We have an 11 week old Jack Russell (he is sooo sweeeet) and he seems to have some ear pain and he scratches at his ears alot but is very slow and gentle when he does... Does anyone here know if there is anything I can get that is "over the counter" kind of stuff to help with that before I take him to the vet and spend $1,569,024.34......??????
He may have ear mites and you can kill them with olive oil. Clean his ear out with a q-tip with olive oil on it and then use a cotton ball to get the rest. We also use rubbing alcohol to clean Buddy's ears out.
Take a whiff of his ears, if they smell, he probably has an infection and you need to get him to the vet. It could also be allergies. Caveat: I'm not a vet, just a doggie owner.
He could have a yeast infection, but like KDC said, take a whiff and you can definitely tell. I clean my dog's ear out with ear wash and then carefully clear it with a q-tip, then swab it with monostat, or any type of anti yeast cream. My doctor recommended this, as I was going in frequently for yeast infections in my pups ear.
Boxers are know for ear problems and I use a solution of half peroxide and hald rubbing alcohol. Use cotton balls soaked in this and wipe out the ears good. then pua a drop of mineral oil in and rub it good. Do this every day for 30 days. If it doesn`t get any better then you definately need a vet because like they said, it could be allergies.
Thanks all!! I do have olive oil at the house so I will try that and clean them out too! Him my sweeeeet baby....!!
A ha ha! No, I just spend a LOT of time at the vet's office. My dog has severe allergies and I'm pretty sure I am putting the vet's kid through college. :lol:
If your dog has pain it needs a vet. Dont mess around with home remadies and endanger your dogs hearing or comfort. Anything less would not be humane or fair to the dog.
I agree totally and plan too. But I need to get the money together cause the vets are HIGH alot of the time..... With as many people who have pets and love animals, you'd think it could be more affordable...... Some people just don't have the money to pay those prices and are forced to not be able to do anything.... That doesn't mean they love their pets any less, they just don't have it. Seems like something could be worked out for people like this, myself as one of them.... I don't expect ANYONE to work for free, but I don't think that it needs to be so HIGH priced. I've been to several in the area in the past and they offered no kind of payment plan or anything and I asked about it too.
i agree. if you can't afford a vet you should not have annimals for pets. get a stuffed pet or borrow a friends dog every once in a while to receive that loving that dogs give their owners
Just as if you'd treat a child ... sometimes docs (vets) are not always needed right away. OTC products sometimes do take care of issues on hand that the vet/doc would recommend doing anyhow. I agree with both ways ... as long as not extreme pain/whining about issue on hand and just more of an annoyance to dog then first try OTC type of stuff that may work - vets or human docs don't frown upon this and usually are understanding as long as the "home remedy product" is stuff that is not bad for receiver of it. Then of course if issue does not clear up, pet/child get worse as the days go by then of course the vet/doc would be necessary since it'd be apparent the home remedy is not working. Also to keep in mind that while doing home remedy type to clear up an issue, that same issue could be growing worse (internally) that may not be so obvious and could end up costing more in the long run by waiting to go to a vet ..... Good luck & of course you'll do right by your pet. And yes, vetting is pricey and although I appreciate what they do for my pets I also can totally see how people don't tend to their pets properly (generally speaking). Good intentions when a person gets a pet & plans to do right in all of the pet owning areas but once things get tough financially then pet "maintenance" is usually the first to go.... that does Not mean you do not love your pet any less.
Well, now, c'mon ... we don't run to the doctor for every little cough, sniffle, cut, scrape and bruise (at least some of us don't!) ... we take care of it ourselves first. If it's something we can't handle, we go to the doctor. Why treat your pets differently? There are plenty of things you can do at home to help your pet, before running to the Vet ... as long as you know WHEN you should let a professional step in! Look at the ear, see if there's any discoloration or discharge. See if it looks 'dirty'. Pups do commonly get ear mites or yeast infections in their ears ... you should clean them out regularly with something like Oti-Clens - available at petsmart, or walmart - (others on here apparently use some different home remedies, oils/alcohols/etc .. I don't have any experience with them so can't offer an opinion. ) The "sniff test" is good for determining yeast infections, like someone mentioned previously. If it's something that you feel you can't handle, or are uncomfortable doing, then by all means - take the pup to the vet. But as a concerned pet owner, there are all sorts of things we can do first before calling in the Big Dogs.
It could be mites AND yeast and the only way to know for sure is to have the vet look at a swab sample under the microscope. Oticlense is good for regular cleaning, and so is alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, but if the ear is already red and irritated this could cause the dog pain. If the dog is shaking its head a lot take it to the vet right away because continually shaking the head can cause the blood vessels in the ear to burst and a large pool of blood to clot in the ear, it will expand like a pillow or balloon, and then you will have to go to the vet to have it drained and stitched up. If you are worried about money, the cheapest vet we have found fairly locally is Vets for Pets in Dunn, they are by far cheaper than any really local vets and have always treated the animals we have brought there very well. You don't make an appointment, it is walk-in only. Here is their contact info, they are right next to I-95: (910) 892-3540 17 J And J Ln Dunn, NC 28334
PLEASE, PLEASE do some research before taking your pet to that place in Dunn. One experience with them was bad enough...I won't go into detail because it seriously upsets me all over again to rehash. It could be something as simple as needing a good cleaning, but messing with the ears can also mean a bigger issue. Our little rat terrier started pulling on his ear one evening so I took him to the Vet in the am...called to have him seen for an infection or something. COme to find out, he had broken a tooth on a chew we purchased from PetSmart. Surgery and LOTS of cash later, our baby did great! It was his teeth all along, not his ears.
I agree with other people, he needs to go see a vet to make sure it's nothing serious. If you're looking for a good vet who's fairly priced in the area I would recommend Cleveland Community Vet Hospital. They are very reasonably priced and both doctors are really good. (I used to work in a vet hospital in Cary so I've seen some crazy, outrageous prices) Here's their website: http://ccvh.us/ You can call and set up an appointment if you need, they are really great. It's where I take my 2.