Dog with constant bloody ear.

[Stackie]

A few weeks ago I had to take Milo to the vet due to ear mites and him constantly scratching in his ear. We did the whole course of treatment and he was fine for a few days. Then I woke up one morning to find the inside of his ear covered with blood. Back to the vet and this time she said he had an infection, so for a week and a half I had to clean his ear 2x a day with a medicated solution.

He was fine for a couple days after the treatment was over, but now he is back to scratching his ear constantly to the point of bleeding. Has anyone had this problem with their dogs? Could it be something other than infection and/or mites? The last time I took him to the vet, she said his mites were gone. I'm not really sure what's going on. He's going back to the vet tomorrow, but I was curious as to if it could be something else...

His ear smells very foul, and it looks very red and irritated. It doesn't necessarily seem to hurt him, but he will dig his head into your hand if you rub his ear. I'm assuming the blood is from his constant scratching.

 

[Sesame]

Perhaps he's developed an allergy (food allergy seems to be most common) and it's affecting him the most in the ear, where his skin seems to be most vulnerable due to mites and whatnot? Does he happen to be constantly licking other areas of his body?

Or maybe the mite treatment did not kill all of the mites?

Sounds painful for the pup

 

[Stackie]

He does have food allergies and I have him on Nature's Balance L.I.D. because of them.

It does seem very painful I feel so bad for him...really wish we could figure out what completely is wrong so we can get him better. The vet said she is going to check for mites again tomorrow and infection as well.

 

[JennyBug]

Has he had a bath recently? My parents have a golden who gets ear infections if she is given a bath without cotton in her ears. She also has a food allergy, and I know her ears get gross from that as well...

Good luck!!

 

[jmdebb]

Did they actually put the sample under the microscope the second time. And if so, it could just be that they missed them. I say that because when I had my one ferret tested, the first sample collected showed no mites, however, the second sample collected did, so just wondering if that was really the case when you brought him back to the vet the second time and it wasn't just an infection.

Ear mites will casue a dogs ear to smell, along with severe itching [and other symtoms].

Ear mites have lots of stages and I wonder if the medicine will kill off all stages of the ear mite [wondering that because when you spray for fleas the spray doesn't work on the eggs]. If that is the case with mites, that could be why they keep coming back, or maybe it's the type of medication. I know the medicine I'm using for my ferrets isn't working that fast, i've used 2 doses of kitten revolution recommended by the vet and they still have the mites. And i remember in the past ear mites being much easier to kill off with a type of ear drops instead.

Here are two sites about ear mites, good luck.

http://pethealth.petwellbeing.com/wiki/Dog_Ear_Mites

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/ear-mites-in-dogs/page1.aspx

 

[alli713]

Was it a yeast infection that he had before? That can cause a really bad smell, and from what I hear are more common in dogs with food allergies.

Is there any other type of feed you could try if it is an infection again? Perhaps that type of food just isn't working any more. It'd be something to try anyways.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Is he scratching a lot on the outside of his ears? Does it bother him enough that he can't sleep?

A number of mites that live on or under the skin start at the ears. If the outside of his ears are bleeding I would have them do a couple deep skin scrapings to see if they find anything and also a couple more swabs to see if the mites really are gone. You might also want to see if you can have him put on Tresaderm. It's an ear medication that helps with mites, fungus and infection and usually has a soothing effect.

 

[Stackie]

He had a bath last week, but before he never had any problems after he had baths.

They did check under the microscope the last time we went to the vet and said that there was no sign of mites. Maybe they did miss them. I'm going to insist they check again.

Alli- yes, it was a yeast infection. I'll talk to the vet about feeds, but the feed he is on is supposedly the best feed for dogs with food allergies. We have tried multiple other feeds but all just didn't work.

He's not scratching the outside of his ears..more digging as deep as he can in the inside. He sleeps just fine.

Our vet appointment is in a couple of hours..I'll let everyone know what we find out. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions

 

[Riven]

I would take him back in and have them put him on an oral antibiotic as well as revolution which will take care of any mites left over. Mites and infections often go hand in hand because well... they live in the ear, creating open sores that get filled with mite feces.

Sometimes ear infections need more than just the usual rinse and drops.

Being as you say "ear" I'm assuming it's just on one side? I'm going to guess it's also the ear on the side of his head that's usually on the ground. Either way, only one ear would indicate it's probably not an allergy, especially after mites.

good luck!

 

[Stackie]

Yep, just one ear.

 

[Rickman]

I had a shepard/lab mix I couldn't keep out of water - she'd run the two blocks to the lake and just dive in!!
Constantly had ear infections that smelled bad, but a couple of doses with a salve, [don't remember the name] directly in the ear, and she'd be fine. Until she went back in the lake!

 

[Stackie]

Well, the vet found mites again, so we are back to treating him for those. His ear was also infected.

He is taking Revolution, an oral antibiotic, and a medicated solution to clean his ear out twice a day. He's going back in a week for a check up to see how the meds and rinse are working.

I hope we can get rid of this soon His poor ear just looks so painful inside, and I have to watch him like a hawk to make sure he's not scratching.

If he doesn't stop, do you think maybe I should ask for a collar to keep him from getting to the ear?

 

[jmdebb]

I'm on the resoluation for the ferrets and it isn't working to good. If your dogs ears clean up good with all three products can you pm me the name of the other two products, maybe they have them in ferret strenght.

Thanks and best of luck.. hate those little buggers...

 

[nicky]

I'd take him back to the vet. The antibiotic that the vet gave you may not have worked. The bacteria may have been resistant to that antibiotic and he may need a different one. Does he have flopped ears? They are more prone to ear infections.

 

[jmdebb]

You talking to me Nick...HEHE...

If so, he had 2 doses and no they don't have floppy ears, but they are prone to mites.

 

[Riven]

That sounds like a good plan Stacie, hopefully those work. If the scratching continues you might want to ask for an e-collar just to prevent more open areas ( scratches from itching) that would have to heal.

You could also call the vet and ask about giving benedryl to try to block some of the inflammation and itching. My mom's Great Pyrenees went through this same deal this summer... no good at all.

Not sure what antib's she had her on, but they tried a couple times before they did all three to knock it out. My Komondor has large mops inside his ears, they're always hard to keep clean, and he hates having them plucked, ear problems SUCK!

Hopefully this round does the trick for you!