. Here is the happy boy.... Cornbread ❤️
https://preview.redd.it/kwlbsruuu4ad1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0269926b87f772740d3e02c946cb54483806eb02
Think about, up until recently, dogs ate what we did. There wasn't dried kibble that was processed with God knows what. Seeing a change in him made me rethink my diet as well. Processed food is now a once in awhile thing for me.
Exactly.
You wouldn’t feed your human child mcdonald’s and only mcdonald’s for it’s entire life for every meal (unless you were a really irresponsible, neglectful parent).
Why would anyone think feeding a canine child kibble for it’s entire life for every meal is acceptable?
Had almost the same exact thing with my dog, had him on the expensive protein foods, gave him medicine daily, and did ear cleanings, but they still happened.
The only thing that stopped it was we got rid of carpet and got hardwood floors. If you have used any kind of oil diffusers the oil may be stuck around and causing issues.
It was almost an immediate stop when we got rid of carpet and realized that it had to be something that was stuck in the carpet.
Mine benefitted a lot from seeing a dermatologist specialist. they gave us very thorough guidance for allergy management. My dog had both food allergies and environmental ones, so on top of the diet, she needed regular baths and frequently washed bedding, bowls, toys, etc. We also got a special ear rinse from the derm that also helped immensely with her ear symptoms.
Same 👆. Allergy testing helped with knowing what to avoid (& some things unavoidable) then weekly shots at home with medicine targeted to his specific allergies. We also do cytopoint every 3 months which helps a lot with the unavoidable environmental allergens. Plus Rx food since he is also allergic to poultry and didn’t do great on fish. The Rx food is Royal Canine rabbit with omega-3’s. When it comes in (vacuum-sealed), we immediately transfer it into freezer bags and freeze it, which stops the growth/life-cycle of storage mites which he is also allergic to. 🙄😍🐶
I tried the allergy shot thing with Einstein, it was very expensive, very difficult and ultimately didn’t help at all. The testing at least gave us an idea of what to avoid in his food.
He’s on apoquel year around now, but he still gets the occasional skin or ear infection. For the ears we take him to the vet for a dose of that Claro stuff and it clears him right up.
Get him one a No Flap Ear Wrap to wear to heal his injury. I would call the vet and ask if they are happy for him to wear it if he's getting infections though as they might want to keep it open to the air.
It's a product designed to prevent the dog from shaking and opening ear wounds after surgery. I got two after my dog had surgery on an ear hematoma, he would wear one for the day and then the other the next whilst I washed the first one and dried it.
I'm currently using a No Flap Ear Wrap for my old girl's ear hematoma, and I love it. She's not a good candidate for surgery due to a heart condition. She also hates the wrap and I live with constant side-eye 😆
That was our experience with our pittie Nina. The vet gave us a prescription for Apoquel. It has worked really well for us. She’s been taking it every day for a couple years.
Please ask your vet! Not random people on the internet. You can ask for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. It sounds like baby is on hydrolyzed food now - this is a great step! It will take a while for the food to be effective, so patience is key. And keep in mind when they are on hydrolyzed, they should have NO other food or treats. Otherwise it's just throwing money away. The only treats they should have are prescription hydrolyzed treats. A veterinary dermatologist can tell you what items are compatible with hydrolyzed food. (Edit: whoops, you're already doing that.)
Typical symptoms of food allergies are "ears and rears" - chronic ear and anal gland infections. The most common type of food allergy is to one or more proteins. Grain is an extremely rare allergy and grain-free/boutique food is thought to be linked to a heart condition called DCM (more research needs to be done). Homemade food is not recommended either due to the potential for contamination and poor nutritional balance.
Environmental allergies can also cause or worsen ear infections. Another thing to consider is starting a long-term allergy medication, injectable or oral (such as Cytopoint or Apoquel). Ask the vet to see if pup is a candidate for either. Diphenhydramine is not considered effective for chronic allergies in dogs. It is most commonly used for acute allergic reactions i.e. bee stings.
And of course it is important to be treating the ear infections as they come. They need to be professionally treated at the VET, possibly with additional topical medicine to go home. Please stop putting Benadryl cream and such in the ears. You could be causing more irritation which can lead to more infection. Most veterinarians can offer a cytology (swabbing the DIRTY ears) to determine what kind of ear infection - yeast or different kinds of bacteria. Based on that, they may reccomend a specific topical medication (ear flush and/or drops) +/- oral medication.
There is also an option for a ear medication that lasts several weeks in the ear. This really helped my reactive dog before I was able to put him on hydrolyzed food. This medication has a few different brand names: Claro, Osurnia, Simplera. This is NOT medical advice, just letting you know what options are available. Your vet may or may not think it's appropriate for your dog, but I'd ask if they carry one of them!
Allergies can be super expensive. I always reccomend getting pet insurance for all pets but ESPECIALLY bully breeds. They are prone to chronic allergies.
Source: i'm an rvt (registered veterinary technician). I also have 2 house hippos with allergies out the wazoo. Always check with your veterinarian and highly reccomend finding a veterinary dermatologist!
https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatologist
Please see this [link](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/benadryl-for-dogs/) for Benadryl dosage and other important information.
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I see so many good recommendations already, but I’d love to add what we use for maintenance as well since I don’t see it and extra options are always good!
We have one that isn’t allergy based with chronic ear infections. Unfortunately, he’s just a yeasty boy according to our vets. So they recommended an ear flush that does really good for him. It cleans the ears out great and is said to be anti fungal and antibiofilm. I’m not an expert, so I can’t say to that part of it, but it definitely cut down his every other week ear infections to one every few months. We use the Trizultra + Keto flush. This one is prescription, but they have different kinds and very similar that are not needed. Just look for Triz. That’s what they called it at our vet we got it from. There’s so many variants and there might be one that would interest you or match your needs a bit better.
We use it mostly to keep them clean and dry them out. You squirt some in, rub really good outside his ear, just under the hole, and literal black gunk falls out. Wipe clean the rest and good as new. He still gets his infections, but he’s a water log, so we do our best during pool days.
I hope you’re able to find something that helps!
And i hope you get his food straightened out too. If you do decide to and can afford it, I would highly recommend doing a full allergy panel. We ended up with so many better options for my oldest girl when we did. We found two novel proteins she can eat. It is expensive, bit so was the hydro food. And this is so much better than that food for her as well. But it did cost us about $800 to do the full list. They might have a smaller list option as well. Ours came back completely full of bad everything and gave it a final Hail Mary to see if there was anything she could do. Thankfully alligator and kangaroo and my girl is happy and healthy again.
Good luck!
Our dog also had to switch to HA because of chronic ear infections. They didn’t all go away because he also has environmental allergies. We started giving him generic Claritin daily. His infections are now very rare.
My pit gets this from his allergies. We started him on cytopoint shots every 6-10 weeks and it really helped. He only gets them when he’s due for a shot now.
My previous pit used to have a ton of ear and skin problems like this. Spent hundreds on prescriptions, tested different foods, and so much torture trying to fix it. What worked was a $8 jar of acidophilus or probiotic pills, thanks to a tip from a healthy grocery store employee.
Get something with billions of live active cultures, feed 4 pills a day until all the pressing issues are gone. In my case, it took about 2 weeks. Then do 2 pills a day until you don't see any further issues like licking, biting, scratching, or head shaking. That took about 4 months in my case.
After that, I would serve him yogurt a few times a week and add in pills during seasonal changes. Never had a problem again for the last 8 years of his life.
Brown rice, vegetables, fruit, meat. I also give him pureed liver as a snack 🤮 he loves it but man, I hate making it. I alternate the mix so his palate doesn't become bored lol
Vegetables
Carrots, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes
Meat:
Ground beef or chicken, salmon, sardines, tuna
Fruit
Apples or applesauce, blueberries, pumpkin
I truly hope it helps your baby 😃
This sounds just like what I need for my kiddo! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Can I ask how much you feed daily and what your baby weighs? Just to get a good idea. I am terrified of starving him of either cals or nutrients if I use solely a real food diet (currently half kibble half real food)
Cornbread is older so I give him a cup and half per day in the morning. If he has been super active, I will give him another cup at night.
I usually do 3 cups rice with all the vegetables and it lasts about a week for him.
He's around 75 libs now, before I started his new diet he was pushing 100 lbs.
The dude loves his liver though, and it's his favorite snack. Once I started the liver, I definitely noticed a change in his coat and his one hip that bothers him. For the liver recipe:
Beef liver (4) in a pack from Walmart
2 eggs
Sweet potato or applesauce
Combine in blender
Fabulous!! Thanks so much!
My vet is a farm vet (the only one in my area that he can legally go to and who I've found doesn't examine him from across the room 🙄) and they don't tend to know as much (or offer as much knowledge) about raw/real feeding. They're great for my wallet and they treat Loki like a normal dog but I've not been confident enough in my own research as it's so vague and they gave me nothin lol luckily Loki is very expressive so I will likely know ASAP if something isn't right.
My girl is allergic to her own yeast she produces. Gives her periodic ear infections as well as elsewhere on her body. We have some medicated wipes the vet gave us that we try to clean her ears out with frequently. Seems to help.
Hi! My dog would get these plus had allergies. I have everything under control because you have to heal their gut first. I would get him off all dry food, especially purina. And I would look to feed him a cooling protein like duck, rabbit or white fish. The ears need to be cleaned out regularly as well, skouts honor has a good ear wash.
Our girl has it, but not as bad as this looks. Vet said she has a skin allergy and her ear got infected from scratching. Gave us a "wash" and some drops. Which work untill I forget to go a full week. We went ahead and got a shot for her, and she scratches WAY less, I just have to watch her ear more closely
I've had the same problem with my pit mix and tried all the ear cleaners, ointments and medications out there and tried her on all kinds of different diets with no improvement.The only thing that helped was getting her allergy tested and starting allergy shots. Turns out she's allergic to a lot of environmental things and I just try my best to cut down on dust mites. I also keep her food in the freezer now to kill food storage mites and she's doing much better.
Just to mention a potential issue to explore. Animals can sometimes have little growths like tumors inside the ears. Sometimes you can't see them without a thorough vet examination of the inner ear. They block the natural clearing out of debris, wax, and dead skin cells that normal ears perform. When this gunk is trapped in there where your wipe can't reach, bacteria grows and causes constant ear infections. All the food changes and medications in the world won't fix this issue because it requires surgical intervention. Sometimes tissue needs to be removed, and sometimes you can get away with a minimally invasive permanent inner ear tube insert which acts to keep the area open to the normal amount.
For us it was corn, which is also the thing they feed our food animals. My guy had to do kangaroo only as it was the only protein that didn’t trigger him. Poor dudes
Hi OP. Sorry if anyone has already mentioned this. One of ours used to have terrible ear infections that always sounded wet inside when being rubbed too. We read athletes foot cream, used it for 2/3 days and it was cleared up and never been back!! Absolute god send due to all the vet bills and how uncomfortable she always was! Sending hugs and boops 😍❤️
My boy was getting ear infections for a bit and it wound up being yeast. When he starts getting itchy I wipe his ears out a couple times a day with coconut oil. He hasn't had a problem since.
The cytopoint shots were the only thing (well, plus a food change) that gave my girl any relief. Good luck 🤞🏻, I know this is a frustrating experience.
Hey, so my staffy had this problem for about 3 years, mainly because he has got NATURALLY (not cropped) small ears. Once the active infection cleared I started using Daktarin anti fungal powder in his ear. It worked really well and we’ve not had a flare up for about 14 months.
Please go to a dermatologist- It is very pricey. I had a shepard with chronic ear infections - at vet 5 or 6 times a year. It ended up being ecoli- and once cured it was cured - no more ear infections - 100% worth the money
There’s ear cleaning solutions that you can use to clean out the dogs ears. We do it after all of our doggos baths. There’s also a long-term gel solution that the vet can give that stays in for a month. Doing the gel and then following up with the at-home cleaning solutions regularly does the trick for us.
My dog Frank has super sensitive skin, his hair was always falling out and he had bumps all over ,so we switched him to purina pro plan sensitive skin salmon recipe. Try it out seems to be working for Frank. I belive that ear infection is just allergies. I’ve had pitbulls since I was 18 and now I’m 41 so I’ve tried ALOT of stuff. Switch the food from chicken to lamb or fish and wash his ears and bath him once a week for a while. My vet says lots of dogs are allergic to chicken. WTF
When ours got a really bad infection in both ears the vet gave us a solution to put in his ears everyday until it cleared up. We clean his ears out with a dog safe wipe (we use Burt’s bees for dogs) and get as deep into the ears as we can and then put the medicine in. We kept doing it until we ran out of medicine and now we just wipe his ears out once a day.
My pittie has horrible allergies. He used to get so many ear infections. He’s also allergic to chicken. He eats Purina sensitive skin and stomach. He also gets a cytapoint shot every 3-4 months and takes Apoquel daily. It’s expensive but it’s the only thing that has helped and it’s been months now since his last ear infection so it’s worth it.
My own pit experiences this. We don’t like the steroid shots, and the only thing we’ve found that works for her after 10 years is a solution mix of ear drops from the vet themselves. We also have her on Hydrolized dry food, prescribed by her vet too
poor baby!! So many dogs react to so many different things that it is hard to give you one answer.
Firstly, you know your dog best. Consult your vet and try, try, and try again until you find something that works for your pup!
I am 3 years in and finally have found a mixture of things that help my dog with a lot of allergies, both food and environmental! We tried everything, including hydrolyzed diets, which, funnily enough, he had a reaction too! Gave it to him for 8 weeks and nothing else and he came up in hives and the vet said its not the food.....but we decided to take him off it none the less and the hives cleared up! So yes, in theory, it should be better, but that doesn't mean it will always work for your dog. Trial and error.
We now have him on apoquel and a mixture of antibacterial shampoo, mousse, and pads that we use after walks, etc. This is very expensive, though. It's not ideal but better than a poorly pup! Take on and try all sorts until you find something that works! Wishing you all the best for you and your pup, as I and many others know how frustrating the process is.
What worked pretty good for my doggos chronic ear infections when he was younger was Zymox Otic enzymatic solution. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s worth it imo. That seemed to work the best as far as topical treatment goes. But changing food and setting up a regimen to clean the ears regularly should prevent the need for zymox treatment, but it can also be used preventatively too, during your normal ear cleaning, after you’re done, just put a few drops in and massage around the ear folds and into the canal a bit too.
I still use it after cleaning, even though he doesn’t seem to get ear infections anymore…although maybe that’s part of the reason why he doesn’t anymore…combined with diet that works with him
So same issue with my boy. It was a chicken allergy that impacted his skin and his ears. We switched to a chicken free food and it cleared up. Finding good high value chicken free treats wasn’t as easy, but luckily chewy has some filters which help to search by ingredient. Once you figure out what you dog CAN have, you can find those good things they love!
Our Pit-Vizsla mix had chronic ear infections and we found out he was allergic to chicken we bought. We eliminated all chicken from his diet.
A couple years later, I had to go overseas for 3 months and my Inlaws kept him for us. My FIL raises chicken, goat, lamb and rabbit and while we were gone he was feeding him chicken. He never had an issue.
We believe there is something in the chicken from supermarkets that isn't in the free range chickens my FIL raises.
My baby also used to have chronic ear infections with ears like that. Vet started prescribing mometomax for use to put im her ears and it cleared it up. We keep a bottle around just in case now.
I had my baby on apoquel for nine years due to significant allergies we recently switched him to cytopoint because it was not managing his ear infections…he is doing great!! No more ear infections and he is a happier dog! If your vet recommends a medication the side effects of apoquel are not worth it. Neither one is cheap but the cytopoint is worth every penny! Good luck getting this adorable baby better!
My boy had to get his ear stitched all the way up so scar tissue completely filled it in. Before the procedure his shit started turning into a full water balloon. He still gets the yeast in both ears but at least he isn't a water balloon anymore
I had the same problem and the food allergy was the issue. Try Purina ProPlan Salmon. Did wonders for my guy. And you can find antibiotic cream on Amazon for the ears to help him right away.
My two boys are 25% pitbull, and they are allergic to all poultry, peas... lamb and/or rice? They did really poorly (vomiting and ear infections) on the last two lamb and rice foods we tried, but I don't know which ingredient is the problem. I'm just happy they are feeling better, so I've banned both ingredients.
Coconut oil!!!! Please do it immediately!!!!! Get coconut oil and cotton balls. Dip the cotton balls into the oil until they’re completely soaked and then put the oil all in and around your dogs ear !!!! You will thank me! It’s anti fungal etc also, so it will get rid of whatever is in there as well as moisturize it which is needed!!!! I do this to my dogs ears daily when his are bad and it’s the only thing that works for his yeast etc.
Hello I have owned Bully breeds for over 25 years and they are prone to allergies and bad ear infections. And my current boy has had ear infections on and off for 5 years but the last time was recently and I did the option of sending a culture to an outside Lab 🧫 for testing to see if anything would grow on the sample and it came back with 3 different types of bacteria 🦠 and a fungal issue. So his doctor put him on an antibiotic that the bacteria wasn't resistant to. It's been 10 days or so on the antibiotic and an antifungal ear type medicine that has to stay in for 3 weeks and I can't clean out that ear until the time is done. My advice is to get away from the prescription food it's nothing but garbage 🗑️ and a huge profit for the animal doctor 🏥. My boy does great on a brand called Health Extension Bison 🦬 and Whitefish formula it's a Dry grain free kind. The Bully breeds I.M.O. don't do well on foods that are high in grain ingredients. But if his ear is a recurring issue I recommend finding a doctor 🏥 that can send out a culture 🧫 like I did it was worth it to give him some relief. Best of luck 🤞🍀And the monthly shot 💉 does seem to help him out more than the daily Benadryl.
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I had a lot of luck with Bactine… lidocaine as an anesthetic and benzalkonium chloride as an antiseptic. That’s after rounds of oral and topical Rx abx… I got the best results from something from the first aid kit.
Hey, im a regular on that road. My pit gets chronic ear infections. When it gets bad i have to go in and get meds. Zymox otic (red bottle) didnt work and actually made it worse once. Vet needs to look at it under a scope to make sure. My guy gets yeast/bacteria as a result of allergies.
Silvadene Cr./Dexamethasone/H2O mixture, syringe with no needle, half a CC into the ears (deep) twice a day for a couple weeks, sometimes with antibiotics. Works great. Have to massage it to get on every part of ear.
As a norm, clean all bedding, remove allergens / clean house often. Hypoallergenic soap unscented and no softener. My dog eats purina pro sensitive SS salmon. Hills science diet is better if puppers can handle chicken but thats a common allergy. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to properly clean out the ears every 3 days. Dont allow the gunk an environment to take root and thrive. Maintainence is everything. Have the vet show you how to properly clean them, buy their ear wash, use a lot. The proper technique is vital.
Also, antifungal/antibacterial baths once or twice a week. My guy deals with staph problems as well.
Every now and then i have to go in for meds but its rare now. Not drugging my boy with benadryl or paying for apoquel. My boy is doing great. Pits are the poster dogs for allergies, just the nature of the game.
Hope this helps, best of luck
Edit: some of these other solutions are very expensive. If you follow my protocol and it works youll save a ton of money...my guys ears were far worse than this. Specialists/testing/shots are often a waste of time and money. 20 minutes a week cleaning ears and occasionally 20 bucks for ear goop. Problem solved
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Zymox, one drop a day for maintenance and you will never see another ear infection . Even one’s caused by food allergies. Stuff is a miracle. And fairly cheap. And available on Amazon.
Yeah my dog use to get this due to a food allergy. Cut out all treats and try to find out what is causing the issue with the food first. If not the culprit, move on to the treats and introduce them once every week till you've weeded it out.
My vet really wanted to do an allergy test but it's expensive!
Mine was due to a specific treat, don't rule it out! Never know what they put in some of these treats.
Zymox for the ear infection until you find out.
If the food doesn't help, look into Zignature brand. They have novel proteins, kangaroo, duck, guinea fowl, etc, that might do the trick...also no yeast. My Pittie is allergic to chicken and yeast, I get the Zignature Essential that has duck, turkey, salmon and lamb...and no yeast.
my lab growing up had the same issues, we tried everything, cutting protiens our, special foods, medications, ointments, cleaners, specialty vets. with the last ear infection he almost died and the vet ended up closing his ears surgically.
Have you tried Quercetin before? Four rover brand is great. And also single source protein food. Farmina fish and duck works great for my girl.
Also raised right (single source) is great too. She gets raised right in the morning and kibble in evening.
Allergies, infections all gone.
We changed our Pits ear wash to octibliss from whatever crappy alcohol based one we had been using previous. Made a HUGE difference. I also started coating his ears with a Vaseline, after washing and drying his ears, as well as if they ever just feel dry. Not only do I think the Vaseline helped his skin barrier, but I also think it suffocated whatever bacteria or yeast he had going on. He used to shake his head all day, and his poor ear were raw.
We also went grain free and started giving him omega 3 oil. Unsure if those two things are also related but worth mentioning
poor baby! mine had the same issue :(
This worked for us (was recommended by vet):
TrizUltra+Keto as a flush in the mornings + a squeeze of Zymox in the evenings, hold it in the ears and just squish it around in there. Don't rinse/wipe. Also make sure you use the Zymox on dirty ears - not to be used right after cleaning...I can't remember exactly why. I think it uses the body's pH for healing and it can mess it up if the ears are pre cleaned (??? probably wrong)
Did this for 2 weeks every day and problem was solved. Now I just use one or the other every time i notice his ears bothering him (which is very infrequently).
Good luck to sweet Juice!
My guy had the same issue! Reducing outside time in the spring, and uh. Brace for this, cutting out chicken, beef, chickpeas, salmon, pork, poultry, and eggs helped like you wouldn’t believe. If the brand of food I buy ever discontinues the lamb and whitefish formulas I will be doomed. Idk what other proteins to try after all that we went through to find out THOSE were the only things he basically wasn’t allergic to.
I HIGHLY recommend doing a feeding trial. I did a vet one, as well as doing a JFFD trail (though, I don’t feed it anymore cause my poor wallet couldn’t keep up with that) and it gave us a LOT of insight. I also want to 100% recommend apoquel and cytopoint
Every since I switched to V-Planet dog food my dog has stopped getting ear infections and UTIs. I know it's anecdotal but changing food can have such a positive impact.
That's a yeast problem as others have pointed out. Anti-bacterial is the wrong medicine.
Honestly you can get some human yeast cream and use it but it has to get way down the canal.
Get with a different vet ASAP. Those ear infections are murder for dogs. It's very painful and irritating for them.
Your dog has allergies. He needs to be put on Apoquel, but be warned, it’s around $100 per month. Additionally, try to figure out what he’s allergic to. My dog who is on Apoquel is allergic to pork. I hope this helps.
OP this poor dogs ear condition is not OK. We have two mix bully’s and our last guy( Staffordshire ) all had/ have ear issues. This IS controllable with regular treatment. Please be more diligent. This is pure torture for the dog.
Very helpful trainings for any dog: For training on puppy/dog biting [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U) For training on early socialization [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7cPE-2wNw) For training on becoming a good leader [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QntS570VFZ0) For all newly adopted dogs, check out the [3-3-3 rule](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/The-3-3-3-Rule-Setting-Your-Rescue-Dog-Up-For-Success). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hello juice and fam! My dog used to get this… it was caused by the protein in her food. Specifically chicken, which is pretty common among our sensitive babies. What kind of food does he eat? Try some ketochlor shampoo wash for him for immediate relief. And a generous amount of belly rubs… please! 🐶 Edit to ask: does his ear have a funky smell?
Belly rubs a given! He just started purina hydrolyzed food which we’ve been adding water and coconut oil too because it’s very dry. We’ve totally stopped giving him other treat products for now (just using the food as treats). His ear has a somewhat bloody smell if you get very close to it but nothing obvious from a normal distance away
Ooh forgot to tell you about Zymox otic drops for itchy ears!
Came here to recommend the same! It works wonders on my Pittie who used to have infections and chronic ear irritation. (Hydrolyzed protein diet as well) She hates having it applied but I think she knows it helps her because when I get out her “medicine box” she comes running over with her tail between her legs and flops onto my lap like a lil shrimp and lets me put it in.
She’s such a good girl!!
Like a shrimp!? This is hilarious lol
You know how they do that hunch backed, low butt, tail tucked thing? Like zoomie posture but in slow motion. It’s like that😂
I love this so much! lol I am dying laughing. 😂❤️❤️
My Bebe makes people happy even from miles away! 😂
We call this the “Muttley slink” because Muttley (Snidly Whiplash’s dog- the villain from Dudley Do Right) does it when he and Snidly are being “sneaky”.
😂 I love it!
Zymox worked very well on my piddie's recurring ear infection.
Came to talk about Zymox. Nothing the vet gave us worked, Zymox fixed it and my baby’s ear has been fine for years
I was just about to suggest this!!!!!! I tried it for my baby’s bad ear infection since it was a weekend and my vet was closed and they couldn’t see him till like 3 days later. it helped right away! I still took him to the vet and told them what I gave him and the vet said it was a good idea. To treat his infection they put some gel in his ear abd did a re-check 2 weeks later abd he was all good :)
Can’t recommend this stuff enough.
Where do you get this synod stuff. My staffy is also have a ear allergy nightmare
Chewy or Amazon :)
Zymox is what works in my dog in the same food
If you check the ingredients, find out what the protein is. He may benefit from salmon food instead of beef or chicken :)
Hydrolyzed food means the proteins are broken down so much that the body didn't recognize it as that protein source. It's made for dogs with food allergies.
Awesome! I had no idea! Thank you for sharing! 🙂🙂
He had a salmon food before this! I think it was chicken before that and then salmon but still weren’t seeing great results unfortunately. Researching the hydrolysis food, it says allergens take around 8 weeks to be affected so just trying to hang in there for now
Just an FYI, a lot of non-chicken dog food still has chicken in it as a filler. It may say salmon on the package, but you check the ingredients and it has both salmon and chicken. Just something to look out for.
this makes me CRAZY. my pup has a chicken allergy for sure and it's so difficult to find her treats sometimes cos I'll go for salmon flavors and check the back and bam, chicken. Ughhhh But purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon does not contain chicken, that's what I feed my pup now. And I just check the ingredients for every treat I buy her unfortunately. It's also crazy because some stores (I'm lookin at you petsmart) literally just dont carry any treats she can eat. I have to either order them or make a special trip to a better pet store farther away. It's super annoying
My dog is allergic to everything. We’re doing okay with apoquel, prescription food and keeping him off grass. Now that your dog has started rx food. You likely need to do a round of medicated ear drops to get his ears clean. After that use apoquel for flair ups. My boy is so used to it. He asks for medicine these days.
The smell has a bloody mineral metallic funk to it huh? It’s nasty! My dog used to have ear infections and all sorts of skin allergies too. We tried cytopoint shots, apoquel tablets, special shampoo, switched to salmon based kibble and nothing helped — EXCEPT for the hydrolyzed protein diet. I’m so glad to hear you started him on it, and I am hopeful it stops the infections like it did for my pitbull. And yea the food looks soo dry and plain but my dog still inhales it like it’s a steak. I add omega 3 fish oil pills for some flavor and anti inflammatory effects too.
Here to recommend open farm raw mix. Got rid of my dogs allergies and she had them bad
Open farm is awesome food! Other than the fact it’s still kibble. I don’t feed kibble very often. My dogs are on a homemade food regimen.
Please check the ingredients on your hydrolyzed protein food. My pit was on Purina Elemental, which worked great except it got recalled. She got switched to Hills Hydrolyzed Protein and her skin never cleared up. Turns out that had chicken in it. She’s on Purina Hydrolyzed Vegetarian now and that works great. They can be allergic to more than one meat. Mine is allergic to chicken and salmon and lamb and all poultry. It also takes like 4-8 weeks for the skin to fully clear up after changing foods so give it more time if you haven’t yet. Also do your best to keep the ears dry. Mine also used to get chronic ear infections and I noticed they happened more often when her ears were wet and it was cold out. Like letting her outside on a rainy day. Dry the ears well after being in rain or a bath. You can also get over the counter ear cleaner and clean the ears with that every week/after a bath. And check them frequently. Sometimes you can stop a minor issue from becoming an infection that requires a vet just by noticing the signs early and taking action. If there’s extra gunk in there or it starts to smell, clean it, even if the ear isn’t swollen and your dog isn’t scratching. Unfortunately pitbulls’ big ear holes mean they are extra probe to ear infections just because it’s so easy for dirt and bacteria to get in there and fester.
Does the Vet know you're adding coconut oil to the hydrolyzed food (adding anything sorta defeats the purpose, what if he's allergic to coconut)? I went thru the same thing w/ a dog I watch sometimes. Ear infection caused by allergies and shaking his head opened wounds, made him bleed. The owner got a head wrap which helped big time to stop the bleeding and allowed healing to begin along w/ meds and a Cytopoint shot (really helped alleviate his suffering temporarily while wounds healed). But make sure its a wrap he can't remove or move down to the neck. The Vet said it would take 3 months to determine if the food he was eating was the cause. Check out the reviews for the food the dog was eating, some ppl post ratings of their dogs having sudden reactions (like all of Costco's Kirkwood brand). They put anything in pet food, no regluations, and you have to be careful when feeding no-grain foods (assuming he won't be on the hydrolyzed diet forever). They've noticed grain-free foods might cause Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) so that's another concern if he's allergic to grains. Hydrolyzed food is great for this issue but expensive. Could be an environmental issue tho, or in addition to, some are really allergic to grass. Alaway eye itch relief was also prescribed and really helped w/ the conjunctivis-like eye goop. https://preview.redd.it/2hamv73il6ad1.png?width=2930&format=png&auto=webp&s=3164df364b3b18aa19696009b09301b82c451c23
They debunked the grain free diet causing DCM already. It’s not the cause
I'll have to disagree. It's not debunked, they just need more info. Much points to grain-free products but it seems to involve particular ingredients in those grain-free products. They haven't ruled it out, they just aren't doing anything right now until more evidence is presented to make a solid determination. Personally, that's not good enough for me, I wouldn't risk it. [https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy](https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy)
Here to recommend kangaroo as a protein alternative! Our dog struggled heavily with allergies like this until we switched to a mix of 75% hydrolyzed and 25% kangaroo! It’s expensive to get the pure kangaroo but worth it! After we switched we haven’t had any issues for 6 years
chicken allergy for my boy, too. cleared right up when we switched. depending on where we live, he might get a light ear infection in the fall as a seasonal allergy but the chronic ear infections, itching and discomfort went away once we gave up chicken.
My pit/boxer got these infections, and they cleared up for us aa well with a poultry free diet. The salmon u may have tried my not have worked because alot of foods still add chicken meal. Hope your pup is better soon.
I'm a former vet tech and had a pit with the same issues. It was also chicken. It took 2 years of food trials to figure it out. Chicken (of some sort, broth, meal, etc) is in EVERYTHING, lol. We went to a salmon with grains blend and he was perfect after a few months. Grains are important for heart health in dogs.
Thank you for all that you do for our furry friends :) Some people think that “oh hey it says need food, that should be fine” but if they read the label, chicken product is first on the ingredient list. We tried everything - even kangaroo meat - but the best was a salmon and pea blend with a drizzle of olive oil. Happy dog 🐶
🧀‼️The reason I asked if her ears smelled funny is because sometimes when a dog has a yeast infection in their ears, one of the symptoms is a cheesy odor. I’m sure your vet checked this, but I wanted to add it to my list of funky dog ear information 🧀
It could be a build up of yeast. My white pit has chronic ear problems and allergies. We switched his food to a fish based food and that seemed to help a lot. I also use an ear cleaner with ketaconazole in it every couple of weeks or so if it gets really bad and that usually clears things up in a day or two at the most.
Everything they 👆just said lol plus I found these little ear wipes that go over your finger (I also use their toothbrush finger things) but they just help make it easier bc my baby hates when I mess with his ears. I had that yeast issue with him and my god that smell will knock you out 🤮
Same as @nursesalsabjj - the drops with ketoconazole helps for maintenance and catching early infections but if it progresses, mine usually needs an antibiotic to get rid of it. https://preview.redd.it/sw0j9mzlh6ad1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a177f4d0d3dc4569ecbb7ccda3c00171a9ff935 Not sure if it’s over the counter, though. We got it at the vet.
Thank you so much. I really love reddits dog community. Well pit bulls and husky I know are two really great subs. Hopefully the feed store has it. Very helpful thank you.
My vet gave us something similar Triz Ultra + keto for our dog who had recurrent ear infections and it cleared it up permanently. They had rinse his ears out daily for about two weeks I think and then weekly and and the once monthly and it never came back.
Yep this has worked for me as well! I highly recommend
My pup gets ear infections from time to time though not chronically, more sporadically. I use an ear wash called Epiotic Advanced and clean as much gunk out as I can with a paper towel. Then I add a few drops of this medicated ear drop stuff Mometamax and massage it in. Both can be found online for about half of what my vet charges. As with all medications check with your vet if you’re considering this. Also with all that head shaking and ear scratching I’d be concerned about the pooch developing a hematoma in one or both ears. Those are no fun for anyone, especially if a drain has to be installed after the initial lancing. Best of luck.
This, the food comments and keep his ears dry especially dry them after rain, a bath; a swim etc. my previous boy also had this issue and while I don’t think his was food in his case, it definitely got better with cleanliness and sprays / drops such as those mentioned above.
Yes! This is the stuff we use too!
Talk to vet but our girl had the same looking ears- she’s allergic to everything. Cytopoint and Apoquel completely changed the game and fixed her ears so ask your vet
Apoquel really helps with our ear-infection prone baby
Ours is constantly on apoquel for this. He's such a baby and really doesn't want us cleaning his ears but that's the only thing (along with regular baths, which he also hates, with a sensitive shampoo) that really helps. We've tried every kind of food for multiple months to give it a chance, nothing seems to help much, lived in two different houses, still the same. We may try crytopoint as well since there are some days he wakes up in the middle of the night shaking and I wake up and give him more apoquel and feel terrible until it kicks in. Has everyone had good luck with crytopoint?
My pit/chow used to be on apoquel constantly for allergies and ear issues. She was on a high dose with max dose Benadryl for her weight but it still wouldn't even get her through the day without horrible itching sometimes. So many nights being woken up by her flapping her ears and having to stay up rubbing them until the meds kick in. It was miserable. About a year ago I decided to try the cytopoint shot at the recommendation of the vet and it has been a miracle!!! The itching has completely gone away and her ears have been in great shape. The only time we've had to give her apoquel is when the shot wears off after a few months, then when we notice the itching I schedule another cytopoint shot. I would highly recommend giving it a try. It is kinda expensive (like $160 at my vet) but it lasts about 2-3 months and having her be comfortable instead of miserable is worth it imo.
Thank you, I'm currently spending almost that much on apoquel so will definitely talk more about it with the vet.
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I started making my dogs food 2 years ago, the change was almost instant. Seasonal skin rashes, gone. Limping was gone and he lost weight. He is 11 years old and doing great. Here is the happy boy.... Cornbread ❤️ https://preview.redd.it/kwlbsruuu4ad1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0269926b87f772740d3e02c946cb54483806eb02
Omg so cute! Love the name. What does a food bowl consist of for him?
Omg what a cutie! 😍
This is the best way to control what goes in your child’s food and to give him the best quality food.
Think about, up until recently, dogs ate what we did. There wasn't dried kibble that was processed with God knows what. Seeing a change in him made me rethink my diet as well. Processed food is now a once in awhile thing for me.
Exactly. You wouldn’t feed your human child mcdonald’s and only mcdonald’s for it’s entire life for every meal (unless you were a really irresponsible, neglectful parent). Why would anyone think feeding a canine child kibble for it’s entire life for every meal is acceptable?
I have to wash my dog's ear with solution and cotton balls it least every other day. If you can keep them clean it may help.
Allergy shots help quite a bit. Plus, ear wipes with aloe and eucalyptus seem to help.
Had almost the same exact thing with my dog, had him on the expensive protein foods, gave him medicine daily, and did ear cleanings, but they still happened. The only thing that stopped it was we got rid of carpet and got hardwood floors. If you have used any kind of oil diffusers the oil may be stuck around and causing issues. It was almost an immediate stop when we got rid of carpet and realized that it had to be something that was stuck in the carpet.
Mine benefitted a lot from seeing a dermatologist specialist. they gave us very thorough guidance for allergy management. My dog had both food allergies and environmental ones, so on top of the diet, she needed regular baths and frequently washed bedding, bowls, toys, etc. We also got a special ear rinse from the derm that also helped immensely with her ear symptoms.
Same 👆. Allergy testing helped with knowing what to avoid (& some things unavoidable) then weekly shots at home with medicine targeted to his specific allergies. We also do cytopoint every 3 months which helps a lot with the unavoidable environmental allergens. Plus Rx food since he is also allergic to poultry and didn’t do great on fish. The Rx food is Royal Canine rabbit with omega-3’s. When it comes in (vacuum-sealed), we immediately transfer it into freezer bags and freeze it, which stops the growth/life-cycle of storage mites which he is also allergic to. 🙄😍🐶
I tried the allergy shot thing with Einstein, it was very expensive, very difficult and ultimately didn’t help at all. The testing at least gave us an idea of what to avoid in his food. He’s on apoquel year around now, but he still gets the occasional skin or ear infection. For the ears we take him to the vet for a dose of that Claro stuff and it clears him right up.
Get him one a No Flap Ear Wrap to wear to heal his injury. I would call the vet and ask if they are happy for him to wear it if he's getting infections though as they might want to keep it open to the air. It's a product designed to prevent the dog from shaking and opening ear wounds after surgery. I got two after my dog had surgery on an ear hematoma, he would wear one for the day and then the other the next whilst I washed the first one and dried it.
I'm currently using a No Flap Ear Wrap for my old girl's ear hematoma, and I love it. She's not a good candidate for surgery due to a heart condition. She also hates the wrap and I live with constant side-eye 😆
Awwwh but I bet she looks very cute!
https://preview.redd.it/uojv41fjkaad1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12784022b0c14d38d5fbf1c035dffa0bafeb19fc
Thanks for sharing! You weren't kidding about the side eye. Lovely frosty faced lady. I hope she feels better soon.
Thanks. She's 11 and has been getting old 😢 She's also stubborn and bull-headed 😆 and we love her to bits ❤️
That was our experience with our pittie Nina. The vet gave us a prescription for Apoquel. It has worked really well for us. She’s been taking it every day for a couple years.
Definitely talk to the vet about both cytopoint and apoquel!
Please ask your vet! Not random people on the internet. You can ask for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. It sounds like baby is on hydrolyzed food now - this is a great step! It will take a while for the food to be effective, so patience is key. And keep in mind when they are on hydrolyzed, they should have NO other food or treats. Otherwise it's just throwing money away. The only treats they should have are prescription hydrolyzed treats. A veterinary dermatologist can tell you what items are compatible with hydrolyzed food. (Edit: whoops, you're already doing that.) Typical symptoms of food allergies are "ears and rears" - chronic ear and anal gland infections. The most common type of food allergy is to one or more proteins. Grain is an extremely rare allergy and grain-free/boutique food is thought to be linked to a heart condition called DCM (more research needs to be done). Homemade food is not recommended either due to the potential for contamination and poor nutritional balance. Environmental allergies can also cause or worsen ear infections. Another thing to consider is starting a long-term allergy medication, injectable or oral (such as Cytopoint or Apoquel). Ask the vet to see if pup is a candidate for either. Diphenhydramine is not considered effective for chronic allergies in dogs. It is most commonly used for acute allergic reactions i.e. bee stings. And of course it is important to be treating the ear infections as they come. They need to be professionally treated at the VET, possibly with additional topical medicine to go home. Please stop putting Benadryl cream and such in the ears. You could be causing more irritation which can lead to more infection. Most veterinarians can offer a cytology (swabbing the DIRTY ears) to determine what kind of ear infection - yeast or different kinds of bacteria. Based on that, they may reccomend a specific topical medication (ear flush and/or drops) +/- oral medication. There is also an option for a ear medication that lasts several weeks in the ear. This really helped my reactive dog before I was able to put him on hydrolyzed food. This medication has a few different brand names: Claro, Osurnia, Simplera. This is NOT medical advice, just letting you know what options are available. Your vet may or may not think it's appropriate for your dog, but I'd ask if they carry one of them! Allergies can be super expensive. I always reccomend getting pet insurance for all pets but ESPECIALLY bully breeds. They are prone to chronic allergies. Source: i'm an rvt (registered veterinary technician). I also have 2 house hippos with allergies out the wazoo. Always check with your veterinarian and highly reccomend finding a veterinary dermatologist! https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatologist
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I see so many good recommendations already, but I’d love to add what we use for maintenance as well since I don’t see it and extra options are always good! We have one that isn’t allergy based with chronic ear infections. Unfortunately, he’s just a yeasty boy according to our vets. So they recommended an ear flush that does really good for him. It cleans the ears out great and is said to be anti fungal and antibiofilm. I’m not an expert, so I can’t say to that part of it, but it definitely cut down his every other week ear infections to one every few months. We use the Trizultra + Keto flush. This one is prescription, but they have different kinds and very similar that are not needed. Just look for Triz. That’s what they called it at our vet we got it from. There’s so many variants and there might be one that would interest you or match your needs a bit better. We use it mostly to keep them clean and dry them out. You squirt some in, rub really good outside his ear, just under the hole, and literal black gunk falls out. Wipe clean the rest and good as new. He still gets his infections, but he’s a water log, so we do our best during pool days. I hope you’re able to find something that helps! And i hope you get his food straightened out too. If you do decide to and can afford it, I would highly recommend doing a full allergy panel. We ended up with so many better options for my oldest girl when we did. We found two novel proteins she can eat. It is expensive, bit so was the hydro food. And this is so much better than that food for her as well. But it did cost us about $800 to do the full list. They might have a smaller list option as well. Ours came back completely full of bad everything and gave it a final Hail Mary to see if there was anything she could do. Thankfully alligator and kangaroo and my girl is happy and healthy again. Good luck!
Our dog also had to switch to HA because of chronic ear infections. They didn’t all go away because he also has environmental allergies. We started giving him generic Claritin daily. His infections are now very rare.
My pit gets this from his allergies. We started him on cytopoint shots every 6-10 weeks and it really helped. He only gets them when he’s due for a shot now.
My previous pit used to have a ton of ear and skin problems like this. Spent hundreds on prescriptions, tested different foods, and so much torture trying to fix it. What worked was a $8 jar of acidophilus or probiotic pills, thanks to a tip from a healthy grocery store employee. Get something with billions of live active cultures, feed 4 pills a day until all the pressing issues are gone. In my case, it took about 2 weeks. Then do 2 pills a day until you don't see any further issues like licking, biting, scratching, or head shaking. That took about 4 months in my case. After that, I would serve him yogurt a few times a week and add in pills during seasonal changes. Never had a problem again for the last 8 years of his life.
Brown rice, vegetables, fruit, meat. I also give him pureed liver as a snack 🤮 he loves it but man, I hate making it. I alternate the mix so his palate doesn't become bored lol Vegetables Carrots, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes Meat: Ground beef or chicken, salmon, sardines, tuna Fruit Apples or applesauce, blueberries, pumpkin I truly hope it helps your baby 😃
This sounds just like what I need for my kiddo! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Can I ask how much you feed daily and what your baby weighs? Just to get a good idea. I am terrified of starving him of either cals or nutrients if I use solely a real food diet (currently half kibble half real food)
Cornbread is older so I give him a cup and half per day in the morning. If he has been super active, I will give him another cup at night. I usually do 3 cups rice with all the vegetables and it lasts about a week for him. He's around 75 libs now, before I started his new diet he was pushing 100 lbs. The dude loves his liver though, and it's his favorite snack. Once I started the liver, I definitely noticed a change in his coat and his one hip that bothers him. For the liver recipe: Beef liver (4) in a pack from Walmart 2 eggs Sweet potato or applesauce Combine in blender
Fabulous!! Thanks so much! My vet is a farm vet (the only one in my area that he can legally go to and who I've found doesn't examine him from across the room 🙄) and they don't tend to know as much (or offer as much knowledge) about raw/real feeding. They're great for my wallet and they treat Loki like a normal dog but I've not been confident enough in my own research as it's so vague and they gave me nothin lol luckily Loki is very expressive so I will likely know ASAP if something isn't right.
My girl is allergic to her own yeast she produces. Gives her periodic ear infections as well as elsewhere on her body. We have some medicated wipes the vet gave us that we try to clean her ears out with frequently. Seems to help.
Hi! My dog would get these plus had allergies. I have everything under control because you have to heal their gut first. I would get him off all dry food, especially purina. And I would look to feed him a cooling protein like duck, rabbit or white fish. The ears need to be cleaned out regularly as well, skouts honor has a good ear wash.
Our girl has it, but not as bad as this looks. Vet said she has a skin allergy and her ear got infected from scratching. Gave us a "wash" and some drops. Which work untill I forget to go a full week. We went ahead and got a shot for her, and she scratches WAY less, I just have to watch her ear more closely
I've had the same problem with my pit mix and tried all the ear cleaners, ointments and medications out there and tried her on all kinds of different diets with no improvement.The only thing that helped was getting her allergy tested and starting allergy shots. Turns out she's allergic to a lot of environmental things and I just try my best to cut down on dust mites. I also keep her food in the freezer now to kill food storage mites and she's doing much better.
Just to mention a potential issue to explore. Animals can sometimes have little growths like tumors inside the ears. Sometimes you can't see them without a thorough vet examination of the inner ear. They block the natural clearing out of debris, wax, and dead skin cells that normal ears perform. When this gunk is trapped in there where your wipe can't reach, bacteria grows and causes constant ear infections. All the food changes and medications in the world won't fix this issue because it requires surgical intervention. Sometimes tissue needs to be removed, and sometimes you can get away with a minimally invasive permanent inner ear tube insert which acts to keep the area open to the normal amount.
Oh no must hurt
Do you use dryer sheets? I have found a lot of dogs are allergic to dryer sheets
For us it was corn, which is also the thing they feed our food animals. My guy had to do kangaroo only as it was the only protein that didn’t trigger him. Poor dudes
Poor baby!!!
Hi OP. Sorry if anyone has already mentioned this. One of ours used to have terrible ear infections that always sounded wet inside when being rubbed too. We read athletes foot cream, used it for 2/3 days and it was cleared up and never been back!! Absolute god send due to all the vet bills and how uncomfortable she always was! Sending hugs and boops 😍❤️
My boy was getting ear infections for a bit and it wound up being yeast. When he starts getting itchy I wipe his ears out a couple times a day with coconut oil. He hasn't had a problem since.
The cytopoint shots were the only thing (well, plus a food change) that gave my girl any relief. Good luck 🤞🏻, I know this is a frustrating experience.
Hey, so my staffy had this problem for about 3 years, mainly because he has got NATURALLY (not cropped) small ears. Once the active infection cleared I started using Daktarin anti fungal powder in his ear. It worked really well and we’ve not had a flare up for about 14 months.
Mine has same problem.,... Always scratching & shaking her head bc of her ear
Please go to a dermatologist- It is very pricey. I had a shepard with chronic ear infections - at vet 5 or 6 times a year. It ended up being ecoli- and once cured it was cured - no more ear infections - 100% worth the money
Nasty 🤢
There’s ear cleaning solutions that you can use to clean out the dogs ears. We do it after all of our doggos baths. There’s also a long-term gel solution that the vet can give that stays in for a month. Doing the gel and then following up with the at-home cleaning solutions regularly does the trick for us.
Poor baby ☹️ i hope you can get this solved soon. Such a cute pup
My dog Frank has super sensitive skin, his hair was always falling out and he had bumps all over ,so we switched him to purina pro plan sensitive skin salmon recipe. Try it out seems to be working for Frank. I belive that ear infection is just allergies. I’ve had pitbulls since I was 18 and now I’m 41 so I’ve tried ALOT of stuff. Switch the food from chicken to lamb or fish and wash his ears and bath him once a week for a while. My vet says lots of dogs are allergic to chicken. WTF
Might be a food allergy. If your food has chicken as the main ingredient try a different protein.
I recommend getting an allergy test done. I found that mine was allergic to a lot of food that was 'good for allergies'.
When ours got a really bad infection in both ears the vet gave us a solution to put in his ears everyday until it cleared up. We clean his ears out with a dog safe wipe (we use Burt’s bees for dogs) and get as deep into the ears as we can and then put the medicine in. We kept doing it until we ran out of medicine and now we just wipe his ears out once a day.
My pittie has horrible allergies. He used to get so many ear infections. He’s also allergic to chicken. He eats Purina sensitive skin and stomach. He also gets a cytapoint shot every 3-4 months and takes Apoquel daily. It’s expensive but it’s the only thing that has helped and it’s been months now since his last ear infection so it’s worth it.
Probiotics helped my guy with his ear infections. Once daily on his meal.
Well at least I know that mine isn’t the only one (after the post AND reading all the comments)
My own pit experiences this. We don’t like the steroid shots, and the only thing we’ve found that works for her after 10 years is a solution mix of ear drops from the vet themselves. We also have her on Hydrolized dry food, prescribed by her vet too
poor baby!! So many dogs react to so many different things that it is hard to give you one answer. Firstly, you know your dog best. Consult your vet and try, try, and try again until you find something that works for your pup! I am 3 years in and finally have found a mixture of things that help my dog with a lot of allergies, both food and environmental! We tried everything, including hydrolyzed diets, which, funnily enough, he had a reaction too! Gave it to him for 8 weeks and nothing else and he came up in hives and the vet said its not the food.....but we decided to take him off it none the less and the hives cleared up! So yes, in theory, it should be better, but that doesn't mean it will always work for your dog. Trial and error. We now have him on apoquel and a mixture of antibacterial shampoo, mousse, and pads that we use after walks, etc. This is very expensive, though. It's not ideal but better than a poorly pup! Take on and try all sorts until you find something that works! Wishing you all the best for you and your pup, as I and many others know how frustrating the process is.
Until you find the cause a blow dryer on low may help to dry the canal out or it may cause zoomies when applied
Every year for 11 years. My dog has the same issue. Cleaning regularly with medicine ear stuff. It's all we can do
What worked pretty good for my doggos chronic ear infections when he was younger was Zymox Otic enzymatic solution. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s worth it imo. That seemed to work the best as far as topical treatment goes. But changing food and setting up a regimen to clean the ears regularly should prevent the need for zymox treatment, but it can also be used preventatively too, during your normal ear cleaning, after you’re done, just put a few drops in and massage around the ear folds and into the canal a bit too. I still use it after cleaning, even though he doesn’t seem to get ear infections anymore…although maybe that’s part of the reason why he doesn’t anymore…combined with diet that works with him
Definitely diet, milk bones are notorious for this ..
what helped my pup was apple cider vinegar ! i would put some in her pet wipes and clean her ear throughly , went away in less than a week
So same issue with my boy. It was a chicken allergy that impacted his skin and his ears. We switched to a chicken free food and it cleared up. Finding good high value chicken free treats wasn’t as easy, but luckily chewy has some filters which help to search by ingredient. Once you figure out what you dog CAN have, you can find those good things they love!
Our Pit-Vizsla mix had chronic ear infections and we found out he was allergic to chicken we bought. We eliminated all chicken from his diet. A couple years later, I had to go overseas for 3 months and my Inlaws kept him for us. My FIL raises chicken, goat, lamb and rabbit and while we were gone he was feeding him chicken. He never had an issue. We believe there is something in the chicken from supermarkets that isn't in the free range chickens my FIL raises.
Right?! The chicken used in dog food seems suspicious.
Oh poor, poor baby.
My baby also used to have chronic ear infections with ears like that. Vet started prescribing mometomax for use to put im her ears and it cleared it up. We keep a bottle around just in case now.
I had my baby on apoquel for nine years due to significant allergies we recently switched him to cytopoint because it was not managing his ear infections…he is doing great!! No more ear infections and he is a happier dog! If your vet recommends a medication the side effects of apoquel are not worth it. Neither one is cheap but the cytopoint is worth every penny! Good luck getting this adorable baby better!
My boy had to get his ear stitched all the way up so scar tissue completely filled it in. Before the procedure his shit started turning into a full water balloon. He still gets the yeast in both ears but at least he isn't a water balloon anymore
I had the same problem and the food allergy was the issue. Try Purina ProPlan Salmon. Did wonders for my guy. And you can find antibiotic cream on Amazon for the ears to help him right away.
Yup, zymox otic works wonders
No advice. Just wanted to say that little potato is adorable and looks so very soft. Please give him some scritch scratches from me.
Change his food.
My two boys are 25% pitbull, and they are allergic to all poultry, peas... lamb and/or rice? They did really poorly (vomiting and ear infections) on the last two lamb and rice foods we tried, but I don't know which ingredient is the problem. I'm just happy they are feeling better, so I've banned both ingredients.
Over the counter 1% Hydrocortisone cream might help!
Coconut oil!!!! Please do it immediately!!!!! Get coconut oil and cotton balls. Dip the cotton balls into the oil until they’re completely soaked and then put the oil all in and around your dogs ear !!!! You will thank me! It’s anti fungal etc also, so it will get rid of whatever is in there as well as moisturize it which is needed!!!! I do this to my dogs ears daily when his are bad and it’s the only thing that works for his yeast etc.
Hello I have owned Bully breeds for over 25 years and they are prone to allergies and bad ear infections. And my current boy has had ear infections on and off for 5 years but the last time was recently and I did the option of sending a culture to an outside Lab 🧫 for testing to see if anything would grow on the sample and it came back with 3 different types of bacteria 🦠 and a fungal issue. So his doctor put him on an antibiotic that the bacteria wasn't resistant to. It's been 10 days or so on the antibiotic and an antifungal ear type medicine that has to stay in for 3 weeks and I can't clean out that ear until the time is done. My advice is to get away from the prescription food it's nothing but garbage 🗑️ and a huge profit for the animal doctor 🏥. My boy does great on a brand called Health Extension Bison 🦬 and Whitefish formula it's a Dry grain free kind. The Bully breeds I.M.O. don't do well on foods that are high in grain ingredients. But if his ear is a recurring issue I recommend finding a doctor 🏥 that can send out a culture 🧫 like I did it was worth it to give him some relief. Best of luck 🤞🍀And the monthly shot 💉 does seem to help him out more than the daily Benadryl.
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My chow chow gets that sometimes. So now we get a solution at the vet once a month to keep them clear.
Awe.
I had a lot of luck with Bactine… lidocaine as an anesthetic and benzalkonium chloride as an antiseptic. That’s after rounds of oral and topical Rx abx… I got the best results from something from the first aid kit.
I give my American bulldog 2 benedril every morning and his ear issues went away. He has allergies that we could not figure out.
Hey, im a regular on that road. My pit gets chronic ear infections. When it gets bad i have to go in and get meds. Zymox otic (red bottle) didnt work and actually made it worse once. Vet needs to look at it under a scope to make sure. My guy gets yeast/bacteria as a result of allergies. Silvadene Cr./Dexamethasone/H2O mixture, syringe with no needle, half a CC into the ears (deep) twice a day for a couple weeks, sometimes with antibiotics. Works great. Have to massage it to get on every part of ear. As a norm, clean all bedding, remove allergens / clean house often. Hypoallergenic soap unscented and no softener. My dog eats purina pro sensitive SS salmon. Hills science diet is better if puppers can handle chicken but thats a common allergy. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to properly clean out the ears every 3 days. Dont allow the gunk an environment to take root and thrive. Maintainence is everything. Have the vet show you how to properly clean them, buy their ear wash, use a lot. The proper technique is vital. Also, antifungal/antibacterial baths once or twice a week. My guy deals with staph problems as well. Every now and then i have to go in for meds but its rare now. Not drugging my boy with benadryl or paying for apoquel. My boy is doing great. Pits are the poster dogs for allergies, just the nature of the game. Hope this helps, best of luck Edit: some of these other solutions are very expensive. If you follow my protocol and it works youll save a ton of money...my guys ears were far worse than this. Specialists/testing/shots are often a waste of time and money. 20 minutes a week cleaning ears and occasionally 20 bucks for ear goop. Problem solved
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Zymox, one drop a day for maintenance and you will never see another ear infection . Even one’s caused by food allergies. Stuff is a miracle. And fairly cheap. And available on Amazon.
Local honey with wax!! Feed a spoonful daily. Needs to be local honey. It helps with inflammation.
Yeah my dog use to get this due to a food allergy. Cut out all treats and try to find out what is causing the issue with the food first. If not the culprit, move on to the treats and introduce them once every week till you've weeded it out. My vet really wanted to do an allergy test but it's expensive! Mine was due to a specific treat, don't rule it out! Never know what they put in some of these treats. Zymox for the ear infection until you find out.
If the food doesn't help, look into Zignature brand. They have novel proteins, kangaroo, duck, guinea fowl, etc, that might do the trick...also no yeast. My Pittie is allergic to chicken and yeast, I get the Zignature Essential that has duck, turkey, salmon and lamb...and no yeast.
my lab growing up had the same issues, we tried everything, cutting protiens our, special foods, medications, ointments, cleaners, specialty vets. with the last ear infection he almost died and the vet ended up closing his ears surgically.
Over the counter wash for the ear and Neosporin and super glue for cut part. Has happened to my poor guy many times and that has done the trick
I hope your dog gets better soon.
Poor baby 🥺 I know that hurts
It looks like a food allergy
Looks like yeast
Have you tried Quercetin before? Four rover brand is great. And also single source protein food. Farmina fish and duck works great for my girl. Also raised right (single source) is great too. She gets raised right in the morning and kibble in evening. Allergies, infections all gone.
We changed our Pits ear wash to octibliss from whatever crappy alcohol based one we had been using previous. Made a HUGE difference. I also started coating his ears with a Vaseline, after washing and drying his ears, as well as if they ever just feel dry. Not only do I think the Vaseline helped his skin barrier, but I also think it suffocated whatever bacteria or yeast he had going on. He used to shake his head all day, and his poor ear were raw. We also went grain free and started giving him omega 3 oil. Unsure if those two things are also related but worth mentioning
poor baby! mine had the same issue :( This worked for us (was recommended by vet): TrizUltra+Keto as a flush in the mornings + a squeeze of Zymox in the evenings, hold it in the ears and just squish it around in there. Don't rinse/wipe. Also make sure you use the Zymox on dirty ears - not to be used right after cleaning...I can't remember exactly why. I think it uses the body's pH for healing and it can mess it up if the ears are pre cleaned (??? probably wrong) Did this for 2 weeks every day and problem was solved. Now I just use one or the other every time i notice his ears bothering him (which is very infrequently). Good luck to sweet Juice!
My guy had the same issue! Reducing outside time in the spring, and uh. Brace for this, cutting out chicken, beef, chickpeas, salmon, pork, poultry, and eggs helped like you wouldn’t believe. If the brand of food I buy ever discontinues the lamb and whitefish formulas I will be doomed. Idk what other proteins to try after all that we went through to find out THOSE were the only things he basically wasn’t allergic to. I HIGHLY recommend doing a feeding trial. I did a vet one, as well as doing a JFFD trail (though, I don’t feed it anymore cause my poor wallet couldn’t keep up with that) and it gave us a LOT of insight. I also want to 100% recommend apoquel and cytopoint
Because his ears are so damaged you may see a doc 1st for topical pain killers. Then.....start using an ENZYME based ear cleaner.
Every since I switched to V-Planet dog food my dog has stopped getting ear infections and UTIs. I know it's anecdotal but changing food can have such a positive impact.
That's a yeast problem as others have pointed out. Anti-bacterial is the wrong medicine. Honestly you can get some human yeast cream and use it but it has to get way down the canal. Get with a different vet ASAP. Those ear infections are murder for dogs. It's very painful and irritating for them.
Your dog has allergies. He needs to be put on Apoquel, but be warned, it’s around $100 per month. Additionally, try to figure out what he’s allergic to. My dog who is on Apoquel is allergic to pork. I hope this helps.
OP this poor dogs ear condition is not OK. We have two mix bully’s and our last guy( Staffordshire ) all had/ have ear issues. This IS controllable with regular treatment. Please be more diligent. This is pure torture for the dog.