Thyroid

Question
Dr. Gotthelf,
I adopted a mixed breed dog. He is about 3 years old and is suspected to be Cocker Spaniel and Lhasa Apso mix. He was diagnosed with a thyroid problem. He now takes medication, Thyroxine and Prednisone for the itching. I am slowly weening him off of the Predinsone. He doesn't scratch as often, but he has his moments. But he constantly has a recurring ear infection. He was prescrbed tri-otic. It clears up but once the medication is complete, it clears up, but a week later it re-apppears. It is only one ear that has the infection. Is there anything I can do? Currently he is being fed Natural Balance limited diet dog food of duck and potato. Should I try a different type of diet? Should I clean and dry his ears daily? When I first received him, he had dark scaly patches, hairless in certain spots and constantly scratching. Compared to then he has improved 100%. I want to gain control of his infections and get his skin and coat healthy and shiny. I've spoken with my  vet about his diet, he recommended some grain. I don't want to enhance the problem. Do you have any recommendations?

Answer
Most ear infections are caused from skin allergies.  The prednisone helps decrease the skin reaction to allergens, so he may need to stay on some dose of the prednisone long term.  Do you know what type of ear infection he had.  It could be a bacterial infection or it could be a yeast infection.  They are treated differently.  Low thyroid hormones do not cause itching unless the skin becomes infected.  So the dog may need some antibiotics or some antifungal medication depending on the type of skin infection he has, if any.