Since the vet found some suspicious wax build up during routine exam, we were cleaning Cookie's ears daily. We did that religiously for couple of weeks. Fortunately, after some initial bumps on the road, Cookie is doing well with it.
We were hoping that after all this, the ears would get happy and we get a green light to cleaning them only weekly or so.
Cookie's ears are not smelly, there is not tell-tale head shaking or scratching of the ears. In other words, they don't seem to be bothering her at all.
And yet, they seem to continue on being unhappy.
On the check up visit, they appeared more red, and skin more cobblestone in appearance than last visit. Which means, something is still going on in there and the ear cleaner is not aggressive enough to deal with it.
Ear cleaner got exchanged for medicated drops.
Even though this treatment is done twice a day, Cookie seems to like the drops better, probably because there is not as much liquid going into her ears with this treatment. Ten drops only.
We're all hoping that this will take care of that.
We definitely want to avoid things progressing to a serious ear infection.
The original theory that it's being caused by the way Cookie and JD play was dumped. Present theory are allergies, hopefully seasonal.
We also upped Cookie's omega-3 intake, to decrease inflammation in general.
Is it possible that the unhappy ears are caused by seasonal allergies? Certainly. I wonder about something else, though. After we got her, and her foot issues resolved, Cookie needed to get caught up on vaccinations.
She was behind on her rabies vaccine, and that had to be done as soon as possible.
Given her lifestyle, she also got lepto vaccine.
We did wait a month in between, but I am wondering if her immune system got aggitated and is taking it out on the ears now.
I think it's definitely something to be watching out for.
Her present treatment needs to continue for two weeks and then we'll see whether things get cleared up. Cookie was put on Surolan drops, which are antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
Hopefully we're looking at one time event.
Cookie's new diet, consisting of mostly combination of home-cooked and freeze-dried raw should not be conducive to such problems. Perhaps she even hasn't been on it long enough to make a difference. We shall see.
Testifies in favor of regular exams, though.
It is better to catch things before they become a real problem.
***
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From The End Of A Lead Line To Casa Jasmine: Meet Cookie, Our New Adoptee
And So It Begins Again(?) Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie
I Didn't Know I Could Fly: Why Cookie Wears A Harness Instead Of A Collar
C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Chews For Dogs CAN Be A Choking Hazzard
Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie: The Knee Or The Foot?
Creative Solutions And An Incidental Product Review
Too Young For Pot: Cookie's Snack With A Side Of Hydrogen Peroxide
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Staying On Top Of The Ears: Cookie Is Not Impressed
We were hoping that after all this, the ears would get happy and we get a green light to cleaning them only weekly or so.
Cookie's ears are not smelly, there is not tell-tale head shaking or scratching of the ears. In other words, they don't seem to be bothering her at all.
And yet, they seem to continue on being unhappy.
On the check up visit, they appeared more red, and skin more cobblestone in appearance than last visit. Which means, something is still going on in there and the ear cleaner is not aggressive enough to deal with it.
Ear cleaner got exchanged for medicated drops.
Even though this treatment is done twice a day, Cookie seems to like the drops better, probably because there is not as much liquid going into her ears with this treatment. Ten drops only.
We're all hoping that this will take care of that.We definitely want to avoid things progressing to a serious ear infection.
The original theory that it's being caused by the way Cookie and JD play was dumped. Present theory are allergies, hopefully seasonal.
We also upped Cookie's omega-3 intake, to decrease inflammation in general.
Is it possible that the unhappy ears are caused by seasonal allergies? Certainly. I wonder about something else, though. After we got her, and her foot issues resolved, Cookie needed to get caught up on vaccinations.
She was behind on her rabies vaccine, and that had to be done as soon as possible.
Given her lifestyle, she also got lepto vaccine.
We did wait a month in between, but I am wondering if her immune system got aggitated and is taking it out on the ears now.
I think it's definitely something to be watching out for.
Her present treatment needs to continue for two weeks and then we'll see whether things get cleared up. Cookie was put on Surolan drops, which are antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
Hopefully we're looking at one time event.
Cookie's new diet, consisting of mostly combination of home-cooked and freeze-dried raw should not be conducive to such problems. Perhaps she even hasn't been on it long enough to make a difference. We shall see.
Testifies in favor of regular exams, though.
It is better to catch things before they become a real problem.
***
Related articles:
From The End Of A Lead Line To Casa Jasmine: Meet Cookie, Our New Adoptee
And So It Begins Again(?) Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie
I Didn't Know I Could Fly: Why Cookie Wears A Harness Instead Of A Collar
C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Chews For Dogs CAN Be A Choking Hazzard
Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie: The Knee Or The Foot?
Creative Solutions And An Incidental Product Review
Too Young For Pot: Cookie's Snack With A Side Of Hydrogen Peroxide
Taming Of The Wild Beast: Cookie's Transition To Civilization
Staying On Top Of The Ears: Cookie Is Not Impressed
Geeze, I hope you find out whatever the ear issues are. Gets frustrating right?
ReplyDeleteWell, we're not at the point of frustrating yet, as we're hoping it's just a temporary problem ... one can always hope, right?
DeleteWe have our fingers crossed that we're not looking at life time of battle keeping the ears happy.
Fingers and paws crossed on our end for ya!
DeleteHow long as he been on raw? We're 3 months into a 6 month trial at Rocco's House. 90 days was all it took for my dogs, but they didn't have ear problems. I'd be very curious to learn how long it takes to improve the ears, if they improve at all. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteShe's been with us two months all together, slowly transitioned to some freeze-dried raw and some home-cooked.
DeleteHere is the thing, her ears were fine, until she got the vaccinations. Now, it could be a coincidence and might have to do with the season as well. All this remains to be seen.