by MaryannC

Created on: March 19, 2009

Treating ear infections in Labs

Now I know there are thousands of pet owners out there that have labs, and are having trouble with infections in their ears. Well I also have a lab and I can sympathize with you. My lab is 10 years old and started to have ear infections about 6 years ago.

Labs are known for ear trouble and that is due to their floppy ears. Beagle's, spaniels, and actually any other dog breed that has floppy ears are prone to this problem. The ear needs oxygen and light to prevent bacteria and or yeasts to grow and in floppy eared dogs the bacteria is having a field day.

Now, there can be many reasons why our dogs develop ear infections some say it can be allergies, which Labs have and even the food you feed them can cause infection. Therefore, it is important for your Vet to determine what the cause is. If this is the first time that your dog has developed an ear infection then you will get an idea of what is needed to prevent future infections.

I am always amazed that even though my labs ears are floppy they get so dirty! It is important to keep them clean and dry. That is the key. Of course, you will need to know if your animal has any food allergies. My lab did not, I tried all different kinds of food and kept her away from corn but that did not make any difference, she continued to get infections. That became very costly until I made an honest effort to keep her ears clean. So now, I chase her around the house twice a week to clean her ears. She hates it!

You need to know your dog so that you can spot the symptoms. Scratching of the ear or ears, shaking its head, acting very lethargic, sometimes they will tilt their head favoring the infected ear. You better check the ear, if it is red, or swollen, or has a horrible smell, your dog has an ear infection. You will need to get your pet to a vet to determine if it is yeast or bacterial or both. Do not waste time or you can damage your pets eardrum?

Now I have become an old pro with my lab so what I have discovered that works for me is. I clean her ears at least twice a week. You can purchase cleaning solution specifically for the ears and use cotton balls to clean the inside of the ear. After you squirt solution into the ear canal gently massage the base before they shake their head. You can also use white vinegar and water to clean the ear, use equal amounts of each, the vinegar is acidic and dries out the ear which is what you want. However, do this only after the infection has been taken care of.

I also have purchased and always keep on hand Zymox; it is an enzymatic solution to help in treatment of yeast and bacterial infections. You can purchase it without a prescription. I use this once a week I have used it when my lab started to develop an ear infection. I put it in her ear once a day for 7 days. It did the trick, but keep in mind use it in the very early stages before the infection really gets a good hold.

I hope this helps the animal lovers out there; I know how we love our pets and want what is best for them. My next article will be on the commercial dog food. That will be a shocker!

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