Cocker Spaniel skin and ear allergies?

Question
I have a 6 year old male cocker spaniel. He weighs approximately 38 lbs and has had ear and skin problems for the last several years. It seems as though the ear problem may finally be under control after finding the Zymox OTIC HC 1.0%. We have been using this for about a week now and his ears are better than they have ever been. Is there any type of cleaning solution that will work with this or are we better off just using this product alone? We have tried several types given by 2 different vets but they seem to just mask the smell and clean well only to have the same results 2-3 days later. But the skin problem which is mainly on his back ranges from dry white flakes like dandruff to raised bumps at times that itch badly. We have also recently tried Epi-Soothe shampoo which seems to be helping also. His diet over the last 1 1/2 years was changed from purina to Orijen. Then from Orijen to Azmira. Now we are back to Orijen but it is the Acana Grasslands. We were not aware at the time that Azmira was not grain free. So at the suggestion of our vet to use lamb based food we went with the Azmira. Of course they wanted us to use the prescription brand that they recommend (don't recall the brand) but I know better and have been through the horror of commercial food. But, we are still transitioning him to the Acana so he is getting some Azmira. After bathing with the new shampoo and using the Zymox and his skin looking and feeling much better we took him out for about 2 hours yesterday. Now this a.m. he has about 20 raised bumps on his back that are obviously itching him. Any ideas on what to use for this? I don't believe it could be mosquitos since it has been so cold although it did warm yesterday. Sorry to be so long but ANY advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Thank goodness you found Zymox.  Now, let's go over how & when to use this.  And yes, there's a cleaner and you shouldn't use any other product with Zymox.  The best price I've found is at AbsolutelyPets.com.

Stop using the 1% hydrocortisone med - never use anything with hydrocortisone longer than a week.


But let me start from the beginning:
Clean ears with Zymox cleaner as you would any cleaner.

With the meds - you fill canal, drop ear & massage, let dog shake head and do NOT clean out the canal.  The med is supposed to stay in there. (The instructions are confusing).

At this point with your boy - I'd stop the meds for a day or two, then clean his ears and see what's doing.  Then I'd use the Hydrocortisone-FREE med for as long as it takes.  The HC1%
is really only for red/inflamed/swollen ears and as soon as that calms down, switch to the HC-Free med.  Safe for long term use.

If he has kind of a chronic situation, he may need a once-a-week treatment.  I find when you do clean ears and find there's a bit of something going on, that often a 3 day cleaning regime will clear it up.  If not, go to the meds.

Orijen is a good food.  Personally I'd think about switching him (slowly) to one of the "raw, dehydrated foods" like Sojo's Complete (not the mix) or Addiction.  This alone has solved a lot of skin problems.

Epi-Soothe is a good shampoo but I'd recommend Sebolux and after his bath, towel him up, and while he's still damp, massage in some Resi-KetoChlor.  This is a leave-on lotion that is soothing and continues to be anti-bacterial.  I believe AbsolutelyPets.com has it but it's readily available to order. (I know EntirelyPets.com has it).

OR..I'd give him a 2x weekly bath for a couple of weeks with Nizoral.  You can find this in any drugstore or supermarket and Vet Dermatologists love it.  Short term use of course since it's the wrong PH balance..but it kills off both yeast & bacteria quickly.  And still use the Resi KetoChlor.

SHAKE Nizoral bottle well - lather him up - leave on 10 minutes - rinse like a maniac.  With the Resi Keto Chlor..put one capful in your wet hand and massage onto his back.  You can also use this between baths - just dampen his back and massage it in.

Hope this was helpful. Let me know if this works. The above would be my first approach, but sometimes things need fine tuning :)
Delores