Accepted Answer

Elize,

Smelly, infected ears are usually the result of a yeast infection. I do not recommend that you continue to use a product in his ears, that is not approved for veterinary use.

The best and safest way for treating this type of ear infection in dogs is with an ear cleanser that contains acetic acid. I recommend using either Epi-Otic or Vet Solutions, both of which you can get from an on-line pet supply catalog or pharmacy, or sometimes at well-stocked pet supply stores. You should clean the affected ear out twice daily using only cotton balls (not Q-tips). I am attaching a client information sheet that I use in my practice that discusses the proper way to clean out your dog's ears, so as to have the best possible outcome.



Click Here



For most dogs, this simple step will solve the problem in about 3-4 days time. You should do this twice daily cleaning for one week, and if the ear canal then looks normal, you can lower it down to once daily for a few days, and then every other day. In order to avoid a recurrence of this problem, you should clean your dog's ears out twice weekly with this solution as a preventative.



If your dog will not tolerate this amount of cleaning..then you can try an OTC product called Zymox otic. It is an enzymatic product that you instill into the dog's ear canal once daily for 7-14 days...and then you clean the dog's ear out with a solution like the one I mentioned above, only AFTER you finish the treatment period. You should not clean the dog's ears out at all during the 7-14 day period of treatment. You can obtain this product also at on-line pet pharmacies or supply catalogs.



If your dog's ear does not look any better after 4 days of either of these treatment methods, then you should bring him in for an examination with your veterinarian, as a stronger medication may be necessary.

Since your dog has had this as an ongoing problem for so long, you may really want to consider taking him to see a specialist in veterinary dermatology. Many dogs with chronic ear disease are also suffering from allergies, and often their ear problems will not clear up until their allergy problems are addressed. Most specialists are located at referral centers or colleges of veterinary medicine. The benefit of seeing a specialist, is that you are more likely to get a quick and accurate diagnosis of your animal's problem, and thus a faster resolution of the symptoms. It is also more likely that a specialist has seen this problem before and treated it successfully.


I hope that this information is of help to you, and I wish you the best of luck with your dog. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.



Dr. K

Expert:	Dr. K
Pos. Feedback:	99.6 %
Accepts:
Answered:	9/7/2009

Veterinarian

9 years experience as Veterinarian