[HRe514]

Hello All!

I have a 2.5 year old American Bulldog/Boxer mix and he is basically allergic to everything! Everything from detergents to food! I am concerned because he was born deaf and has recently been itching his ears like crazy. I clean them out often but now they have gotten beat red (probably from the scratching) and are really raw looking but I can't seem to find anything in his ear. Also, he has thrown up 4 times in the past two days but I'm not sure if that's because my boyfriend just left on military duty and our dog has MAJOR separation anxiety (because he's deaf he gets very anxious when we leave him). Does anyone know of a good over the counter medication I can give him? I'm on a low budget right now so I know anything the vet would prescribe would be very expensive.

Any help you can provide I greatly appreciate!

 

[Ilovedogs2]

Hello All!

I have a 2.5 year old American Bulldog/Boxer mix and he is basically allergic to everything! Everything from detergents to food! I am concerned because he was born deaf and has recently been itching his ears like crazy. I clean them out often but now they have gotten beat red (probably from the scratching) and are really raw looking but I can't seem to find anything in his ear. Also, he has thrown up 4 times in the past two days but I'm not sure if that's because my boyfriend just left on military duty and our dog has MAJOR separation anxiety (because he's deaf he gets very anxious when we leave him). Does anyone know of a good over the counter medication I can give him? I'm on a low budget right now so I know anything the vet would prescribe would be very expensive.

Any help you can provide I greatly appreciate!

I think you should try to find a low in come vet. I was able to find one for someone that could not afford a vet bill. The dog ears could get infected What did you clean the dog ears out with? He be having an allergic reaction if you use some kind of med. I was able to find a low income vet clinic on line. would your vet let you pay a little as a time?

 

[pawzaddict]

Sorry but a diagnosis is definitely needed to determine exactly what is going on but this sounds very severe...you will have to find a way to get to a veterinarian. Search for a low cost clinic or look into care credit.

 

[LynneMarie]

What are you feeding him now? Do you give him any treats?
First signs of a Dog with food allergies are licking their feet and getting chronic ear itching(redness)
The redness can be helped by putting some alcohol in his ear. This will take away the itch and dry out any moister he may have in their.

Lynne

 

[Bluemchen]

If his ears are red and inflamed alcohol would sting and hurt your dog, instead you could use a saline solution (1/4 tsp salt 1cup of water, bring to boil let cool). But without knowing the cause of the problem this treatment alone would not be a cure only help prevent a secondary infection!

 

[LynneMarie]

If his ears are red and inflamed alcohol would sting and hurt your dog, instead you could use a saline solution (1/4 tsp salt 1cup of water, bring to boil let cool). But without knowing the cause of the problem this treatment alone would not be a cure only help prevent a secondary infection!

Yes it may sting, but with the sting it will remove the itch and will dry out any moister that may be in the ear canal. I have been grooming dogs and vet teching for 30 years and I have helped many clients with their dogs. I also have to do this to my golden every once in a while.

Lynne

 

[Ilovedogs2]

Sorry but a diagnosis is definitely needed to determine exactly what is going on but this sounds very severe...you will have to find a way to get to a veterinarian. Search for a low cost clinic or look into care credit.

I agree the dog should be seen by a vet before the infection get worst.
http://www.yellowpages.com/boston-m...o&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=low+cost+vet+clinic

 

[LynneMarie]

A quick tip on ears. Black gunk in ears come from everyday build up and food allergies. White gunk is usually a yeast infection. You do not want to flush out the ears to much or you will remove all the protective wax. Once a week is normal. If really bad no more then twice a week. If you suspect yeast. You can feed him some yogurt with his food. This also helps with digestive problems due to stress. I keep the vanilla flavor on had at all time. The plain tastes nasty to me so I would think they would not like it either.
Lynne

 

[LynneMarie]

ooops I forgot. Stay away from foods and treats that have red dye. Dog may start out ok with it, but will start to have allergic reactions to it.
Lynne

 

[Ilovedogs2]

A quick tip on ears. Black gunk in ears come from everyday build up and food allergies. White gunk is usually a yeast infection. You do not want to flush out the ears to much or you will remove all the protective wax. Once a week is normal. If really bad no more then twice a week. If you suspect yeast. You can feed him some yogurt with his food. This also helps with digestive problems due to stress. I keep the vanilla flavor on had at all time. The plain tastes nasty to me so I would think they would not like it either.
Lynne

My dog like plain yogurt. He licked my bowl clean when I was not looking!!
And vanilla has alcoholic in it which is bad for dogs.

 

[Holly]

Hmm, not sure where the advice about white gunk being a yeast infection is but that is not true in my experience. You can't tell yeast from bacteria without having the debris examined with a microscope... since usually both are a brown coffee-grounds color...

To the OP-- you should consider trying your dog on a novel protein/carbohydrate diet... something he's never had before. Proteins such as Duck/Venision/Bison are typically good. You can look at some of the Wellness foods or other limited ingredient diets to find something that may help.

Given how severe he seems, you need to see a vet. Only a course of steroids (oral or topical) is going to stop the itching at this point. Given his breed, you should start saving some $$ in a separate account weekly or monthly for him because he will probably end up costing you a lot in the long run due to these allergies... those breeds tend to be two of the worst for allergies.

 

[LynneMarie]

My dog like plain yogurt. He licked my bowl clean when I was not looking!!
And vanilla has alcoholic in it which is bad for dogs.

All yogurts have a trace of alcohol due to the fermenting process.

I totally forgot about ear mites. Has you dog been anywhere where he could have been exposed to them?

Lynne

 

[Ilovedogs2]

All yogurts have a trace of alcohol due to the fermenting process.

I totally forgot about ear mites. Has you dog been anywhere where he could have been exposed to them?

The Case Against Feeding Dogs Yogurt - VetInfo


dogs should really not eat yogurt and vanilla yogurt has sugar added to it and that is not good good for. Some yogurts have gelatin , not all yogurts are the same.

 

[HRe514]

Thank you all so much for your comments! After speaking with a reliable pet store in the area i have decided to switch his food to something for dogs with many allergies and grain-free! We also think he's allergic to things in the environment so i've been giving him benadryl at night which is helping his ear problem a lot! the pet store person also also suggested giving one tablespoon of yogurt a day to get the probiotics to help his digestive system. i also have set up an appointment for next week for him to see the vet to hopefully get ear drops. the over the counter ear drops that i got at the grocery store seemed to make him itch more.

Thank you again for all your help everyone! i'm new to this forum and i'm already liking all the support everyone gives! Now lets hope the vet can clear more up for me next week!

 

[Ilovedogs2]

Thank you all so much for your comments! After speaking with a reliable pet store in the area i have decided to switch his food to something for dogs with many allergies and grain-free! We also think he's allergic to things in the environment so i've been giving him benadryl at night which is helping his ear problem a lot! the pet store person also also suggested giving one tablespoon of yogurt a day to get the probiotics to help his digestive system. i also have set up an appointment for next week for him to see the vet to hopefully get ear drops. the over the counter ear drops that i got at the grocery store seemed to make him itch more.

Thank you again for all your help everyone! i'm new to this forum and i'm already liking all the support everyone gives! Now lets hope the vet can clear more up for me next week!

Was the ear drops meant for people and not pets? If so you really need to be care with using med made for human on pets.

 

[pawzaddict]

So many great changed ahead for your pooch Keep us posted

 

[Holly]

the over the counter ear drops that i got at the grocery store seemed to make him itch more.

Yeahhhh, from now on stay away from any medication type stuff you can get at a grocery store...

 

[HRe514]

Ilovedogs2- i got dog ear drops. i would never put human ear drops in his ears. i only use human things (benadryl and yogurt) when the vet gives me an ok. i don't want to hurt my little guy...or i guess he's a big guy now! oh how i wish he was still his puppy size at times!