My inLaw has a black lab, shes 8 now and has been plagued with bad ears, if not attended too, the actual ear flaps fill with blood and balloon up (this has only happened once) .......... her ear 'inner' is always 'dirty' looking with brownie red smelly discharge that needs daily cleaning and she also has special ear drops (Kanarval?) ...... which cost a fortune but after 4 years use ...... dont cure the problem, just stop it getting worse. The vet checks her regulaly but says its a condition shes just got to live with ........ but Im sure theres something out there that could cure her problems once and for all. Has anyone else experienced anything simular in their dogs? what treatment was used?

my bullmastiff suffered with mites for years and we were given drops to no avail.

My sisters Lab suffered with ear problems, the vet took a swab and found out that the infection was sensitive to acid. He prescribed a few drops of white vinegar and it cured it within a few days. Still needed it doing every couple of weeks to keep it at bay. Have a word with your vet about it. Hope this helps

My sisters Lab suffered with ear problems, the vet took a swab and found out that the infection was sensitive to acid. He prescribed a few drops of white vinegar and it cured it within a few days. Still needed it doing every couple of weeks to keep it at bay. Have a word with your vet about it. Hope this helps

thanks, I'll ask the vet

My sisters Lab suffered with ear problems, the vet took a swab and found out that the infection was sensitive to acid. He prescribed a few drops of white vinegar and it cured it within a few days. Still needed it doing every couple of weeks to keep it at bay. Have a word with your vet about it. Hope this helps

Hmm that's interesting and one to watch out for - Ailsa occasionally gets yucky ears (not surprising- she's always rolling in grass and mud when she's out)

My inLaw has a black lab, shes 8 now and has been plagued with bad ears, if not attended too, the actual ear flaps fill with blood and balloon up (this has only happened once) .......... her ear 'inner' is always 'dirty' looking with brownie red smelly discharge that needs daily cleaning and she also has special ear drops (Kanarval?) ...... which cost a fortune but after 4 years use ...... dont cure the problem, just stop it getting worse. The vet checks her regulaly but says its a condition shes just got to live with ........ but Im sure theres something out there that could cure her problems once and for all. Has anyone else experienced anything simular in their dogs? what treatment was used?

My labrador gets ths all the time. I drives me mad. I clean it once a week with some stuff from the vets which costs a fortune and yet she gets an infection about 3 times a year :(

My labrador gets ths all the time. I drives me mad. I clean it once a week with some stuff from the vets which costs a fortune and yet she gets an infection about 3 times a year :(

it sounds like the same complaint ...... i do feel for her though, its horrid having constant ear problems

it sounds like the same complaint ...... i do feel for her though, its horrid having constant ear problems

Yeah she hates the squirty stuffy i put in her ear, its like water so I bet it feels weird. When I get the bottle out she runs away. But it does seem to help prevent the infection to a certain degree :(

If the vinegar hadn't worked then the dog would have needed an operation to slit below the ear opening to allow air to circulate, evidently the bacteria thrives in poor ventilation. Luckily the white vinegar worked and a damn sight cheaper than the drops from the vets.

daft question but does everybody rub round his ears when stroking him?

beacause that will make his ears produce more wax and stuff to protect them which can lead to other probelms.

have you tried adding some unrefiend apple cider viniger in her drinking water ,just a couple of drops ,its good for numerous things in dogs.

Cant believe after this thread lol.
My labrador has got another ear infection. 2nd one this year so far. So I phoned my vets this morning and told them that I couldnt afford over £20 for another consultation and £12 for the ear drops (I hate paying for the consultation when its the same thing everytime and they never even look). So the receptionist had a word with the vet and came back and said, have we ever offered you a repeat prescription before?! Flipping fuming, I have asked about this everytime I have gone in.
Anyway now I dont have to take her everytime she gets it I can just go and pay the £13 for the drops. :)

Cant believe after this thread lol.
My labrador has got another ear infection. 2nd one this year so far. So I phoned my vets this morning and told them that I couldnt afford over £20 for another consultation and £12 for the ear drops (I hate paying for the consultation when its the same thing everytime and they never even look). So the receptionist had a word with the vet and came back and said, have we ever offered you a repeat prescription before?! Flipping fuming, I have asked about this everytime I have gone in.
Anyway now I dont have to take her everytime she gets it I can just go and pay the £13 for the drops. :)

what are the ear drops called? You might be able to buy them cheaper online Have a look at vet-medic.com, hypervet.co.uk and similar

get some EPI-OTIC Drops and wash his ears twice a week with it, will clear them out and may help prevent the ear infections.

vio-vet.co.uk is a good site to purchase them from.

Mat

We have had the same problem for years with our Border Collie Merlin and now see a speciailist vet in St Helens for him. She is excellent, the European specialist vet for dermatalogical problems in animals and I cant priase her enough. She took some swabs and found he had a Psuedonoma virus in there. If you are getting a constant discharge that doesn't heal, chances are the drops you have been given by your vet are actually aggravating it rather than healing it. You need to have a PH neutral cleanser such as TrizEDTA along with a good ear drop such as Aurizon. Ours has been topped up with some Baytril in the Triz and some steroid tablets. If the eardrum is damaged and ruptured there will no channel of drainage and the infection just sits in the boney bucket behind the eardrum and multiplies - hence repeat infections. An operation to drain this is possible, then it is packed with antibiotics and a long term dosage of oral steroids and drops. Our dog is now clear after years of suffering because our vet failed to take treatment one step further.