Ear Problems

Gentry has had an ear infection since I got him. When I took him to the local vet to have his ear hair plucked, they told me that his ear was "just waxy". But the next day his ear was all inflamed, red and blistered. There was black gunk coming out and the stink! I don't know what that vet was thinking, just waxy!!?? What ever!!

Yes there was wax in there, but after I cleaned this part, huge black clumps came out from deeper in and the smell!! Ugggg... by the way, this picture was taken the day after I went back to the vet for an ear cleaner that they sell, which I promptly used. The cleaner caused Gentry's ear to get so inflamed and blistered that I could barely touch the OUTSIDE of his ear.

So I did a little research of my own and one thing that I learned was that dogs prone to ear infections shouldn't eat food with Beet Pulp in it. I went straight to my dog food bag (Kirkland Lamb and Rice) and there within the first 10 ingredients was BEET PULP. Great, I had JUST bought a 40 pound bag of food at Costco. Luckily, my Aunt feeds her dog Kirkland Brand dog food and was more than happy to take the bag off my hands. Her dog doesn't have any chronic problems =)

I did some searching around on line, looking into what other Poodle owners are feeding and came across Flint River Ranch dog food. It's $38 for a 20 pound bag and that includes shipping! I was thrilled. The other brand of food that I had found was $48 for a 20 pound bag and I would have had to drive an hour to Bozeman to pick it up at Pet Smart. I LOVE having my dog food brought to my door!

With lots of cleaning, I use coconut oil for it's antibacterial healing qualities, then spraying the infected ear with an essential oil spray my Aunt made for Gentry, his ear cleared right up. I also did not feed him one more piece of the Kirkland Brand dog food. His ear has stayed fairly clear since I switched food.

I think that the original infection is not entirely cleared up yet, but yesterday I reached as far as my fingers could reach and cleaned and cleaned with coconut oil, then sprayed the spray in. Today it looks and smells way better!

This picture was taken about 2 weeks later (which was today) after cleaning with coconut oil and spraying with the essential oil blend my Aunt gave me. HUGE difference!

SO the moral of my story, if you are having a chronic problem, check the ingredients in your dog food!! It's amazing what kinds of things dogs are allergic or sensitive to.

My Aunt that made me the essential oil blend is also writing a book about using essential oils on animals. This will be a wonderful book when it is all done! I'm doing the editing and it is in the final stages!! Check her website for more information... Natural Remedies for Your Four-Legged Friends.