Why do my dog's ear infections keep coming back? How to stop itching?

Question

I have pug mixes. All have ear problems. Been to several vets. And never got an answer exactly what's wrong. Have spent a fortune on all kinds of meds. They scratch till it hurts badly..had to put collars on them to stop scratching. Another person said yeast infection. What can I do to relieve itching and what meds . Can I get. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

Lauren Jones VMD · Accepted Answer

I understand your frustration with recurrent ear problems. Most ear infections are caused by underlying allergies (to food, the environment or fleas) and are not contagious between dogs. There can be hereditary components to some allergies and may be involved if your dogs are related. With many ear infections, dogs shake their heads or scratch to the point of causing significant irritation. The only way to treat an ear infection is to have your vet microscopically diagnose whether the infection is due to bacteria, yeast, or mites (uncommon in dogs). Once the type of infection is established, a vet is able to prescribe an appropriate antibiotic and/or antifungal topical ear medication. Oftentimes, we need to prescribe corticosteroids or other anti-itch medications to control the itch while the ear medication is working on treating the infection. In some cases, the bacteria in ear infections can be resistant to a variety of antibiotics and require a culture to identify the most appropriate antibiotic. Unless the underlying allergen is identified and controlled, ear infections have a tendency to recur. Make sure all of your dogs are receiving a high quality flea preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto, or Advantix) once a month year round. Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva and can react after only a bite or two. Another consideration would be to change all dogs over to a novel protein diet (Dick van Patten's Natural Balance limited ingredient diet is one example) where they only get one protein source and one carbohydrate source. If you choose to try this, make sure you choose an unusual protein that they have not had before (such as duck or venison) and exclusively feed this diet with no other treats or table scraps. It can take 2-3 months to see if a novel protein diet is successful in cases of food allergies. Anytime you make a change in diet, do so gradually over 5-7 days. At this point, the only thing you can do to initially stop the itching is take all of the itchy dogs to the vet and treat the underlying infection. Unfortunately, there are no over the counter medications that will effectively treat ear infections.

Why do my dog's ear infections keep coming back? How to stop itching?

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