[Dailydrool] Chronic ear infections

[Drew McQuade]

I am very sympathetic to anyone dealing with ear infections. We went through 
it all with our foster Alexis. Eventually she ended up having a total ear 
canal ablation, because her original owners had never successfully treated 
it (not that they tried very hard, either). By the time we got her, nothing 
worked.

The ear canal is L shaped, which means it is very hard to get medication 
into the lower part of the L. Often what happens is that the canal gets so 
inflamed that medication has trouble reaching the place in which it will be 
most effective. Because medication needs to get directly to the spot, oral 
antibiotics do not work. (I believe that someone who did come up with a 
safe, effective oral medication that worked on ear infections would earn the 
gratitude of many humans trying to help their hounds.) Flushing the ear to 
try to clear things out is standard practice. But vets can also test to see 
what kind of bacteria is involved. This means they can figure out what 
medication is most likely to work. They can even tell which drugs the dog 
has become fully or partly resistant to. Resistance means that the bacteria 
have built up defenses agaiunst these antibiotics. You want to use 
medications to which there is no resistance, since they are most likely to 
work completely.

Our Alexis (whom we eventually adopted) was resistant to just about 
everything. The ones she wasn't resistant to, the vet couldn't get for us. 
That's why she ended up with a TECA. To avoid that happening, you need to 
use the ear medication religiously. An ineffective dose will end up simply 
allowing the bacteria to build up resistance, because the dose does not kill 
it all. So do just what your vet says, to give your hound the best chance at 
success.

So far it sounds as if the vet is doing the right thing. I doubt that a 
second opinion will get you an oral medicine that will work--though I 
thoroughly understand your desire for one. I wanted the same thing, when we 
dealt with Alexis.

I hope all goes well for you.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets