Chronic ear infection, experiences?

[Mari]

This is probably a much discussed topic, so I apologise for that. But I need advise from real cocker experts. And that means you guys 

My little spaniel has had trouble with ear infections in one ear the last year or so. Long story, but in the end it has now become a chronic state. We went to a specialist who says it's pseudomonas, and that it is chronic. He also says it's treatable. But I will need to bring her to the vet for deep cleaning once every two weeks (at least three times). In addition I will have to keep cleaning her ears at home.

This is all going to be a lot of pain and stress for my dog. And for the deep cleaning she will be put under general anaesthesia. I don't like the idea of putting her under so many times, I also worry about the stress of going to the vet regularly since she is frightened of the entire thing. And after cleaning and treating her ear for months and months she is now wary of her ear and gets quite depressed every day when I bring out the ear cleaner.

I would love to hear other peoples experience with this kind of ear infection. Or any ongoing/chronic infection in the ear. Especially what kind of treatment plan they opted for. The specialist is not very talkative and when I try to ask him wether an operation would be a better choice for my dogs welfare he only responds with a dismissive "we'll see, hopefully it won't come to that".

I guess I'm just trying to figure out if it is worth continuing this treatment, do they actually get better from a chronic infection? Or does it usually end with the surgery anyway, because if so I'd rather get it over with and not torment my dog with more treatments...She is my little girl 

Any experiences are welcome as I feel I need more info about the treatment plans and prognosis. Thanks!

[JennyBee]

Brodie has had huge ear problems. She's always been prone to infections, but last year things kicked off big time, starting with a pseudomonas infection. That, thankfully, was cleared up relatively easily, but she kept getting infection after infection and was never off her medication for more than a week or two. It has caused her a lot of pain and misery, and left her with a fear of the vets.

I too was referred to a specialist, and I have to say he was a lot more forthcoming than yours . She had to have several anaesthetics, and came through each fine. The specialist was brilliant. The first visit he put a camera down, and that's when we found that the pseudomonas had destroyed her ear drums and the infections were residing in her middle ear. Her ears were flushed three times to get rid of the infections and luckily the ear drums grew back. Thankfully this brought everything under control, although she still has some problems -  not anywhere near as bad though (an infection every few months rather than a week apart) - and has been diagnosed with a polyp in her left ear. We are getting referred back to the specialist to see about that and allergy tests.

The problem with pseudomonas is that it is a very tricky infection to get rid of, and can be antibiotic resistant. Brodie was very lucky that her infection didn't last long, but it did a lot of damage. It is very nasty stuff . It is worrying having to put them through GAs, but unfortunately it is necessary to get rid of the infection otherwise permanent damage can occur. The ear flushes are not as invasive a procedure as surgery, so IMO it's best to go with them first. I really hope the specialist is able to bring the infection under control quickly, and hope it helps you to know that Brodie has gone through the same thing safely.

[Mari]

Thank you so much! It actually helps a lot to hear that you and Brodie got through it! Just knowing that there is hope makes it an easier task to take on. I am so glad she is a cocker and is her cheerful self most of the day despite her sore ear. They don't look it, but they are tough dogs!

I have been nagging the vets to do a swab for a bacteria culture, but they kept prescribing something "that usually works". I finally had one done in the early fall and it was pseudomonas. The specialist did another one now, and unfortunately it came back negative even though she clearly still has the infection. He looked inside with an endoscope/ and was certain that it is still pseudomonas. Apparently this means that there is a chronic infection.

Yeah, he is not very forthcoming. It's kind of a problem at this hospital that they don't offer information unless you ask a ton of questions. Unfortunately it's the only referral hospital around here. But he seems like a really nice guy, and probably very capable doctor. It's just me that gets nervous when I don't get enough info. I'll bring a list of questions next time to help communications

My dog had an infection in the fold on her lip that lasted for months, treatments were painful and not effective at all. When we did a surgery in the end and she was healthy and happy in less than a week, I regretted not pressing for a surgery sooner. So that's why I'm asking for experiences I think I actually got advice on here and ended up asking for the op because of the excellent answers

Fun fact: I actually managed to get the infection myself, apparently it's very contagious. And when I told my doctor that it was likely to be pseudomonas from my dog and maybe we should do a culture, he shrugged and prescribed something "that usually does the trick"  Luckily it seems to have actually done the trick for my ear.

[JennyBee]

Oh dear, I didn't realise that could happen . Am glad I was so careful when she had it!

I know what you mean about the vets - mine are really great and did do the cultures straight off, but kept trying different drops in the hope of finding one that worked. I wish I'd have pushed for the specialist sooner as it would have saved a lot of suffering on Brodie's part. None of us had any idea about what was going on in her ears though (her ear canals were very narrow and they couldn't see as far as her ear drums), so kept hoping the drops would work.

Cultures since the pseudomonas infection has shown she has yeast in one ear, and bacterial problems in the other. Can't be anything simple! I am wondering how long that polyp has been in that left ear (always the most problematic one) and how much trouble it's been causing. It's right on the bend so was hard to see.

Lists are great, I've taken several in as I find myself getting nervous and forgetting things . I could be wrong as I can't remember what the specialist said about it (combination of the nerves already mentioned and a very bad memory!) but think the operation is a last resort as it can be quite a major procedure. We are off to the vet tomorrow morning to see if the swelling caused by the polyp has finally went down. Fingers crossed!

[Mari]

Fingers and paws crossed for you guys tomorrow!

OK, it sounds like your specialist agrees with mine that the operation is last resort. I feel better about following the other treatment now. I really hope it works! She is 7 years old so I would prefer to avoid surgery for her. Of course I would also prefer to avoid anaesthesia alltogether, but I guess it needs to be done.

I was so careful about washing my hands after treating her ear too  But one day I woke up and all I could hear was muffled sounds, that was when I realized I must not have been as careful as I thought.

[Helly D]

My first cocker had the same problem as yours and the vet was talking about surgery. It is a major op though and very painful for the dog, although modern pain killers are probably far more effective than they were then.

We went to a holistic vet to see if anything could be done to stave off the surgery. She used homeopathy and herbs and Sam never needed the op as she 'managed' it with different conventional treatments alongside the holistic. He lived until he was 14.

One thing I have learned since then is that diet can play a huge role in disease in our animals. Many foods contain all sorts of undesirable colourings, fillers, grains etc that can create problems with skin, inflammation and the immune system. It may be worthwhile looking at what you are feeding your dog. My last dog had re-current ear infections until I switched her to a raw food diet. She didn't have one infection in all the time she was on it. 

[Lily Freya]

My poor girl had so many problems with recurring ear problems that she ended up having the surgery.

It is not a route I wanted to go down, because of the severity of it all.  BUT.....after getting over the surgery, which took awhile, she was FANTASTIC.  We never looked back. 

It is awful seeing your dog in so much discomfort all the time......and the steroids, drops and everything else we were pumping into her all seemed to be ineffective.

Hoping and praying you can sort your little one out. 

[JennyBee]

Things didn't go as well as i had hoped on Friday - despite two weeks of steroids (and their unfortunate effects on poor Brodie) her ear is still a little gunky and 'rough'. The vet is going to consult with one of her colleagues who knows Brodie's case a little better, so waiting to see what they suggest. Unsure if this is all connected to the polyp or not!

[Lily Freya]

Things didn't go as well as i had hoped on Friday - despite two weeks of steroids (and their unfortunate effects on poor Brodie) her ear is still a little gunky and 'rough'. The vet is going to consult with one of her colleagues who knows Brodie's case a little better, so waiting to see what they suggest. Unsure if this is all connected to the polyp or not!

Thinking of Brodie, and of you too.  It is just horrible seeing your dog going through this. 

[JennyBee]

Things didn't go as well as i had hoped on Friday - despite two weeks of steroids (and their unfortunate effects on poor Brodie) her ear is still a little gunky and 'rough'. The vet is going to consult with one of her colleagues who knows Brodie's case a little better, so waiting to see what they suggest. Unsure if this is all connected to the polyp or not!

Thinking of Brodie, and of you too.  It is just horrible seeing your dog going through this. 

Thanks, it's rather frustrating that this has came up after her ears doing so well for months. I know it's hurting her as well, as she cowers away from me when putting the drops in . It's helpful to read that the op went well for your girl as I have a feeling in the future Brodie will have to go through the same. It's something I've never really had to consider before now.

[rogertb]

Our previous Cocker had ear problems and the vet suggested an operation to open up the ear aperture (which he said was too small to allow air to circulate properly and therefore the cavity would get pretty 'rank' and therefore regular expensive treatment). He recommended the surgery which opened up the 'hole' and it was a great success, the problem never came back. This may not be the same problem other people are experiencing but if someone comes across this thread it might help.

Good luck with the treatment.

Roger

[Mari]

Oh wow so many new answers, thank you all so much!

Sorry to hear that Brodie did not get better news Hope they can come up with a solution!

I'm pretty sure it's not her diet, but it's good that you mention it since I understand that allergies are a typical problem leading to ear troubles, so thanks. But she is 7 years old now and has never had any ear infections or skin problems before, regardless of diet. Also it's a unilateral infection, so likely due to bad luck rather than allergy of food additives.

I've heard about that surgery to open up the ear canal. I was actually hoping for something like that to help us. But since she never had any problems in the past I guess her ear canals are normal (for a cocker). But I will mention it for the veterinarian just in case it could help. At least that's a much less invasive procedure! Thanks for the tip!

Still really hoping this treatment will have an effect. But after a year of different unsuccessful treatments, lacking laboratory tests an poor followups by different vets I'm not too optimistic. I guess it is up to me to push them now. I hate being annoying and demanding. But I feel guilty every time I look at my dog, I feel I should have done more. At least we're with a specialist now.
In addition it seems my insurance company might decide to make a fuss about me living abroad atm (even though I live somewhere with far cheaper veterinary care than my home country). I checked with them before I signed, but it seems there is a loophole. So as a student I am feeling slightly worried about the cost. Obviously that is not my main concern, I'll come up with the money somehow. But still, another reason to want correct treatment fast.

How was the recovery time from the surgery Lily Freya? You said it took a while, do you mean the operation or the recovery? Because if they bounce back like after most surgeries it might be worth it....

Poor doggies! Such lovely ears, but we should really consider breeding them shorter and lighter. Like the working type maybe. I'm assuming they have less trouble than the show type. And they are still gorgeous with more practical ears I think

[Lily Freya]

I was warned before Lily went through the surgery that it was major.  But, I decided that it was the lesser of two evils....she was in a terrible state and her ear canal was completely ulcerated.  She had also been on steroids for almost two years.

Post operatively she was in a lot of pain for about 3 days.....then she was brighter and brighter.  Within the space of 3 weeks it was like having a dog with a new lease of life.  Her playful character returned, and she had no more discomfort.

People think that dogs lose hearing after this surgery.......but, Lily could hear a pin drop.   

I do wish you luck with whatever you decide. Xx

[williamsmum]

Our previous Cocker had ear problems and the vet suggested an operation to open up the ear aperture (which he said was too small to allow air to circulate properly and therefore the cavity would get pretty 'rank' and therefore regular expensive treatment). He recommended the surgery which opened up the 'hole' and it was a great success, the problem never came back. This may not be the same problem other people are experiencing but if someone comes across this thread it might help.

Good luck with the treatment.

Roger
Yes, when I used to groom I had a lovely little cocker on my books who had to go through the same op. She had continual ear infections for ages, and her owner eventually had the op done (both ears). Cost a fortune, but she was so much better afterwards.