Chronic Dog Ear Infections & Skin Problems

Hi Lisa,
From the photos you submitted, and the great detailed history you wrote, I can definitely get you started in the right direction to help Wicket.

Shih Tzu breeds are susceptible to allergic skin conditions, flea allergies, contact allergies, and inhaled allergies. Since he started with an ear problem as a puppy, and also had unhealthy skin, he may have been on too much dry food, topical flea/tick products that were too toxic for him and too many vaccinations at a young age for him to heal on his own.

Then he was started on some powerful drugs (since puppyhood) that have suppressed his own healing response. The drops for his ears, the prednisone and the Atopica, are all suppressive. The annual dog vaccinations have also created a burden on his immune system which he does not need at this time.

Since all vaccines come with a package insert that says, ‘To be administered to healthy animals only’, I would advise NO more vaccinations for Wicket until he is completely healthy. And even then, I would be very worried that if he received another vaccine it may cause him to relapse!! You can have a holistic veterinarian write an exemption form for the Rabies vaccine. Also, check out Current Veterinary Therapy XI, the section on ‘Annual Vaccinations’. This text was published in 1992, states that annual vaccinations are obsolete, and there is no valid reason for them to be given.

Food:
First, diet should be moist! NO DRY DOG FOOD. You can continue the Natural Balance Duck and Potato if it is canned. You might also want to check our page on 10 Best Dog Food Options and read about the benefits of a raw diet for Wicket. Dr Richard Pitcairn’s book, Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats advises owners to feed a raw meat diet, with “as many fresh and high quality ingredients as possible. This healthier diet will supply needed nutrients and help to rebuild damaged tissue.”

Some ingredients that are especially useful for healthy skin, are: nutritional yeast, and granular lecithin, , cold-pressed unsaturated vegetable oil (like peanut oil), add about 1/4 tsp per day, of each of the above ingredients to his food, and Vit E or wheat germ capsules (about 1/4 a human dose).

(cont’d below)

You should also add 5 mg of chelated Zinc and buffered Vitamin C for dogs – about 500 mg per day to the food.

For his skin:
Clip his hair so it is shorter under his neck, his armpits, feet, and underside, to make it easier to bathe him and clean those areas. Clean with a mild shampoo like baby shampoo 1 to 2 times per week and apply aloe vera to the red inflamed areas to help decrease redness. Or ‘paint’ on Calendula tincture for areas that he must scratch until it bleeds. Between the toes and in the skin folds you can apply apple cider vinegar to help decrease the yeasty smell. Making him wear a T-shirt is a good idea to prevent self-trauma.

For his ears:
Use green tea (make 2 bags to one cup of water), let cool and pour in about 1-2 tsp per ear, 2 times per week. Just let him shake his head, then clean off any discharge, wax or debris that comes out. You do not have to ‘dig’ into his ear, it will be too painful. Or sweet almond oil, 1/2 tsp per ear, if the ears are crusty, dry and swollen, also 2 times per week.

Supplements:
The Skin-Eze is a combination of Chinese herbs that may interfere with homeopathic remedies if your holistic veterinarian wants to use homeopathy. In the meantime, it would be ok to continue them if he seems to be doing better.

Stop the Benedryl and try the supplement Antronex by Standard Process. It’s a liver supplement that helps the liver pull histamine out of the tissues. So it acts like an antihistamine without the side effects. Give Wicket 1/2 tablet by mouth or in his food 2 times daily.

Use Rescue Remedy both orally to calm his anxiety. It also can be used topically to calm down the skin. It must be diluted since it comes concentrated in alcohol. Add 2 drops to his drinking water daily or 10 drops in 2 oz dropper bottle to give him by mouth. You can also add 10 drops to a 3 oz pump spray bottle and fill with spring water to spray on all irritated areas.

For Fleas:
Read Dog Flea Medicine to learn how to protect Wicket from fleas and ticks.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above advice should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian.

Dr. Tillman,

Thank you for the suggestions on how to help Wicket with his skin issues. So far we have added the items to his food that you have suggested.

We have taken him off Benedryl and he no longer takes Skin-Eze. He still seems to lick his back legs a lot. As you can see in the picture under his legs it is very black. We were told that was due to his licking. And he still likes to chew on his front feet a lot. I know we are not out of the woods yet.

We stopped putting the medicated drops in his ears, and put the green tea in his ears. His ears seemed to be fine for about 10 days and then the one ear he has had issues with became very crusty and smelled very bad. I’m pretty sure the yeast came back again. So we had to put the medicated drops in again, and now it is starting to clear.

I don’t like the idea of using the drops in his ears all the time. But we don’t know what else to do because that seems to be the only way his ears clear up.

So all in all, we have not resolved the ear issue as of yet. One ear seems to be fine, and the color of it looks healthy. His bad ear is very dark in color compared to the other one. Do you have any other suggestions for what we can do besides using green tea?

As for his skin, he still likes to chew on his paws. He has times where he wants to scratch, so we have to put a t-shirt on him. He licks his back legs a lot too. The positive things are that we no longer give him Benedryl and Skin-Eze. I don’t feel like he is a lot better, but his skin doesn’t seem to look at red underneath. Do you have any other suggestions at this point?

Should we be doing anything else?

Flea and tick season is around the corner and I am concerned about using Frontline with all of his skin issues. What can we do for preventing fleas and ticks?

We still have him on Natural Balance duck and potato. We are giving him the duck and potato hard treats as well. Are these ok treats to give him?

Thanks for all of you help so far. I hope we see some better improvements soon.

Lisa

Hi Lisa,
Sounds like you have made a little progress with Wicket. The MAIN treatment plan should be homeopathic remedies. Now that you have stopped the Benadryl and the Skin-Eze (with the Chinese herbs, it will be ok to start homeopathic remedies. You need to find a holistic veterinarian knowledgeable in homeopathy to prescribe a homeopathic remedy to help Wicket.

Considering that Wicket’s disease (meaning the inhaled allergies/allergic otitis(ear problems)), are so chronic and suppressed, it will take 6 months to one year to start seeing an improvement. Ear problems are usually the last to clear up, as usually they were the first problem that appeared. And the longer the symptoms are ‘suppressed’ with the conventional drops, the HARDER it will be to treat the problem and get her cured. In the meantime, applying some sweet almond oil into each ear (or the ‘bad’ ear) may help soothe his tissues.

In my last response, all of my suggestions are not the cure, a homeopathic remedy will be the cure or at least the path to improving his condition. In some breeds of dogs that have inherited or genetic tendencies to skin/allergy problems it can be a long road to getting them better. Using holistic methods are much healthier than conventional drugs for chronic treatment.

You wrote,
———————————————-
We still have him on Natural Balance duck and potato. We are giving him the duck and potato hard treats as well. Are these ok treats to give him?
————————————————

Is this the Natural Balance duck and potato? He should not be on dry food.

Instead of the ‘hard’ treats, unless they are tartar control, I would substitute fruit and vegetables for treats. See if he would like baby carrots, pieces of apple or cantaloupe. It would be ok to feed him tartar-control treats for his teeth.

In response to your question about what to do about the upcoming flea season, read our page on Natural flea treatments and consider using Wondercide, to protect Wicket from fleas and ticks.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

– Dog Ear Infection & Dog Ear Problems,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Ear Problems Section
– Dog Skin Conditions,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Skin Problems Section

My Lhasa had recurrent hot spot, with chronic itching and licking. I adopted him at age 5 and put him on a raw food diet with fish oil. Over time, the frequency of hot spots gradually decreased, and by a couple years later, he had stopped getting them altogether.
My relatively new pit bull, age 5, has worse allergy-related skin problems. (He was turned into a shelter when his previous owners could no longer handle the vet bills.) With a raw diet, supplements, herbs, and regular baths, we’re slowly making progress. (I’ve had him about 9 months.) Thanks so much for the recommendation for an alternative to benedryl. He was on it when I got him, I gradually stopped it, but restarted it when he had a recent flare-up.

We’ve had a HUGE allergy war this last year with our 4 yr. old male basenji. Last June he was given a Lepto shot in June during an allergy flare that we now know after allergy testing with a dermatology vet is from corn pollen. A week after this shot, all his hair on both sides fell out. He weighs 28 lbs. He was VERY paranoid on pred and had no relief taking up to 75 mg. Benadryl daily. I have a photo of my female with her back covered with welts. After spending $1,200 over two appointments with the dermatologist for testing, immunotherapy injections at home (every 3 days) and skin punches it occurred to me that maybe I could find an answer from the enzyme product my husband uses for digestion issues. The company is ENZYMEDICA. These enzymes are aimed for people, but they have a product for pet digestion. I went on their site and saw they have a product for allergies called allerase. I contacted Enzymedica to ask if this could be given to animals. YES. I started with mixing the powder from 1 capsule with just enough gravy from their food to soak up the enzyme.it worked until the afternoon and then I gave them another. It worked until morning. They love it and it WORKS! I give them each 2 in the am and him 2 more in the pm. She (female basenji, 24 lbs.) seems to be fine with just the 2 in the morning. No Benadryl, no pred, no shots. If I forget, they’re licking feet, etc. His hair has grown back, except for just a spot or two. If he has itching, he comes to find me to make it stop. We are SO relieved.

Hi Kim,
That is wonderful that you have found some help with the enzyme product called Allerase, containing amylase, protease, invertase and a few other enzymes.

Rather than continue to give a product that may be ‘suppressing’ their symptoms or merely providing palliation, (since you mentioned that you must give it two times daily, and if you miss a dose they relapse back to itching again), you might consider a raw diet. Raw dog food diets are much easier for dogs to digest, and provide the moisture their skin, and other organs need to be healthy. Check out Primal, BRAVO!, or Aunt Jeni’s, for some raw dog food brands. Just a suggestion!

See our page on 10 Best Dog Food Options.

You might also consider a supplement called Missing Link, if the raw diet does not help completely.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Our dog was found to have thyroid issues and yeast issues. She was put on Ketokanazole and & thyroxyn (sp?) and her skin completely cleared up. We use a special shampoo also.

Dear Anonymous,
You wrote,
“Our dog was found to have thyroid issues and yeast issues. She was put on Ketokanazole and & thyroxyn (sp?) and her skin completely cleared up. We use a special shampoo also.”

This is a conventional solution that will suppress the symptoms, without treating the whole patient.

By giving thyroxine (thyroid hormone) the thyroid gland does not have to do anything, and may begin to atrophy. Since the pituitary gland registers a sufficient amount of thyroid hormone in circulation, (the ‘external’ source), it will not stimulate the thyroid gland to make any thyroid hormone. Therefore, it is essential to help support the thyroid gland during this time.

Ketoconazole is a VERY potent anti-fungal medicine, that can have serious side effects. And since yeast, and fungal infections, are opportunistic, they will clear up if the host regains optimal health and has a strong immune system. Providing immune supplements, a healthy diet, decrease stress, MINIMAL OR NO vaccinations, and homeopathic remedies, would be the HOLISTIC way of treating these chronic diseases.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

My dog sleeps in the bed with or without me. He also has allergy issues. I found by using dye-free, fragrance-free, sensitive skin laundry soap a lot of his itching stopped. Also, I stopped using the spray on fabric and carpet refreshers too. Can’t hurt, maybe worth a try even if your dog doesn’t sleep in your bed.

Hi Jill,
Thank you for your comments on allergies to fragrances, laundry detergents, and soaps. It is not uncommon to find dogs allergic to the laundry detergent used to wash their dog bed, or in your case, the sheets on your bed, since that is where your dog sleeps!

Good to remember environmental conditions that can contribute to allergies in our pets, (and in humans also!) And if that fails, then seek the help of a holistic veterinarian in your area.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

You are a sick “doctor”, claiming your ways are right and every other is incorrect, then sending people to quacks that hock homeopathic medication. You are an extremist, just as bad as the people who claim that NO alternative medication works, and the worst part is that the animals, not you, suffer all while your pockets are lined with their pain. I really hope that you have trouble looking in the mirror and sleeping. To act like you know about dog food, and then tell someone only dry food/treats are okay if it’s tartar control – if you knew JACK you would know that DRY FOOD does no more for canine tartar than EATING AN APPLE brushes my teeth. Wake up, you AWFUL HUMAN BEING!!!! I would be ashamed and embarrassed to know you and anyone in your life should feel the same.

November 14, 2014
Regarding: “You are sick”
by: Ashley

Hi Ashley,
The views I express are my own opinion. If you read my posts, I readily acquiesce to other views and their experiences, especially if they work! Although, I do feel that I know a bit about dog food, as I have been practicing veterinary medicine since 1980, and I have maintained a veterinary license in 3 states by completing all my continuing education requirements, plus completing the Professional Course in Homeopathy by Dr Richard Pitcairn and the Basic and Advanced Acupuncture Course from the Chi Institute in Florida. At the very least, I have learned that there is much more to nutrition than Hill’s Science Diet!

You wrote,
“hope that you have trouble looking in the mirror and sleeping.”
I had trouble looking in the mirror and sleeping when I was treating dogs with conventional drugs, giving them a vaccination every year and recommending Science Diet!

You wrote,
“tell someone only dry food/treats are okay if it’s tartar control – if you knew JACK you would know that DRY FOOD does no more for canine tartar than EATING AN APPLE brushes my teeth.”

Dry treats that claim they are for tartar control ARE ok, especially if they are approved by the Veterinary Oral Hygiene Council, VOHC. http://www.vohc.org/

I agree with you, DRY DOG food is NOT good for healthy teeth and gums, and is the same as canned dog food for building up tartar.

Feel free to read many of the happy responses from subscribers who say their dogs and cats are much healthier by following my recommendations.

Sincerely,
Dr Carol Jean Tillman
OPD Veterinary Consultant