dog scratching ear

Question
My adorable sweet golden retreiver/ chow mix had recently been scratching her one ear quite a bit. My mother comes from the old school and said when a dog does this, to put alcohol in the ear. I kept doing this and the scratching has lessened. Almost gone but an occasional scratch. I only put the alcohol in about 3 times. One or two capfuls from the bottle of rubbing alcohol. I did not want to waste money on a veterinarian because we are truly hardly making ends meet right now and going to the veterinarian is a rarity. I am sick over that fact too.

I noticed this scratching started after my dog had jumped in a lake that was kind of dirty.

What do you think it is/was. How do you know when you "need to" see a vet about a dog scratching it's ear? It broke my heart to see her scratching and me not taking her to the vet. But when you are behind in bills that are the basic bills, it is not a matter of being cheap. It is a matter of not having the luxury to go. I have state medicaid for my own medical condition but if my ear kept itching, I wouldn't see a doctor myself. I would try to heal it myself first. So I was not trying to cheat my dog out of a visit.

Thank you.

Answer
IF there is an infection, alcohol will not help much.  It will help if there is water in the ears.  Most cases of ear problems are related to allergies, especially in Goldens.  Rather than using alcohol, use vinegar diluted 50:50 with water.  Do it for 2 weeks straight, once a day, filling the ear canal up, massaging the ear, and then wiping the ear out with a dry cotton ball.  If that does not help, then seek veterinary advice.