Tia is a French Bull dog left for dead in a back lane.
She was brought to a rescue kennel where the vet found Tia has a life threatening infection in both her ears.
Read the heart warming story - Ear, ear! Cheers to you for helping Tia.
A Haiku For Your Dog
31 Jul 2009
Today, we are going to have some fun.
Let’s write a haiku about your dog.
Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. The poem describes what you see, rather than what you feel.
Here is how you can write Haiku in English. The author writes about her dog’s nose.
Look at your dog. Which part of him charm you? Is it the eyes? The grin? The tail? Or those dog’s ears that you love? Only you know best.
Write your haiku and read it aloud to your fur pal. It would make them feel very special.
Dog Ear Infection - Care Tip #3
30 Jun 2009
It’s summer, and we need to look out for cheatgrass.
What grass? Cheatgrass.
This plant has seeds that are sticky, and has a barbed end.
It poses a threat to your dog because the cheatgrass seed can stick to your dog’s coat or get itself into the dog’s paws, nose, or ear canals.
Brush your dog thouroughly after running in areas where there are cheatgrass.
Remove any seeds that are sticking to your dog’s coat.
Do also check your dog’s ears, eyes, nose, anus area, armpits and between the toes and paw pads.
If you suspect a cheatgrass seed has got into the dog’s ear, see the vet immediately. the infected ear can be painful. The longer the cheatgrass stays in the ear, the deeper it will travel and cause more damage.
Ear Haematoma Can Develope Within Hours
31 May 2009
Ever wonder why you dog’s ear flap suddenly becomes swollen.
It could be a ear haematoma. Happens when your dog shakes his ears or head vigourously to get rid of the itchiness in the ear.
This caused the small blood vessels in the ear flap to rupture and blood oozes out. The serum and clotted blood accumulate in the ear flap, making it look like a ripe abscess.
Find out more about ear haematoma.
A bottle of dog ear cleaner is a must have item in your dog’s grooming kit. Use the ear solution to clean your pet’s ears. It is not meant to be used as a treatment for ear infection.
Benefits Of Using A Dog Ear Cleaner
A ear cleaning solution helps to remove earwax and dirt from your dog’s ears.
When looking for a dog ear cleaner, you want a formula that can clean, dry, acidify and deodorize the ear canal.
A good ear cleaner keeps the ear canal clean, and has an agent(Ceruminolytic) to liquidfy or dissolve earwax. Many dog ear cleaners also contain lubricants that soften and loosen earwax.
In addition, the ear cleaner keeps the ear canal dry, maintains a slightly acidic pH environment in the ear canal, that is unfavorable for yeast and bacteria growth.
This is the reason why ear cleaning solutions usually have an acid base.
For a healthy dog, a good rule of thumb is to clean your dog’s ears once a week.
If your dog is prone to having dog ear infection, you may need to clean the ears 2 times a week.
Also, it’s recommended to use a ear cleaning solution for your dog after a bath or a swim. It helps to dry out excess moisture in the ear canal and ward off infection.
Regular cleaning of your dog’s ears can help prevent a build up of wax and debris, and avoid subsequent ear problems.
Do You Know What’s In Your Bottle Of Dog Ear Cleaner?
Here are some common ingredients found in commercial dog ear cleaners.
Get to know the ingredients in a ear cleaner. It will come in handy when you want to select the right dog ear cleaner for your fur pal.
- Cleaning agent (e.g. sodium lauryl sulfate)
- Drying agents (e.g. isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol, benzyl alcohol)
- pH Adjusters (e.g. acetic, boric, lactic, malic salicylic acids)
- Ceruminolytic agents (e.g. dioctyl sodium or calcium sulfosuccinate, carbamide peroxide, mineral oil)
- Lubricants (e.g. squalene, propylene glycol, glycerin)
Choose A Ear Cleaner That Suits Your Dog
When choosing a dog ear cleaner, I prefer not to use alcohol in a dog’s ear. Whilst alcohol is antiseptic, helps dissovle oils, dries the ear, and is relatively inexpensive, too much of a good thing could lead to a problem.
Commercial ear cleaners that contain a high concentration of alcohol can damage otherwise healthy skin that lines the ear canal.
It can sting and cause a lot of pain and further inflammation if you use it to clean an inflamed or sore ear. Ever wonder why your dog run away to hide when you fetch the ear cleaner? Because it hurts.
Most commercial ear cleansers contain more than 50% Ethyl Alcohol which may irritate sensitive dogs.
Some alcohol base ear cleaners can dry out your dog’s ear too much and lead to irritation.
An organic apple cider vinegar diluted 1:1 with water would be a better choice. If you notice scratches on your dog’s ears, you can dilute the vinegar mixture further. This will eliminate any discomfort on contact.
If you do not want to make your own ear cleaner at home, you can ask for an alcohol-free ear cleaning solution from the pet stores or vet clinics.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS) is another ingredient that I would pay close attention to in a commercial ear cleaning solution. SLS is an industrial degreaser, but often used in household products(shampoo, bubble bath, toothpaste) in lower concentration.
If the dog ear cleaner you are using contain SLS, make sure that the formula is gentle on the ear canal.
Commercial ear cleaners are easily available and affordable. Make sure the product you use is safe, and effectively keeps your dog’s ears clean and dry, without causing any irritations.
If you prefer to keep your pet healthy following a holistic approach, you can choose to use a natural dog ear cleaner that contains herbal extracts and essential oils to maintain your dog’s ear health.
Preventative ear care can save you many needless veteranian trips and significantly reduce your vet bills for dog ear infection treatment. But most importantly, your care will spare your pet the pain and discomfort of having to experience red, itchy, and swollen blocked ears.
So, choose a dog ear cleaner that suits your dog’s needs and make ear cleaning a pleasant activity for your dog.
Photo by Ben Earwicker
Is your pet on antibiotics for a dog ear infection treatment?
If so, this vet routine may be familiar to you.
Your doggy has a ear infection. You rush him to the vet. The daignosis is a bacterial infection in the ears.
The vet cleansed the dog’s ears and sent you home with antibiotics.
You thought all would be well. But the infection came back after the medication stops.
Hmmm … maybe I need more ear medicine to kill the bug you thought.
Another vet visit, more antibiotics.
Does your pet have recurring ear problem despite being treated with vet medicine?
Are the prescribed antibiotics solving the ear infections?
Get to know the facts about antibiotics before starting your dog on yet another prescription.
Here are 8 useful pointers when using antibiotics for dog ear infection treatment.
1) What is antibiotics use for?
Antibiotics treat bacterial infection only. It does not cure ear infection caused by yeast, and it does not kill ear mites.
2) Is it necessary?
Yes. It is reqiured for acute and severe bacterial infection.
But antibiotic prescription is not needed for dogs with viral, fungal, non-bacterial infection, or use as a preventative treatment.
3) Antibiotic comes in differenet forms
It can be found in liquid ear drops, topical ear ointment, pills, or applied as an injection under the skin.
4) Specific vs Broad spectrum antibiotic
Avoid broad spectrum antibiotic as it kills more bacteria than required. It’s best to target at the specific bacteria your dog needs for medication.
5) 85/15 Natural microflora(bacteria) balance
The intestinal tract has both friendly and bad bacteria.
A healthy dog should have about 85% friendly bacteria and 15% bad bacteria inside the intestinal tract.
6) Antibiotics kill off friendly bacteria
When antibiotics are used, both good and bad bacteria are destroyed in your dog’s intestinal tract. When antibiotic medication is stopped, the bad bacteria grow back first, and faster.
Now the body will have more bad bacteria than friendly bacteria.
7) Why your dog has recurring ear infection?
The imbalance in intestinal microflora weakens your dog’s immune system and makes him more vulnerable to further infections.
Your dog often developes a fungal ear infection in addition to the bacterial infection he had previously.
Antibiotics fail to cure your dog’s ear infection even with follow-up to the vet
Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics when they have been exposed to the antibiotic but have developed ways to fight and survive them.
This is the reason why you should not over use antibiotic for non-bacterial infection or minor dog illnesses.
Often, this is where the vicious cycle begins.
> Recurring Ear Infections
> Different/Stronger Antibiotics
> Friendly Bacteria Are Destroyed
> Weak Immune System
> Body Unable to Heal Itself Naturally
> Higher Risk Of Future Infections
> Recurring Ear Infections
Thus, it is important that we use antibiotics with caution for dog ear infection treatment.
Use antibiotics sparingly only when needed, as they wear down the immune system.
To help boost the friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract, you can give your dog natural organic yogurt or supplement with probiotics during the course of medication.
Alternatively, you might want to consult a holistic vet. There are many herbs and natural remedies for dog ear infection treatment. These herbal remedies have natural antibiotic properties without the side effects of drugs.
I would certainly go for the natural remedies if the vet’s prescription is not doing any good for my dog.
Move on. Take the holistic approach. Boost your pet’s immune system with supplements, feed a healthy diet, and choose to use natural antibiotics for dog ear infection treatment.
Cannot Clear Up A Chronic Dog Ear Infection?
27 Feb 2009
Recently, I read about a dog owner with a 13 year old dog who has chronic ear infections.
The vet gave antibiotics and eardrops. He said there was no way to clear up the infections completely.
Reason being, the dog is old, and her immune system is weak.
I find that an unacceptable answers.
If conventional medications aren’t working for the dog, there are always alternative remedies.
When you know the dog has a weak immune system, then find a dog supplement that will help boost her immunity.
Very often, chronic dog ear infection has an underlying cause. Always check for diseases.
Luckily, the dog owner seek a second opinion.
Read more.
Dog Ear Infection - Pain Can Cause A Dog To Bite
19 Jan 2009
A dog ear infection can cause a lot of pain and discomfort to your pet.
If you have suffered an ear infection before, you would probably know what I mean. Remember being all crank up when your ears were inflamed and swollen? The intense itch and pain were unbearable. And your hearing is blocked because of the gunk in the ear canal
Dogs feel the same way too. They can get cranky when they have ear infections. And they might growl, snap or bite, out of pain.
Here are 2 useful tips to keep you safe, and help your doggie heal in a condusive environment
1) Treat ailment sooner rather than later. Ear infections can increase irritability.
2) Give your pet a quiet place to go, to esacpe noise, children and annoyances.
Read more pointers in the article - When Good Dogs Turn Bad, by Elizabeth Wasserman, Studio One Networks, on Montana’s News Station.
Whether your dog has arthritis, a hip dysplasia, or a dog ear infection, it is important to understand the pain they feel as a result of the illness.
Know what to do to minimise the pain, and help your pet heal.
Triumph In The New Year
06 Jan 2009
It’s the start of a new year. I was thinking of dogs in need, and how, very often, they are the ones who motivate us to be a better person.
For the past couple of days, I was searching the internet for an inspiring dog story.
I found Molly at Animal Aid Inc. Molly is a standard poodle who was neglected and abandoned. But, she overcame all odds, including severe malnutrition, eye and ear infections.
When you realise what strong fighting spirit, Molly and other rescued dogs like her have, you’d want to do a little something for them.
Let Molly story of abuse, rehabilitation and triumph warm your heart.
I wish you a great year ahead, with love to your pets.
Do you have a pet that inspires you? Let me hear your story.
Dog Ear Infection - Care Tip #2
30 Dec 2008
Winter months. Snow is falling in some parts of the world.
Have some fun with your dog out in the snow.
Here are 2 helpful articles about pet care tip for wintry months.
Chilly Dogs? Try These Tricks To Keep Your Pooch Warm - The Detriot News.
Jack Frost Nips at Pets’ Heels, Vets Say - ZooToo.
Cold, and more often, wetness causes frostbite in pets. Pay extra attention to their ears, paws, nose, and tail. The extremities are prone to the cold and wetness makes them vulnerable to frostbites.
Have a safe frolick in winter wonderland.
I wish you and every animal, happiness and abundant good health.
