# Ear infections and diet



## ItzaClip (Dec 1, 2010)

Yes, adding Probiotics, or apple cider vinegar also makes body inhospitable to grow bad yeast. The apc will kill the Probiotics, so don't feed same time. But these measures can't prevent yeast from diet, you need to address that too.

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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

ItzaClip said:


> Yes, adding Probiotics, or apple cider vinegar also makes body inhospitable to grow bad yeast. The apc will kill the Probiotics, so don't feed same time. But these measures can't prevent yeast from diet, you need to address that too.
> 
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When you say yeast from diet do you mean yeast already present in food and treats? 

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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Our Lab had ear infections fairly often his whole life, until a new vet commented that he might be allergic to grain and suggested switching him to a grain-free kibble. That solved the problem. He also stopped licking his feet, which, like ear infections, can be a sign of allergy. Now he's on a raw diet and continues to do well.


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

My male shepherd has allergies and is on shots. Everyone is currently on a grain free diet except for brown rice flour I use for homemade treats. I might have to eliminate that as well for Racer but this is the first infection so I will see how it goes 

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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

I had a Bloodhound that had chronic yeast infections on her skin and in her ears. We added a cup if yogurt to her food every day and most of the yeast cleared up. She still had some deep down in her ear and that had to be flushed out and treated with meds but the yogurt worked well for the rest of it. I would defiantly try yogurt or ACV in conjunction with the meds. 


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I know this is just treating the symptoms and you need to get to the bottom of it, but someone on this forum suggested Zymox ear drops. I had ordered some and then went to Dr. Jean Dodds for other issues. She recommended the Zymox as well. Turns out Misha was scratching at her ears due to Rabies Vaccination Induced Vasculitis, but i use it on my chihuahua and after ear plucking on Misha. The stuff seems to really work. As soon as my chi starts to scratch at his ear I put in the Zymox for 2-3 days and I don't have another problem for probably 3-4 months.


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for the info & suggestions. I am the crazy dog lady & they are like my children. I know you can all relate 

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## MrsKaia (Dec 3, 2011)

Yeast feeds on sugar (starchy foods, lots of fruits). Take sugar out of the diet, and you're starving the yeast out. Did that with my mpoo, but she had a bad yeast infection all over. Complete with discoloration of her coat (rusty colored), and stinky feet and skin. She's on homemade raw, so I know exactly what's going in.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Nothing to do with diet, but the last time my dog's ears were plucked, in the spring, the groomer mentioned that one ear was "gunky." A few days later, Jazz had a bad infection, yeast and bacterial, in both ears that took three vet trips, two medications, and a couple of weeks to clear. I don't know if the groomer might have transferred an infection from one ear to the other during the plucking, or if the plucking itself irritated the ear canals enough to leave a portal for infection. In any event, that was the _last_ time her ears were plucked. Although she has a lot of hair in her ears, she hasn't had an infection since. I do keep the hair on her ear leathers very short, to allow for more air flow, and occasionally (not as often as I used to) I clean her ears with cotton balls saturated with Epi-Otic Advanced.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

I just tried giving them yogurt for the first time today!! I put a big ol table spoon in each bowl with their kibble and canned dog food mixed in. They seemed to like it !! Apollo has had ear problems ever since we rescued him  we've tried different medicines but he is still complaining a bit and it breaks my heart. I've been using 1/2 white vinegar + 1/2 filtered water to rinse their ears once a week like the vet told me to do and now feeding some yogurt everyday , I really hope it works 


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## Jamie Hein (Aug 17, 2013)

Many grain free foods use potato as the starch. Look for one that doesn't use potato and watch out for added sugars. Blue Buffalo actually lists "caramel" as an ingredient in many of their foods!


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## Carrie-e (Oct 23, 2012)

I give my two yogurt every morning on their breakfast and a sprinkle of flaxseed(for general health) I pluck their ears myself once a week and put in Thornit powder. Touch wood at 15 months and 8 months,Billy and Tia haven't had any ear problems at all. I am wary of groomers plucking their hair and the trouble is if they only pluck their ears once a month or so, they must have to pluck more out which I wonder may make the ear more prone to infection,I don't know,but I feel little and often is better.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

I just put the (1/2 white vinegar 1/2 water mix the Vet told me to) in Apollos ears again (after a week) and he cried  he wiggled too! And it made me sooooooo sad .. he has been eating and playing normally but I think I might take him to the vet again
this is just breaking my heart! They have only been eating yogurt for like 3 days, so I don't think it had time to help... I'm going to buy this product I read about on another thread called: zymox too. The reviews are great and I hope it works, Im just so sad right now    it hurts my heart to see my baby in pain 


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

Which food do you feed, specifically? There are certain grain frees that will give my dogs ear infections. 
I end up with Fromm the majority of the time and they do awesome on it. 

For treating poky ears, I prefer Wonder Ear (google search it, it's a breeder of setters, I think). Does a great job cleaning up ear infections. It's a powder you put into the ear canal after cleaning. 

Hope this helps.


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

Lou said:


> I just put the (1/2 white vinegar 1/2 water mix the Vet told me to) in Apollos ears again (after a week) and he cried  he wiggled too! And it made me sooooooo sad .. he has been eating and playing normally but I think I might take him to the vet again
> this is just breaking my heart! They have only been eating yogurt for like 3 days, so I don't think it had time to help... I'm going to buy this product I read about on another thread called: zymox too. The reviews are great and I hope it works, Im just so sad right now    it hurts my heart to see my baby in pain
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Before our success with Zymox, I tried dilute ACVinegar in Beau's ears, with results similar to yours -- it clearly burned like heck! He would just go crazy, running around, shaking his head and rubbing it on the floor. Then he would avoid me for hours, which really made me feel awful. That was the end of that!

On the other hand, Beau seemed to like the Zymoz with Hydrocortisone -- he acted like it felt good. And best of all, the stuff worked.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

LEUllman said:


> Before our success with Zymox, I tried dilute ACVinegar in Beau's ears, with results similar to yours -- it clearly burned like heck! He would just go crazy, running around, shaking his head and rubbing it on the floor. Then he would avoid me for hours, which really made me feel awful. That was the end of that!
> 
> On the other hand, Beau seemed to like the Zymoz with Hydrocortisone -- he acted like it felt good.


Leullman, thanks so much for your response. I hope the zymox works for my babies too. I will never use the mix of vinegar and water again I think, I almost cried and it wasn't even that bad, his pain went away quickly, but jeez!!! 
Apollo didn't avoid me but licked me non stop afterwards as if he is saying "sorry for whatever I did momma don't hurt me" (aahhh !!! It made me feel awful too) 

"Please please please fix my babies ears zymox" 
I just bought it 


And Shamrockmom, I feed blue wilderness salmon kibble and some blue wilderness canned (various flavors )mixed in with the kibble + the yogurt now, and he is a rescue he was on a different brand of dog food and already came to my home with an ear infection. It seems to be chronic 


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