CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Topic started by: Louis on May 31, 2004, 08:11:37 PM
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Hi everyone
Louis has got an ear infection. His left ear is red inside and feels very hot. Vet checked both ears on Sat and said they are infected. He has had three ear infections, the left one is always the worst, in the last 5 months. I'am a bit worried that it is going to be a long term problem. The vet said spaniels are prone to ear problems because of the type of ears they have. Does anyone agree with this??? My parent's had a cocker for 12 years and he never had any problems with his ears!
The vet gave him an injection, he said it was to ease the pain, (Louis didn't seem in any pain to me, but thats another £5 on the bill) and some ear drops. Have to go back when the drops are finished and all that came to £27. I feel like going to another vets to get a second opinion, as I don't feel the vet has been very helpful with regard to what may be causing it or if I can prevent it. I don't want to have to keep going back to the vets every few months for more drops. Anyone any suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
Gemma & Louis
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My oldest boy has always had problems with his ears. I started using Thornit ear powder on him last year and he has only had one flare up since then. Even then, with using the Thornit, it cleared up in a day or two. My two youngest have never had ear problems and i have used Thornit on them every month since they were pups. It might be worthwhile trying it if Louis is going to be prone to ear infections. Most vets think its nonsense but it really does work - and you only need to use a tiny amount every few weeks.
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unfortunatly its something most cockers get :( its those lovely long ears and no fresh air getting to them to blame , ive been using drops they just dont seem to work either . i used to put a scrunchy soft hairband loose around bella's ears for a few mins just to get the cool air at them . it did make them cool down quite alot . thornit is suposed to be wonderful stuff :)
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Thanks for the advice, any ideas where I might get this wonderful thornit? I would like to give it a try!
Gemma&Louis
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I get mine from Champion Pet supplies
http://www.championpetsonline.co.uk/home.cfm (http://www.championpetsonline.co.uk/home.cfm)
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unfortunatly its something most cockers get :(
Actually it's not :wink: We've only ever had one Cocker who was prone to ear infections due to narrower than normal ear canals. If you keep ears neatly trimmed (no excess hair blocking the entrance to the ear canal!) & use Thornit as a preventative on a regular basis, this should keep ear trouble at bay for most floppy-eared dogs. It's definitely worth a try anyway - there are far more Thornit success stories than failures :)
Jane
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really I must have had some bad luck then lol all mine have had this and our vet said its the shape of ears cockers have she said basset hounds have the same problem . oh well . im going to buy some thornit to prevent it now the ear infection has cleared up .
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Hi Gemma it's been a long time since I spoke to you last :D sorry to hear about little Louis ears I would definately recommend thornit I get mine from champion pets( where jane said) they are very good and will give you advice e.g an information sheet about thornit how to apply it and about ear infections in general so please give it a go :D I know what you mean about your vet Gemma and if your not happy please go for a second opinion if I knew then what I know now about ear infections I would NEVER have agreed to put scoobie through his ear op so if you want my advice(for what is's worth)give thornit a go and if you need anymore help just give me a shout ..hope Louis feels better soon because it's so awful for them
take care both
Edith and scoobie :wink:
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Another vote for thornit here - Indie has never had an infection since using this, at the first sign of muck/redness he gets a pinch and it astops it in its tracks.
Shona x
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Indie has only ever had one problem with her ears! I have noticed last day or so though, that shes shaking her head alot and scratching, ears are a bit pongy too :roll: I have ordered some Thornit today, hope it works, or it will be a trip to the vet :roll: I feel a bad mummy really, as I clean her ears every day with wipes, wonder why they are bothering her now :?
Will let you know, how I get on with the Thornit :wink:
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Morgan and Cooper both get a tiny pinch of Thornit in each ear every 6-8 weeks and so far so good. Never had any problems with ears. Another thumbs up here :) .
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Hi everyone
Thanks for all of your help regarding Louis ears. It's good to hear from Jane that it isn't as common as the vet seems to think it is. I do keep Louis hair trimmed around his ears and I look at his ears every day but I never clean them unless I can see wax on the outside. I'am not sure if it was Jane the last time who said their ears are best left alone unless you can see wax on the outside and just clean them with warm water.
The vet has actually in the past sold me drops to put in every week to prevent ear wax, but I stopped using them ages ago. Once Louis ear infection is cleared I'am going to use thornit and hopefully I will have as much success as everyone else.
Thanks to Edith as well, I take it you have had a bad experience with your cocker, regarding ears and the vets?
BFN
Gemma&Louis
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Hi Gemma glad your going to give thornit a try :D yes I had a very bad experience with the vet (well I didn't personally but you know what I mean) :wink: poor little Scoobie kept getting reoccurring ear infections and lived on ear drops antibiotics ear washes under anaesthetic :cry: the more I was messing with his ears the worse they got he was at the vets week after week then the vet thought he should have both his ears operated on to stop the infection and the only way to do this was by removing part of his ear canal on both ears yet one was worse than the other ...my groomer told me about thornit and I tried everywhere for it except COL (I wasn't a member then) and after loads and loads of thinking I agreed to him having the op as I couldn't see any alternative and wish that I hadn't it's a nasty operation(I know no op is nice) I thought that at one point we nearly lost scoobie anyway to cut a long story short he came through and STILL had poorly ears I have since lost faith in the conventional vets and we go to a homeopathic vet we last saw her last June I also changed his diet to raw (please don't think I am trying to convert you cos I'm not) because his ear infections where to do with yeast allergy which he doesn't have in raw food so with vit c and other supplements I keep his immune system healthy so he can fight anything nasty off (hope this makes sense) If you need any more help I will pm you because I'm probably boring everyone with this :wink:
Take care and give little lois a hug
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Hi Edith
Thanks for sharing that story with me, poor scoobie :cry: I'am glad he is ok now and you seem to be aware of what the cause was and have tackled it by changing his diet. Thank goodness for COL, if I didn't have all of these friendly people to get advice from, I could just see my vet telling me that Louis may need an operation on his ears. I honestly think there in it for the money. If I hadn't spoken to you and the others I would be none the wiser.
I've just ordered some thornit, so hopefully it's goodbye to ear infections for Louis. :lol:
Thanks everyone
Gemma&Louis
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Sorry to hear about Louis Gemma :( It must be awful for the wee things when they have sore ears bless them.
Have to say that the vets do seem to be quite happy to treat things rather than discuss preventative measures that we could take :roll:
Anyway, I have just this moment joined the 'Thornit's' by ordering my first bottle :wink:
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Hi everyone
I ordered some thornit on Tuesday night and it came this morning(friday)
I'am really impressed by there efficiency and they enclosed a little leaflet all about ears. :lol: :lol: Thanks for putting me in touch with the suppliers they seem really good! Hopefully it will be bye,bye sore ears for Louis from now on :lol: :lol:
Gemma&Louis
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We also use thornit on Jessie as a preventitive measure every 8 weeks or so...NO EAR INFECTIONS ever here :lol:
Janey and Jessie
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oh this is deja vue , i am a new cocker owner , i recently took benson to the vets for his 2nd vaccine and was told he needed ear drops because his ears were really waxy and it could turn yeasty , up untill then he had shown no signs of being itchy or in discomfort and i had been cleaning his outer ears every few days , i have also been told to take him back for another appointment in 10 days , think i may give thornit a try
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Hi Maria
poor little Benson hope he's ok and yes I would definately get some thornit which you can use as a preventative measure every 6-8 weeks it's really good stuff
Edith :D
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Hi Marie
After all the drops that I have had off the vet for Louis, nothing has worked long term. This is why I'am going to try thornit, and I will be very reluctant to take Louis back to the vets regarding his ears. I feel I have spent lots of money on drops which haven't really worked. My vet also sold me drops to help reduce the wax in his ears!! I wouldn't use that now as I feel that I just want to leave them alone, a small amount of wax is natural, and if it builds up I just use cotton wool and warm water and this cleans them better than any drops the vet has given me. Hope Bensons ears are ok.
Gemma&Louis
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Barnaby had ear infections in both ears for months and the vet kept giving us drops and telling us to wash them out. I was reccomended Thornit from here and it worked perfectly. We washed them out with some special liquid and then put the thornit in, it drys them out and stops them from getting infected, the drops just make them wetter. In a few weeks of this his ears were completely clean and uninfected, the vet said they were the cleanest ears they had ever seen! I'd get some thornit, trust me it really DOES work! :D
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Thanks for that Katherine, good to hear another successful thornit story, Louis finished his drops from the vets last week and I put some thornit in last night, his ears look lovely and clean and nice and dry and that thornit smells of TCP, which is better than the dodgy waxy smell! Hopefully he wont get any more ear infections, thanks to everyone for their help and advice.
Gemma&Louis