Why are my dog's chronic ear infections not going away?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 44 lbs
My dog continues to have ear issues despite changing diet and ear drops from the vet
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 24th, 2017
Allergies can cause dogs to have chronic ear problems. You could ask your vet about trying medications for allergies and see if that helps. I would also recommend an ear culture to make sure that he is doesn't have a resistant infection. You could also switch him to a hypoallergenic diet and see if that helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 12th, 2017
I'm sorry Lucian is having such problems with ear infections! Unfortunately, they can be chronic problems, causing frustration in the owner due to the fact it isn't resolving. I would take him back into the vet, and have ear cytology done if it hasn't been done before. This laboratory test will diagnose what is growing in Lucian's ear causing the infection so that the correct medication can be given to treat it. There is a surgery that can be done for dogs who have chronic ear infections called a total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy (TECA LBO). This involves removing the outer ear canal and while it cures ear infections permanently, it does leave the dog deaf in that ear. I'm not sure if that's something you may want to pursue, so talk about ear cytology first with your vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Afghan Hound. 2 years old. My dog continually have ear infections. He is been more than 5 times at the vet office in one rear period. He eats basmati , chicken breast and dry food. mixed twice a day. Every time he goes to the vet, he gets a gel in
I am sorry to hear of Princeton's ongoing war issues. If you are concerned about possible medication side effects I would recommend discussing this with your regular veterinarian. I would also discuss with them the possibility of food allergies. Chronic/recurrent ear infections like you are dealing with for Princeton can often be secondary for a food allergy, a diet change may be what is needed for him. When considering a new food remember that the protein source is typically the thing that causes the allergy-look at Princeton's current dry food to see what the protein source is. You will need to look for a food with a protein source he has not been exposed to (remember that the chicken you feed mixed with his food is a potential allergen as well). Your vet can discuss any particular brands or products they recommend, and be aware that a food trial for allergies can take 6-8 weeks before any effect is seen. Also talk to your vet about culturing the material in Princeton's ears, if you
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has had a really bad ear infection for years, they’ve given him medicine that we gave to him until it ran out but they never got better. If something could be done to fix it what would it be and how much would it cost? He has issues hearing as
It is important to remember that not every medication treats every ear infection. Since this has been an ongoing issue, I recommend asking your vet to perform an ear cytology to microscopically evaluate the ear discharge. This will determine if the infection is caused by bacteria and/or yeast. Cultures of the ear discharge may also be necessary if the infection seems to be resistant to the medication currently being used. Surgical procedures (such as a total ear canal ablation, also known as a TECA) are available, but are generally only performed by specialists. These procedures are generally considered a last resort, as they remove the ear canal and cause deafness in the affected ear. The cost could run several thousand dollars, depending on your location and the availability of specialist surgeons. Before jumping to the surgical route, I recommend further consultation with your vet or a veterinary dermatologist. I hope that all goes well for Wolfey!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Since August my poor cat has had an issue with one ear that is causing her to scratch her face under the ear opening until it is a bleeding wound. I have had her to the vet and each time they give her different antibiotic ear drops but none have done
The discharge inside the ear needs to be cultured so you can know what is growing in the ear canal - what bacteria, yeast, etc. That way the vet will know what medication to use to get it to clear up. The ear may also need to flushed out under anesthesia. There must be an underlying cause. Cats typically don't get ear infections chronically like dogs. It is not likely to be a food allergy. More testing needs to be done.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My standard poodle is constantly shaking her head and scratching her ears. She has a lot of wax in her ears and a sloshing sound deep in the ear canal. This has been going on for over 6months and we have been to 2 different vets and tried many soluti
These are definitively signs of a chronic otitis. Most common causes of persistent ear infections are: - underlying allergic disease (usually both ears are affected and other skin signs are present somewhere else); without resolving the allergy the disease will come back again and again; - resistant infections which requires more aggressive and specific treatment; - inappropriate treatment selection; Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Our 2 year old mutt has been getting ear infections pretty often now. Our vet says it's just something some dogs get and to bring him back when he starts scratching his ear again. In the last year we have been in 4 times for this. Is there something
Recurrent ear infections are often a sign of food allergies. I suggest you get a second opinion from another veterinarian. Recurrent ear infections are NOT normal and not just something some dogs get. It is important, in this case, that your vet does an ear swab, checks that under the microscope or sends it in to a lab to check which bacteria or fungi are causing these infections. It may be necessary to also check for antibiotic resistance. A diet trial with hypoallergenic diet may also be in order.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 12 year old rescue black and tan coonhound. She has had yeast infections since I got her in one or both ears and at first on her skin. It seems like it just won't go away. I've tried home remedies, veterinarian prescribed drugs and even make
Poor girl. If the preliminary medications from your vet didn’t improve her condition, then it’s time to consider getting Xena a culture done of her ear to determine what medicaiton can clear things up. This is a specific test that will determine what medicaiton combination is needed to get rid of he infection. I also am not sure if your vet has tried Posatex ear medication yet, but this is strong ear medicaiton that can help with resistant infections. Also pain medicaiton (steroids work well for ears when they are really inflamed) can also be prescribed by your vet to help with Xena’s discomfort. Discuss with your vet about the above recommendations. Best wishes moving forward with Xena and her ears. Take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 12 year old golden retriever who has had ear infections for the last 4 years. I have been to multiple vets and she had multiple kinds on anti biotics which have not helped. Every time she has had anethetic she has been doslie and had trouble
I would strongly recommend to have her ear doscharg cultured. A culture will grow the specific type of bacteria in her ears and then the lab will test different type of antibiotics against it. This will help the vet to put her on the proper antibiotics. I bet she has a resistant bacterial infection which is why it isn’t healing with the most common antibiotics used. You may also be able to ask your vet if their is a gel that can be compounded with the specific antibiotic that can be instilled in her ear. This should be able to be done at a compounding pharmacy, but I am not sure what all is available in your area. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has had a yeast imbalance since he was a young adult dog. I have removed grain from his diet, I have his hair trimmed closely around his flappy ears to help them breathe better and just recently moved him to a grain free potatoe and turkey die
This is a very common problem with dogs. Especially if the dog has had several ear infections in the past. I would talk to your vet to see if they could clean his ears for you weekly. This may help to decrease the frequency of ear infections. Also ear infections stem from allergies so ou may also discuss apoquel, an allergy medication, with your vet to see if Skippy would be a good candidate. I have see some good results to help decrease the number of infections while using this medication. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I clean his ears all the time and also have gotten medication from a vet but it haven’t seemed to work and other vets we Have went to said there isn’t an issue and just to keep cleaning it... what should I do
Oh goodness. That looks like a severe, chronic infection. These can take weeks to months to resolve, and sometimes there is an underlying problem causing it such as an allergy. I would recommend a follow up appointment with your veterinarian that dispensed the medication. Typically I treat with topical medications and sometimes oral steroids as well. I recheck these ears every 10-14 days until they are resolved. Best of luck and I hope you find a veterinarian who will work with you long term on this. Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
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 s
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 appropria
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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