Canine Ear (Yeast) Infections

We are participating in the Caring for Critters blog hop hosted by Jodi at Heart Like a Dog.

Yesterday, Lisa at Heartprints Pets wrote about the benefits of essential oils and canine massage after trauma.

I have battled ear infections with Bruce in the past.  Knock on wood, he has not had one in two years now.  By process of elimination and deductive reasoning, I figured out that Bruce's ear infections were caused by a yeast allergy.  Culturing of swabs performed by the vet confirmed his infections were due to yeast.

A dog with an ear infection can present himself in a variety of ways.  Frequent shaking of the head, scratching of the ears, ear tenderness, loss of hair in the ears, and red, inflamed ears are common.  Bruce demonstrated all of these. 

Some mild ear infections can be treated and cleared up at home.  I was able to do this a couple of times, prior to figuring out the cause of his infections.

For me, at home treatment of his canine yeast infections included cleansing his ears twice daily with half-strength white or apple cider vinegar.  Other options include OTC ear rinses and wipes, none of which I used.

The last ear infection of his was the worst, and necessitated a trip to the vet, which is not fun at all with Bruce.  (This is also how we learned that acepromazine is not a good drug for him...)

His ears were so bad that he ended up on oral steroids, a medicated wash, and a three way medicated cream.

Fortunately, this cleared it up for him.  Finding the cause is key, and yeast is often the cause.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

Bruce before, suffering from an ear infection.

Note the red, inflamed ears and lack of fur in his ears.  Bruce hardly looks like the same dog now.

Bruce after.  Nice well-furred ears, amongst other changes.

Yeast is present in a large number of commercially produced dog treats, supplements, and foods.  One has to be diligent in reading labels.  Brewer's yeast is commonly found in supplements for skin and coat.

Other food items can contribute to yeast allergies in dogs.  Potatoes and sweet potatoes are items that are commonly found in dog foods and treats, and can contribute to yeast allergies.

Watching for early signs of an ear infection and prompt treatment is best.  Discovering the cause, and eliminating allergens is the key to preventing these painful problems.

Update on Faolan

Yesterday, I blogged about Faolan's busy, fun day.  I left off mentioning that I ended up back at the vet because of him.

After leaving the shelter, while driving to the park, Faolan urinated in my car.  He has never done this, and it really surprised me.  While driving home from the park, he urinated in my car again.  At first, I thought that perhaps he was just extremely tired, having missed his morning nap.

Upon arriving home, I put him outside with Neeko and Bruce for a few minutes while I cleaned my car.  When I let them inside, he promptly urinated in the mud room.

I baby gated all three in the back room, and left to run a couple of errands.  I was gone for about 1.5 hours.  Upon returning home, there was a puddle of urine in the back room.  I cannot recall the last time Neeko or Bruce urinated in the house, so I blame Faolan. 

After cleaning it up, I called the vet.  I explained that we had just been in for a wellness visit that morning, but that I was fearful Faolan had a urinary tract infection, and explained what had happened.  They stated I could bring in a specimen, without having to physically bring Faolan in. 

When Les arrived home from work shortly after, he assisted me in collecting some urine from Faolan.  I put the container in an iced lunch box, and off the vet we went.

They did a urinalysis on it immediately.

Surprisingly, it came back negative for blood, white cells, protein and glucose.

However, his urine pH came back elevated at 8.0. Normal pH for dog urine is 6.2-6.5 (http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/canineurineanalysis.htm)

Alkalinity in urine can be caused by a diet high in grains and carbohydrates.  My crew are all raw fed, with only occasional grain-inclusive treats, so this is not the case.  The vet, along with the website linked above, both state that certain bacteria can cause alkaline urine.

More alarming, his urine specific gravity came back VERY low at 1.005.  By comparison, the specific gravity of water is 1.000.  This means his urine was very dilute, and his kidneys are not concentrating it. 

The pH and specific gravity of his urine have me very fearful of Diabetes Insipidus, also known as DI.  I am a registered nurse, and sometimes knowledge is not a good thing.

As it stands, he is currently on a 10 day course of cephalexin.  We will do a repeat urinalysis in two weeks.  If his pH remains high, and specific gravity remains low, blood work will be necessary.

Paws crossed.

Faolan's Wednesday-the vet, a visit to the shelter, and creek stomping

Faolan had his yearly wellness visit this morning.  He goes to a different office than Neeko and Bruce.  When I adopted him last summer, I had to prepay for his rabies vaccination, using one of the vet offices that the shelter had an affiliation with.  I chose the one closest to my home, but still about a 35 minute drive away.  Unbeknownst to both me and the shelter staff, when I adopted Faolan, his testicles had not yet descended, so he was neutered there as well.
This morning we saw Dr. J, one of two vets in the practice.  In the past we have seen Dr. B, but he is off on Wednesdays.  Dr. J was nice, and thorough. 
Faolan received rabies, distemper, and bordatella vaccinations.  He handled them like a champ.  He did demonstrate a bit of anxiety, whining and pacing, but was very well behaved, and super friendly with everyone.
Since we were going to be in the area, I contacted the shelter I adopted him from, asking if it was ok to bring him with me when I swung by to drop off some food for their food pantry, and treats for the shelter dogs.  They were thrilled at the prospect of seeing him.  Steve, our trainer friend, who is affiliated with the shelter, got word that we were going to be there, so he made a point to be there as well. 

 The food, treats, and toy we dropped off at the shelter

Faolan was very well-behaved at the shelter.  Their office is separate from the kennels.  He loved on everyone, and charmed everyone.  Most of the staff knew him from his time there, and were excited to see him.  He was great with visitors and volunteers who stopped in the office.  Linda gave him a pig ear, and he was in heaven. 

Steve arrived about 25 minutes after we did, and Faolan was SO excited to see him.  He tried to crawl in his lap, and licked and nibbled his face. 

I have mentioned it before, but I adore the staff at the shelter we adopted Faolan from. 

We visited with Steve, Linda and other staff for over an hour.  While there, Linda shared some stories and examples of horrible pet owners, and the stories she hears when an animal is being surrendered.  Some made me shake my head in amazement of the ignorance of people.

 Good boy, chilling on the floor of the shelter office

After leaving the shelter, we headed to our favorite park, for some hiking and creek playing.  I was wearing shorts and my Keens, so I got in the water with him.  It was hot today, so the water was nice.

I had him on a 30 foot training leash while playing in the creek.  Several times he was in water deep enough to require actual swimming.  He put his entire head under water on several occasions.  Northern breeds and wolfdogs seem to have a different swimming style than a lab or other retriever.  Labs that I have seen swimming frequently have the front half of their body up out of the water.  My crew's back all remain level, and there swimming appears more effortless, and much more fluid.

Durr face.  I adore this silly, sweet boy

Shake it out!

I made him pose on this fallen tree.  He doesn't look thrilled

We had a great time, and he was thoroughly exhausted, having missed his morning nap.

I snapped this pic right before we left the park.  Two minutes later, he was asleep.

We had a great time on our adventures today.

Unfortunately, I ended up back at the vets' office this evening, because of Faolan...

(Everything is "ok", I will explain tomorrow)

Vaccinations-How Often and For What?

Yesterday Neeko had her annual checkup. 

 She has me well trained.  I'm rubbing her belly with my foot in the waiting area.

Yesterday I finally got to meet Dr. B, the practice owner, and one of three vets there.  LOVED HER!

Neeko weighed in at 95.1 lbs, and Dr. B said she had a great body condition.  She loved her coat, and said her teeth looked fantastic.  She then shocked me by asking point blank if I fed raw.  When I replied affirmatively I was shocked by how supportive she was of it.

She had an Acuplex 4 drawn, which tests for heartworms, and tick related diseases-Lyme, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis.  I received the phone call today that all were negative.

This office believes in trying to avoid yearly vaccines at all costs, for which I am grateful.  Yesterday Neeko received only a bordetella vaccine.  I didn't want to do that, but it is required by the state of Indiana if a dog is to be boarded.  There is a chance that will occur, so I chose to have it administered.

Next year she will receive DHPP, and bordetella, should I choose to give it again next year.

She was vaccinated last year for rabies and will not receive another rabies vaccine until 2015.

I am contemplating having titers drawn next year, which my vet will gladly do, over giving the DHPP vaccine.

This article discusses titers versus vaccinations.

What do you vaccinate for, how often, and why?

Bruce vs the Vet

Yesterday Bruce had his yearly checkup. This is his third vet visit with us, and he has gotten to terrorize three different vets, all at the same practice. Originally he saw Dr. W, a man, who Neeko also saw. Dr. W left to join his dad's practice. Last year he saw Dr. J, who Neeko saw last summer and a couple months ago. Dr. J was off yesterday, so he saw Dr. S. The only vet there he has yet to see/initiate is Dr. B, the owner.

In the car, on the way. Life is good, we're going "bye-bye."
Les has to accompany me when Bruce goes, and he took these pics.






Upon arrival, Les and Bruce waited outside, where Bruce peed multiple times, while I went inside to check in and request a muzzle. Unfortunately this is a necessity for Bruce, but the staff is appreciative of the forethought. I actually ordered a basket muzzle for Bruce, but it has yet to arrive. It will be good to have in case of an emergency situation.

This past fall, Bruce visited the vet that my awesome neighbor works at, due to an ear infection. She was able to get us in the next day, and we didn't have to pay a visit fee, as new clients. This vet did awesome with Bruce, and he was only muzzled during the ear exam. I've actually contemplated switching Bruce to him.

Bruce modeling the muzzle in the waiting area.


This muzzle was a bit too large, and a basket muzzle was placed over it in the exam room.

Dr. S was wonderful, kind, and very understanding. Which is a good thing, because Bruce was a jerk. He immediately started grumbling at the tech, who was also nice. She offered him peanut butter on a tongue depressor, which he refused. When Les offered it, he licked it off.

Dr. S was able to exam him, and was patient. He was uncooperative the entire time. I've asked the office in the past about a sedative for him, and they've refused.

She was able to assess everything except range of motion and his teeth. She also successfully drew his blood. That was an event. Les held his head, I held his back end, the tech held his leg, and she drew blood. There was saliva and fur everywhere. He was stress shedding. Bruce will have yearly blood work, because he takes medication daily.

The vet tech got a kick out of putting this smiley face wrap where his blood was drawn, because of his unhappy attitude.


The exam was over. Dr. S was very kind, and stated Bruce is definitely not the worst dog they see. She also told me she has a rescue who also has "issues" and that her rescue once latched onto to her upper arm and hung there. He's a pit bull.

Les took Bruce outside, took the muzzle off, and walked him around. I payed, and collected a couple doses of Trifexis for him and Neeko.

During the car ride and once home, Bruce acted no worse for the wear, and not traumatized.

Chilling on the floor with Les, debriefing and unwinding, following his visit.



Do I wish Bruce were better behaved? Yes. Do I love him any less? No. Bruce is a good, sweet boy at home 90% of the time, and that's what matters.
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Secret Santa, Vet, and Miscellaneous

This morning, I was up very early to go work a few extra hours. The crew had pork heart chunks for breakfast.



Neeko had a vet appointment this afternoon. She's gained 11 lbs since July, and is lethargic. The vet did an exam, discussed over feeding, and drew some blood work, including a T4 to check thyroid function. Before going to the vet, she and I hit PetsMart together. I bought a new treat pouch, to replace the one she ate.

On our way to PetsMart.



Chilling at the vet.



When I came home, there was a package waiting on my porch. It was my Dog Food Chat Secret Santa gifts!

We received a GIANT Jolly Ball



Here it is next to our old one.




The Jolly Ball is Bruce's all-time favorite toy. He always tries to bring it inside with him. I let him have some quality time inside with the new Jolly Ball.






That's our dog couch, and the only furniture they're allowed on.

We also received some yummy homemade treats!

Llama lung



Fish jerky



Tonight for dinner, the boys were going to split a large rolled rump roast.



But it was still partially frozen, and it was rolled around a bone that ran the length of it. I couldn't cut through or off of it.

Instead, they had lamb trotters, beef lung, frozen beef tongue and bison liver.



Neeko had a chicken leg quarter and bison liver.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone