# Ear infection, ear down again



## Alee C. (Dec 15, 2015)

Once Bear hit 4 1/2 months both his ear were up 24/7. Now he is almost 6 months, he has been losing his teeth(every time he plays with another dog we find one on the floor) his left ear has been flopped over again, a few days ago he started shaking his head and crying, his left ear had a really fowl odor to it. After taking him to the vet turns out he's got a yeast infection in it. So the vet gave us some drops for it. I'm just wondering is his ear ever gonna stand up again or is it just gonna be flopped over like this. I'm so nervous putting in the ear drops that I might hurt his ear and then it wont stand up. He hates the drops, he does not growl or snap but he chokes himself trying to get away.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Yeast is sometimes hard to get under control or get rid of.

What food are you feeding? 

Grains turn to sugar and yeast feeds on sugar! Yeast additives in foods or supplements can also cause this. So if he continues to get these items, he may be prone to the infections.

Wiping out the ears with a 50/50 mix of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and purified water weekly will also help! 
Organic ACV can be purchased at a health food store (NOT GNC). This is different from regular vinegar as it contains "The Mother" which has medicinal properties of anti-fungal, anti-bacteria and anti-viral. You'll know it's organic b/c The Mother will be floating around in the bottle!

As for the ears, since they were up, I think they will come up again since he is still loosing teeth.

Here are a couple of things you can do to help strengthen his ears while he goes thru this:
1. Ear Exercise: Whistle or make a sound that will “perk up” the dogs’ ears. Do this about 30 times per day.
2. Give them large raw (not cooked) real bones: There are 150 muscles in the jaw that when exercised strengthen the ears due to the gnawing, tugging and chewing the bone. Introduce at short intervals as the rich marrow material or bone fragments could cause diarrhea. 
3. Feed a skinless chicken necks daily. It has naturally occurring calcium. *DO NOT* use a “Calcium” supplement. 
4. Gently pinch the base of the ears together and massage the base without bending the upper ear.
5. *Unflavored *Gelatin powder: Moisten the kibble with water and sprinkle 1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons on his/her food per feeding. A one ounce box contains 4 envelopes of Gelatin (each packet contains about 2 ½ tsp.). This is found by the “Jello” in the grocery store. It is made from animal collagen. The brand name is Knox Unflavored Gelatin or Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin. Do this for at least 4-6 weeks. Great Lakes can be bought in larger, cost efficient packages here:



 
6. Make sure that his/her ears are not touching the top of the crate (crate pushes ears down) when sitting or standing.

Moms


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## Alee C. (Dec 15, 2015)

Momto2GSDs said:


> Yeast is sometimes hard to get under control or get rid of.
> 
> What food are you feeding?
> 
> ...


Thanks. I feed Bear Fromm large breed puppy. I will definitely try the gelatin. And I have a few frozen bones in my freezer( I get them from a butcher shop 2 or 4 in a bag for like 2$.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Alee C. said:


> Thanks. I feed Bear Fromm large breed puppy. I will definitely try the gelatin. And I have a few frozen bones in my freezer( I get them from a butcher shop 2 or 4 in a bag for like 2$.


I'd switch to a non grain for a while to see if it helps the yeast in his ears. Usually, once yeast begins in a body it continues until corrected.

Look at the grains and yeast ingredients in the kibble.

Large Breed Puppy: Duck, Chicken Meal, Chicken, *Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Brown Rice, * Menhaden Fish Meal,Lamb, Potatoes, Dried Tomato Pomace, Dried Whole Egg, Chicken Fat, Salmon Oil, Cheese, Flaxseed, *Brewers Dried Yeast,*Alfalfa Meal, Carrots, Lettuce, Celery,Chicken Cartilage,

Yeast is also a gut issue. I would suggest considering a high quality Digestive Enzyme (helps assimilate food) and a Pro-Biotic (puts the "good" bacteria in the gut) to assist his gut. 
75% of the immune system lies in the gut and the gut is what NEEDS to be healthy to ward off allergens/sensitivities. 

Here are a few high quality human grade supplements:
*Sunday Sundae* (Digestive Enzyme & Pro-Biotic Combo): Sunday-Sundae-12oz
*Digest All Plus:* (Digestive Enzyme/ProBiotic combo) Wholistic Digest All Plus? - Digestive Support - Canine
*Gut Sense: *(Pro-Biotic & Pre Biotic): GutSense - certified organic probiotic for dogs 

Good luck!
Moms


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