Treating Canine Chronic Ear Infections and What You Need to Know About Seasonal Dog Allergies

Disclosure: These medications were prescribed by a trained veterinarian to our Maltipoo, Wally, who is in good health. We do not recommend that you prescribe this to your dog. This article is to share my personal experience and to help other pet owners better understand seasonal dog allergies and how to better treat chronic ear infections. This has been a five years issue for us that only recently have we been able to manage. Please keep in mind, Wally is an energic five-year-old Maltipoo, who's super loved and picky. He does not eat dog food, he is on an organic diet and is in perfect health except for his chronic ear infections which happens every spring. 

Dogs suffer from seasonal allergies just like humans

Some dogs suffer from itchy eyes, runny noses, and even itchy ears. How can you tell if your furry friend has been suffering from seasonal allergies? For some dogs, you can tell when they are irritated and scratching their eyes or ears more often. Dogs who suffer from allergies often develop a yeast issue resulting in an orange/reddish tinge around the eyes, ears, and paws. If you see your furry friend chewing on their paw or scratching their ears more often, these are all indicators that your dog may be suffering from seasonal allergies. 

Chronic ear infections for dogs can be a big issue?

Depending on your dog's breed, they often have flappy ears and humidity can get trapped in the ear canal causing bacteria to grow. This can be very painful for dogs as their ears become blocked with a yeast infection. It is important to keep the hair around their ears neat, clean, and short. Trim their facial hair often to prevent yeast growth and smell. Allowing air to flow more freely between their ears and face. Wash your dog often during the summer and winter months when they spend more time playing outside. Dogs are often allergic to pollen, as much as humans can suffer similar allergy irritations like runny nose, itchy eyes, itchy ears, and paws. But their seasonal allergies if left unmanaged can lead to serious health issues like chronic ear infections, causing daily pain, smelly discharge, and discomfort for your dog as they are having an issue earing and dealing with the irritation. 

How to help them manage their allergies better?

Wash your dog's face with a clean warm face cloth morning and night to remove any environmental debris that can irritate them further. It is also the best practice to wash your dog's paws after walks and playing outside. Their paws can draw dirt that will be transferred to not only your furniture but also to their eyes, nose, and mouth, causing potential health issues. Yes, the dog's stomach can handle pretty much anything but it is still unhygienic for them to eat rotten items or lick harmful chemicals outside. We live in an environment full of toxins. Wally, our Maltipoo had suffered from a seizure by accidentally ingesting something rotten on our walk in a local park. Thankfully he is completely fine, but we had a terrible scare. Now learning always keep a close eye on him while on walks, teaching him not to put things in his mouth and never allowing him to excessively lick anything outside. 

What to do if your dog has allergies?

Take your dog to a good vet. Allergy medication and check-ups can be more inexpensive than having to treat your dog larger issues from untreated symptoms. Our dog, Wally, a white Maltipoo suffers from chronic ear infections, not until we had a visit with a good vet did we finally understand how to deal with his chronic ear infections and seasonal allergies. We had taken him to the vet multiple times before for his ear infections but the infection would always return, resulting in constant irritation and scarring in his ear canal. Not until we had a visit to a different vet, she explained about seasonal allergies and how to manage his symptoms. 

The Right Vet

Often pet parents are under financial constraints and are hesitant about regular vet visits, but with an understanding vet, they will put the pet's health first and won't overcharge for essential visits like shots and infections. Our vet also took the time to email us to follow up with regards to our dog's health and how he was responding to his medication. She took the initiative to reschedule and make sure his infection was completely gone, recommended aftercare for the ear, and how tips on how to ensure to catch the irritation before it becomes a full ear infection. She also made sure that his shots are up to date and offered an OMEGA-3 nutritional dog supplement to fight future inflammation.

Finding the right vet is the key to your dog's good health long term. It's the equivalent of having a good family doctor for yourself. No one likes going to the doctor but sometimes it is essential. In times like that, it is important to have a vet that is looking out for your dog's overall interest and well being.  Don't be afraid to try different vets, and ask them questions about how to better improve your dog's health. Your vet should be approachable and easy to talk to. In my personal experience, we had gone to a local vet who had a large clinic, thinking it was the right place, his visits were double the price of our vet now and during an emergency, the vet took advantage of our emotions and overcharged us. There will be good vets and bad vets. It will take some time to find a good vet but once you have established the relationship it will be most beneficial to your dog's longevity. It is better to have a happy healthy dog for a very long time with little health issues in old age. Start taking better care of your dog by finding the right vet.  

Signs of Seasonal Dog Allergies - What to look for in your dog:

• itchy red eyes
• runny nose
• redness in fur - yeast infection
• excessive licking of paws
• excessive scratching of ears
• shaking head often
• low appetite and moodiness
• chronic ear infections

Here were our vet's recommendations on how to deal with the dog's seasonal allergies, please visit your local vet for how to deal with your dog's seasonal allergies. Please do not prescribe this to your pet. 

What was prescribed to treat Wally's chronic ear infection and has helped him healed completely for the first time in five years:

Vancetyl-P (Tiny Pink Pill 14 tablets)

Used to treat canine inflammation from dry or moist eczema and fungus infections

1 tablet every 12 hours, for three days. Give 1 tablet daily for 3 days. Give tablet every other day. It can cause additional thirst and urination. 

Surolan Topical (Ear Drops 15 mls)

Topical and otic antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory agent for dogs and cats

Give a firm squeeze in the left ear twice daily for 10 days.

Baie Run Canine Omega3 Supplement

Fight future inflammation

Add to food once a day (Wally didn't like it, oils are very hard for dogs' to digest, we took him off after two days, he eats fresh and wild salmon once a week already) 

Cortavance (Ear Drops 17 mls)

Treatment of inflammatory and itchy skin in dogs 

0.5ml into each ear once daily for 7 days, then administer 0.5 ml every other day 

readminister if seasonal allergies reoccur to fight inflammation 

Disclosure: These medications were prescribed to our Maltipoo, who is in good health. We do not recommend that you prescribe this to your dog. This is to help other pet owners who have tried everything to help their dog deal with chronic ear infections and better understand how seasonal allergies affect your pet's health. 

The biggest difference between this visit and the other vet visits is that the vet provided a diagram of how important it is to fully insert the ear drops deep into his canal as dog ear canals are in their cheeks. Also to massage the ear after the drops, it was important to spread the medication. I also found it helpful that she provided follow up drops to improve his overall ear health. With her additional recommendations, we are able to understand better how to deal with his symptoms before they become an infection. She also recommended more Omega-3 fatty acids to help fight future inflammation, an overall diagnosis, and insight on how to improve Wally's health better. 

Cost for Chronic Ear Infection Treatment (includes $58 cost vet consult per visit)

the initial visit, medication cost, supplement: $230 

the second visit after 10 days, follow up and preventative drops: $120

total vet cost: $350 (Oakville, Ontario, Canada 2020)

Cost and Storage Tip: Dog medication has an expiry date; it is safe to keep dog medication for when your dog has reoccurring symptoms as issues may flare up again. Start a dog medicine cabinet for all your dog's medical needs.  Always provide your dog with extra food and water when they are on medication. Sanitize with peroxide for medication with nozzles. Store in a cool dry place, always check with your vet and the medication's expiry date before giving your dog any medication. 

 

Seasonal dog allergies are normal but should be taken seriously, you should visit a local vet to discuss your dog's health issues. Dogs will have inflammation and irritation from pollen and other things that may irritate them. It's important to speak to your vet about your concerns when you start to see your dog licking, biting, or itching itself more often. It's better to address the issues early on before they lead to more serious health issues like in our dog's case with his seasonal allergies giving chronic ear infections, this leads to scar tissue in his ears and if it had gotten worst it could lead to hearing loss. Thankfully not! 

Prevention and understanding of seasonal dog allergy are key. With a great local vet, medication, follow-up care, and a good hygiene routine, Wally, our Maltipoo has finally been able to manage his seasonal allergies and chronic ear infections. He is happier and more energetic than ever!

Again, I would always recommend seeing your local vet for more dog health advice. But I hope that these tips will be helpful to you and your furry friend. 

Stay safe. 

xx LL