PetMeds® Remedies for Dog Ear Infections

This week we highlight questions asked by our PetMeds Facebook fans and answered by Dr. Dym.
Underlying factors such as allergies or possible hormonal disorders can continue to cause ear infections to develop

Both my labs get ear mites/infections on a regular basis. I clean them regularly with ear cleanser then drying lotion. Is there anything more I can do or maybe something stronger I can use to completely get rid of it?

One of the most common frustrating dermatological problems in our pets is the recurrence of yeast and bacterial ear infections particularly in dogs. This can often lead to repetitive veterinary visits and expense, as well as increasing discomfort and pain in affected patients.

Symptoms of ear infections in pets  can include:

  • Excessive head shaking
  • Ear itching
  • Progressive odor/discharge
  • Redness/inflammation of the ear canals

While treatment with ear cleaners and topical prescription antibiotics such as Mometomax or Otomax are often prescribed, the condition often recurs when medication is stopped or a short time later. In these cases it is important to work with your veterinarian on  identifying underlying causes of recurrent ear inflammation such as inhalant/contact allergies, food allergies, foreign body or hair in the ears, and  hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism.

Unless these underlying factors are addressed or explored, the problem will tend to recur. In dogs with chronic and relapsing ear inflammation, I will often recommend to animal guardians to regularly use a broad spectrum ear cleaner such as Epi-Otic Ear Cleanser or Zinc Otic by Maxiderm.  Products like Zymox Otic with Hydrocortisone can also work wonders on dogs with chronic and recurrent ear inflammation, especially while exploring some of the underlying causes mentioned here.

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16 Comments

  1. Pingback: What To Know About Ear Infections And Remedies - Daily Skin Care Tips

  2. Mo ChroiApril 22, 2012 at 10:50 pm

    Best product by far, is ABN Ear Cure by Apple Blossom Naturals. It’s all natural, and cures bacteria, viral & fungus. You can use it to prevent, de-waxes. It’s awesome! You can get it on their website http://www.appleblossomnaturals.com or from a natural food store or pet store. They have a coupon promotion too.

  3. Amy HowardAugust 23, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    We were messaged about this product by Apple blossom on one of our social media pages. We decided to give them a shot. A month after ordering, having not received the product we ordered and paid for, we contacted them and were told it was an over site and that they would RE-ship our product… again we had to call them 3 weeks later to find out why it hadn’t arrived. We threatened a poor internet review… that got them snapping…Or so we thought. So finally, 2 weeks later, we received MOST of what we ordered and paid for. We have still not received the wart remover, and we don’t even want to try to get them to send it. Obviously, we won’t be marketing their product in our store. We depend on reliable companies, and this one IS NOT!

  4. Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarianAugust 25, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    Thanks for sharing your sentiments. Sorry for your experience with the product.

  5. chris hickeyAugust 6, 2013 at 10:42 pm

    occurs to me that initial post was by apple blossom company.
    my dog has ear infections too, I cant afford any more mometamax at 40.00 for a tiny bottle.
    dr dym, you mentioned 3 or 4 otc remedies., or would even use homopathic. bo is an 8 yr old cockapoo, recurring left ear prob. not sure what is safe to dump into his ear canal. he hates it so much I want to get the right stuff the first time. I remember you mentioning thuja. is this for ears? have finally confused myself with all these columns, but try to follow yours. thanks, chris

  6. chris hickeyAugust 6, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    me again – what shall i try first in his ear? mometamax works miracles but prob comes back sooner or later. I have even tried to make my own using cortisone and antifungal cream diluted with listerine. bad idea?

  7. Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarianAugust 7, 2013 at 12:07 am

    Hi Chris. Difficult to say if thuja would be appropriate. Homeopathic remedies are best prescribed based on the totality of symptoms over the life of the patient. May be worth working with a classically trained homeopath. Many offer phone consultations. To find one in your area go to http://www.theAVH.org You could try zymox otic HC from 1800petmeds.

  8. Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarianAugust 7, 2013 at 12:07 am

    Try zymox otic HC. 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and water can help keep ears clean of yeast and many bacteria

  9. TimJanuary 28, 2015 at 7:37 am

    I have a older Labrador .each summer he gets these festering,bloody swollen areas on his shins and top of his paws.he looses most of the hair in these areas. This last summer he also had one ear infected and gross. He has been getting this for about 6-7summers. Cephalexin worked the first 5years,but now does nothing for this. My vet is stumped! Can you help.?

  10. julietFebruary 14, 2015 at 2:49 am

    can I use ofloxacin otic solution for my chihuahuas ear infection. also is this a generic brand?

  11. Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarianFebruary 16, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    I only use topical ear medicines that are approved for veterinary use with a veterinary label

  12. Shawna SickJuly 20, 2015 at 1:34 am

    my lab always gets yeast infections in his ears from swimming.i have to clean his ears with a 50/50 vinegar ..water solution and a cotton ball.i always wipe out his ears after swimming so they are dry inside to cut down on yeast. ….then clean his ears b4 bedtime.your dog may be developing yeast on his feet also.we have a very small swimming pool 3ftx3ft that we dump half gallon of vinegar and half gallon of water.let the dog stand in it for as long as possible…it will kill all yeast in his feet. always dry his feet and ears after swimming.some dogs are just really prone to the yeasties….this solution can be used over again

  13. Shawna SickJuly 20, 2015 at 1:36 am

    same EXACT zymoxoctic sells on other sites for more than half the price….why the huge markup?

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