BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Dogs Need Advice on ear itching.

We just found out that one of my dogs has allergies and yes we have changed his food anyway the poor thing has just about scratched his ears off is there anything that can help alleviate the itching and cure it fast ? We do have some cortisone (I think that is what is in there) anyway it does not seem to be doing the trick so yesterday and today I put pure Aloe Vera and that seems to be working alot better than the cortisone cream. He does not have ear mites (he was checked by the vet), it is just almost dermatitis like behind his ears and he will go for hours and not itch and then all of a sudden it will be like he starts itching and just can't stop. I feel just terrible so any advice will be appreciated.

Eva,
Sorry to hear about your doggy in distress.

Itchy, irritated ears can be caused by a number of things besides ear mites. Allergies can also cause ear problems, but whatever the initial source of the itching and irritation, it can lead to an ear infection. There may be some information that can help in this article - [color:"purple"]Clean and Healthy Ears.[/color]

My dog Fritz had allergies that affected his ears. Everything our vet prescribed caused more redness and inflammation. Even solutions that were supposed to be extra gentle just exacerbated the problem. I read about an ear medication called "Zymox" (There's a link in the ear article to an external link about this.) Our vet said he never heard of Zymox, so I ordered it online. It seemed to soothe Fritz's ears right away, instead of burning like everything else we tried. In a few days, his ears were back to normal. I'm not saying try that instead of seeing your veterinarian again. A vet can determine whether or not there is an infection and the type of infection. I'm sure there are many non-irritating medications available... maybe your vet will have Zymox or something similar, but the medications from our vet were just not working for Fritz.

Itching around the ears can also be caused by an Eczema-like skin condition. Cortisone cream sometimes helps, but constant scratching can also lead to a skin infection. When that happens the dog may need an oral antihistamine and antibiotics. See my article on [color:"purple"]Hot Spots.[/color]

I hope this helps!

yes it does. I just feel so bad for him but this is the 2nd day with the aloe vera and it is working great. He is not itching and that is a good thing. He is my biggest dog and he has all the problems. Before when we would get out the cortisone he would run but yesterday evening and this morning he sees us with the aloe vera and he will just sit and let us put it on so I know it is giving him relief.

Yikes, had to rush him to the vet this morning, he gave himself a big fat ear hemotoma <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I just wanted to cry looking at him. Then I get him to the vet and I had to call my husband (it is more his dog than mine) so they could give the dog a shot. I feel terrible about it, he is such a nervous type of dog and he is big (75lbs). When they finally gave him the shot he looked right at me like "you did this to me", yes I know I am weird. I will get to pick him up at 1:30 today, I just feel so bad for him.

Well I am a little bit mad at the vet but I told them he WOULD NOT be leaving his ear alone to heal so they did hand my the antenna head thing and I can't get it on him. He was also bleeding a little and of course he waits until he gets into my new to me car and then shakes his head, blood all over !!!!! Oh well, I will just concentrate on the good things, he is going to be ok we have to give him some anitbiotics and some ear drops, he does have an inner ear infection <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> poor thing.

Eva - by the "antenna" think, do you mean the Elizabethan Collar? The thing that makes the dog look like he's wearing a megaphone? I hope you were able to get it on him, because that's the only way his ears are going to heal. It is a big fat pain the rumpus to have a dog wearing one of those but it is the only thing that works. Our beagle drove us nuts when he had to wear his because of eye surgery for recurring "cherry eye" in both eyes.

We had a dog that had horrible allergy problems. He had to have allergy shots once a month and that really helped. In the winter he didn't have to have the shots. One of the biggest problems was grass. He would lose all the hair on his tummy. I hope your dog is feeling better

Yes thats what I meant the elizabethan collar, hehehehe. My husband finally got it on him, it was not a fun thing. I know he is REALLY mad because usually when we tell them to come in, he runs like you know what to be first, well yesterday I open the door and say come in....he let the little dog beat him in and he just sort of walked slowly in. Oh it is just pitifull but I want him to be cured.

Yes, that is a typical reaction for a dog who is wearing his "megaphone". It's like he doesn't want to be seen with this thing on his head! And "they" say dogs don't have emotions....but that's a whole other subject. For the lady whose dog has allergies - check his food to make sure it does not have any soy products in it. A lot of dogs are allergic to soy, and there is a ton of it in lots of dog foods. Feeding them green beans will also help with their allergies.