The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Becki (Pennsylvania) on 12/13/2016
★★★★★
I have an American Bulldog & he had ear infections since he was a puppy. It was so expensive & so sad to see him suffer. I changed his diet to grain free/ NOTHING with chicken meal in it. Merrick grain free with salmon worked for us, but you have to do grain free teats as well. No chicken meal at all. Stick to fish based food, treats with only veggies in them.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Debbiefudge (Brighton, Uk) on 08/18/2013
★★★★★
Hi. Any dog that suffers with ear infections/problems, due to yeast.
Should definately change to raw feeding. Meat/Bones/Fish etc. NO vegetables as these contain natural sugars. Which feed the yeast. No steroids or antiiotics. They feed the yeast too. My Vet almost killed one of my dogs, so I have learnt all this the hard way. NO treats. A raw one is much better as a treat. Keeps their teeth clean. Gives them calcium. I'd say a big no to goats milk or any other milk.. Give probiotic yogurt every day. And, raw garlic. (A natural way to keep fleas away)
A regular dose of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) will keep worms at bay. And, also treat any. (MUST be Food Grade). Don't put any chemicals on to or in your dog. Don't give yearly booster vaccinations.
I have been raw feeding my 3 Shihtzus for 4 years now. And they are extremely healthy. No fat on them. Just pure muscle. And, it is so easy to do. I rotate what I feed them. Only, the one whom the vet nearly killed, has an on going issue with his ears. And that's because his ear canals are narrower than they should be. So, I regularly clean them with half water/half white vinegar, And put in colloidal silver, if he gets an infection.......
Most of these things are caused by food allergies. Skin problems etc. He has an overgrowth of yeast. Every time my groomer comes, she washes him in an anti fungal shampoo and the final rinse is half white vinegar/half water and left on to dry and both sides of his ears are shaved. (I don't use ACV on him, because it contains apples. That's why I use white vinegar, instead)
Dietary Changes
Posted by Allie (Bc, Canada) on 06/09/2013
★★★★★
For those dogs with itchy ears, ear infections.... I have a holistic dog consultant that helped me greatly. She recommened two main things: proper food - no corn, soy, or grain; and a deworming with Black Walnut. You can get Black Walnut at your health food store - my dog is 55 lbs, and I use 20 drops Black Walnut, in a syringe and into her mouth every day for 5 DAYS, then stop for 3 weeks, and then do it again for 5 DAYS. Right into your dogs mouth with the syringe and squirt it in. It tastes bad so putting it on their food won't work. ALSO, rotating food as well.... Switch from a chicken blend, to a lamb blend (lamb is actually best tolerated) to a fish blend, and round and round. Do a gradual switch though - so blend the new food into the old gradually increasing for about a week which gives your dogs digestive system a chance to adjust to the change otherwise you will have diahrrea and stomach upset. Good Luck!
Dietary Changes
Posted by Dixiechick (Lakeland, Fl) on 09/22/2010
★★★★★
I just discovered something alarming about canned dog food. One of my dogs is 5 yrs. Old and has never had an ear infection or ear problem. I just recently converted both of my dogs to a wheat-free and corn-free diet. I switched them both to Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Food. Everything was fine until I purchased their canned dog food to add to the dry food. The dog with the ear infection wouldn't eat unless I added something, so that's why I purchased the canned food. She got a severe ear infection 5 days after consumming the canned food. I tried ACV and MMS. They did nothing. My neighbor had this same exact problem with his dog. Last year his dog was rushed to the vet with the same symptoms. His dog was being fed dry dog food with Alpo canned food. I never saw the correlation until it happened to my dog. Symptoms start as head shaking, then tiny bumps in the ear, then redness, inflammation, then pus. Also included were nose rubbing, scratching, coughing, eye swelling. The symptoms started on the day after eating the food and progressed to the fifth day with full blown redness, inflammation, pus, eye swelling, cough. It was unbelievable. Went to the vet for treatment. Dog is currently recovering with home made food and meds. My neighbor's dog and my dog are officially off canned dog food. His dog recovered nicely. There is something in canned dog food that is causing ear infections. It may not happen with every dog, but if your dog is sensitive you need to avoid canned dog food. It doesn't matter what brand, whether premium or low grade canned dog food. I saw it first hand using a premium L. I. D. Food. That's limited ingredient diet.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Dee (Keene, Nh) on 10/27/2009
★★★★★
I have finally cured my cocker spaniel's ear infections. He had a yeast infection in both ears - first I tried Zymox which worked but then his infections came back. He also had a skin condition which cockers are known for. I've kept his ears clean and have been giving him Alaskan Salmon Oil and changed his diet to foods from his origin - Cockers came from Portugal - so basically foods that his ancestors ate - lamb, etc.
