Mystery allergy and constantly red, dirty ears

[brownbread]

Ever since we moved to California, my doxie Edward developed an allergy to...something. My vet says it's almost impossible to find the cause.

Anyhow, before the move, Edward had the pinkest, cleanest ears, which I almost never had to clean. Immediately after, his ears began gunking up--due to the allergy. I don't mind cleaning his ears, but the problem is that they get dirty *so* quickly--just a day or two following a cleaning. And no matter how gentle I am, they always look even redder afterward, and I worry that they might be sore. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions? I used to use cotton buds but have switched over to just very lightly blotting with a thin tissue. I considered trying the liquid cleaner that you squirt into the ear, but his ears are always damp already, and I don't want to worsen the situation, as I read that wet ears can lead to infection.

[kpm_tex]

What has changed? Food, Water, type of grass? Is this a yeast infection or bacterial? What type of treatment has the vet prescribed other than just cleaning?

[red&black]

As mentioned before - knowing the type of ear infection is important. If it's bacterial it's not as likely to be an allergy related infection, and can be treated with antibiotics.

Yeast infections (pretty common) can be treated with drops. It is likely that chronic yeast infections are being triggered by allergies. So your pupper can get some relief through anti-yeast drops for the short term, and treating alleriges long term.

Allergies can be food and/or seasonal (which can actually last year round).
Changing to a non-allergenic food type is a good first test (meaning no wheat, no corn, and a new protein source - something like fish and potato).

[brownbread]

My vet told me it could be anything and that it would be very difficult to discover the cause--the way he said it, and since he offered me no options, I assumed this meant Edward would just have to *live* with this new allergy. I must admit, Edward doesn't seem in any way affected, other than that his ears are red and dirty. He doesn't scratch them or shake his head.

I kept feeding him the same thing after we moved, so I assume it must be something in the general environment--grass or pollen, perhaps. Was I wrong to simply accept what my vet told me? Should I be more actively looking for a treatment?

[brownbread]

Oops, I just missed red&black's comments when I posted previously. The vet said that Edward's ears are not infected. They're just dirty. Perhaps I wouldn't even have thought anything of it, if his ears hadn't been so clean before the move.

I did try changing his food, just in case, to Natural Balance fish and potatoes, which on the bag says "Allergy Formula."

[kpm_tex]

It's not normal for a dogs ears to all of a sudden get dirty and red and wet. I would really Strongly, strongly, strongly suggest seeing another vet. Food is often a cause but for a dog to go from normal to not just because of a change of location is not right.

[TessieMom]

Allergies are a common cause... In Tess's case it was food allergies, but environmental allergies will also cause problems... there are certainly things that can be done including allergy testing and shots or merely a change of food.

[red&black]

I agree about the suggestion to see another vet. Ears dont just get "dirty." Healthy ears are clean naturally.

My Black Jack lived with "indeterminable" allergies for about 6 years. He was miserable. His ears were always cruddy (from yeast infections) and he always had staph infections of the skin, always itchy, etc.

You CAN have allergy testing done on dogs.
I believe one DBB'er had this done recently for one of hers.
I myself couldn't really afford the testing.

But when I moved and changed vets, Black Jack got his first taste of relief ever. I changed his food, as it appeared wheat/corn were issues with him. Additionally we documented seasonal flare ups, which indicated outdoor allergies. For that he gets two depo-medrol shots a year. About $20 a shot and it brings SO much relief to him! He hasn't had a flare up or ear infection in more than a year. He's a happy fellow.

Your little guy doesn't have to live with it!

You can even give him benedryl daily, for starters.

[fdcutee]

Which state did you move from? How old is Edward?

[brownbread]

I don't know why my vet never suggested allergy testing. I feel rather guilty now for simply trusting him. Well, I will start searching around for another vet, and hopefully will find someone more helpful and knowledgeable!

fdcutee, Edward's almost four now and we actually moved from Japan to California.

[red&black]

I too trusted my vets with Black Jack's issues. But as I found out later we were only treating the symptoms and not the underlying issue.
Poor little guy felt rotten for years!

You said you had changed food to Natural Balance fish and potato?
My guys loved that stuff. We had to change brands though, when the closest store to us that sold Natural Balance went out of business :(

And this stuff:
http://www.pfizerah.com/product_overview.asp?drug=DM&country=US&lang=EN&species=CN
Is like a miracle drug for Black Jack's outdoor allergies.

[brownbread]

red&black, I'm sorry to hear your pup suffered for so long. It's difficult to know how to choose a "good" vet, don't you think? I do like the NB fish and potatoes (and I think Edward likes it too--so hard to tell, since he likes anything that can be broken down in his mouth and swallowed :D). Maybe you can order online?

And thanks for the link on that allergy medicine. I will definitely ask my NEW vet about it--although Edward doesn't seem to have any itchy problems.

[TessieMom]

Goldie, my allergy girl, is allergic to potatoes... I was feeding NB fish and sweet potatoes and she was having a horrible time. I also had to take Tess off of it because of her ears. Her ear infections stopped when I switched to EVO.

[Suzanne R]

I'm so sorry Edward is having such problems - I, too, suggest another vet. If they just act like it's "no big deal" it's time to find a vet who will look for the root of the problem! Sending many :rayz::rayz::rayz:! I'm thinking if his ears continue with the current issue long enough, it could turn into something worse. Keep us posted!

[brownbread]

Thank you, Suzanne!

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Gunner kept getting dirty ears at one time--and he is not outside that much and I kept cleaning them and cleaning them, I took him to the vet he didn't have an infection but he gave me a ear cleaning solution and some ear drops just in case. After using that it got better. You need to get some kind of ear solution for him.

[brownbread]

Oh, that gives me a bit of hope. I do find it weird that he has no other noticeable allergic reactions besides the dirty ears. Were Gunner's ears red?

[Cocoa and Me]

My girl, Cocoa, has allergies to food and environmental stuff. I found her allergies to the food and solved that problem. So for the environmental stuff I got an air purifier and run it about 8 hours a day. It got really bad for Cocoa and her ears where getting dirty and wet, so off I went and bought an air purifier. She still had some itchies, but no more dirty ears. I'm in California too. Her allergies are getting milder now that "allergy season" is slowly coming to an end. Good luck!!

My boy had horrible ears when I had him on the food that the breeder had him on (Nutro), but once I switched him to a "better" quality food, no more dirty ears ever!

[brownbread]

To Cocoa's mom (or dad!), I was very curious when "allergy season" is for you, since we're somewhat in the same area.

[Cocoa and Me]

To Cocoa's mom (or dad!), I was very curious when "allergy season" is for you, since we're somewhat in the same area.
I'm Cocoa and Mousse's mom :wavesmile:

I noticed Cocoa having allergy problems starting in early March. I got the air purifier in May, and it seems to help everyone. I don't have allergies, but I swear I can smell the air is cleaner LOL. Allergies are such a pain when it happens with our little ones, b/c we can't figure out WHAT is the problem. All we see is that they are having allergy breakouts :(

Good luck in finding the problem. It CAN be done. Some are easier than others, and some will require the test. I didn't want to spend the $400-500 to find out what Cocoa was allergic to (food wise) so I figured it out on my own.

[brownbread]

Hi Cocoa and Mousse's mom! Oh wow, I didn't know the allergy tests could get that expensive. You're right that allergies are a pain--I get them too, and the last thing I want is for Edward to have to deal with months of drugs the way I have to!

Oh well, I guess I should still get a second opinion on Edward's ears and go from there.

[brownbread]

A little off-topic, but Edward kind of looks like your long-haired doxie and seeing how sweet your two babies are together (in your slide show) makes me want to have a second one too!

[Cocoa and Me]

A little off-topic, but Edward kind of looks like your long-haired doxie and seeing how sweet your two babies are together (in your slide show) makes me want to have a second one too!
LOL, that is actually how Mousse came to be. I had Cocoa and then saw all the cute cuddling pictures, then I got "puppy pains" and....along came Mousse :rofl: It was one of the best decisions I've made :Sun2:

[maddoxies]

Location can affect allergies. My foster, Daisy, did not suffer with her grass allergies here in Canada this summer (she comes from South Carolina).

The commercial ear solutions have an ingredient to help dry up the ears; so using a fluid on the ears can actually help the drying.

I also gently wipe the ears with my finger and a tissue to remove some of the "weeping"

Here are some allergy :rayz::rayz:

[brownbread]

Cocoa's mom: Don't tempt me! My husband's trying to get me to consider human babies, and I don't think he'd be happy if I came home with a furry one instead.

maddoxies: Oh, I'm so glad you told me about the drying effects of the ear-cleaning solution. Is there a particular brand you'd recommend?