Ear infections, chronic

Question
Hi. I have a 1yr old Standard.  Every time he gets groomed he gets an ear infection.  At first I blamed the groomers, but found a vet that raises poodles for rescue and helped her groom him.  2 wks later, he now has another ear infection.  Any ideas on why and how to make them stop?  My vet will probably be recommending allergy testing next.  Oh, when I bathed him at home he didn't get the infection.  Thanks

Jacqui


Answer
Has the groomer been using an ear powder to help when plucking the hair?  If so your dog may be allergic to it.  Here are the instructions to the ear cleaner I use for my poodles.  I have been using it for 5 years now and not had a problem with infections since and I had some bad ears before.  I swear by the stuff.  It is awesome and you make it yourself.  Just follow the instructions and you wont be sorry.  Hope it helps you.  I gave it to another lady that wrote into this site and now she swears by it too.


INGREDIENTS:

16 Oz. Isopropyl Alcohol

4 Tablespoons Boric Acid Powder - this powder is a little hard to find.  You can find it a some health food stores or at some small mom & pop pharmacies.

16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1% - now this stuff took me a long time to locate.  You can find it on line and order it or you may be able to find it at some mom & pop pharmacies or your local walmart may also carry it.  If walmart doesn't have it ask them to order it for you.  If you happen to find the 2% gentian violet instead just use 8 drops.

Mix together in a large bottle and shake well.  We have found that if you go to your local beauty supply and find a bottle with the long pointed tips like the kind they use for hair dies, it works great for getting into the ear canal.  (Do not worry you can not touch the dogs ear drum)

Please shake this solution every time you use it to mix the Boric Acid Powder. Either a baby ear syringe or a plastic squirt bottle work well for putting the solution in the ear.



DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

Check the ears before treating. If they are inflamed and sore do not attempt to pluck the hair or clean out ear. Flush the ear with the solution and wait for the inflammation to go away.  Usually takes 2-4 days of this.


On first treatment, if the ear is NOT inflamed, flood the ear twice, wipe with a cotton ball, and leave alone without massage.

The dog will shake out the excess, which can be wiped with a tissue. (This stuff will tint lighter dogs fur but this will go away and will not cause harm to the dogs hair.  This stuff does stain fabrics though.

Treat 2 times per day for the first week - two weeks, depending upon severity of ears.

After the 2nd or 3rd day you can clean out the ear with a Q- tip.

Treat one time per day for the next 1-2 weeks.
Treat one time per month (depending on the dog and the severity of the ears).