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.
Posted by Om (Hope, Bc Canada) on 08/29/2014 ★★★★★
For ear infections in dogs, use pure olive oil or sesame oil. Mascerate garlic cloves overnight and then apply warmed. ACV is too harsh for ear infection. My dog had his ear infection treated like this and all is well. It took less than three days but that is individual. This is med for humans, too. Namaste, Om
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
I personally have no problems with solutions from my vet; in some cases I find the medicated solutions superior to the basic ACV/Isopropyl/H2O solution. I also find ZYMOX Otic Enzymatic ear drops with hydrocortisone super effective for painful, yeasty ears.
That said, I also LOVE Ted's Anti-Fungal/Anti-Staph remedy: It is super inexpensive, and I find this to have less "sting" than using white vinegar/Apple Cider Vinegar, and with one-step application as raw ears first must be healed with Olive Oil and garlic infusion before you can use the ACV remedies - you can just use Ted's staph remedy without causing a huge sting.
You will need epsom salts, borax, Milk of Magnesia and hydrogen peroxide. You can get all these over the counter at the drug store. The hydrogen peroxide is very probably a 3% solution, so you will need to dilute it. So take 1/3 cup of the hydrogen peroxide and add 2/3 cup of plain water to it; you now have a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Now add 1 table spoon each of the Milk of Magnesia, epsom salts and borax. Mix it really well in a small bottle and place the sealed bottle in a sink full of warm tap water to warm up the solution before you use it to liberally flush the ears. You can use this daily or twice daily until the ears are under control and healthy again. To keep them healthy you might wish to use the garlic oil infusion every 3rd day or flush with the vinegar solution every day.
On top of physically addressing the ears, I would consider alkalizing her water with baking soda; a crisis dose is 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into 1 liter of water and have this as her only drinking water. After 5 days you can reduce to a maintenance dose of 1/4 teaspoon into 1 liter of water.
Posted by Margo Burnett (Texas, Usa) on 07/22/2013 ★★★★★
My standard poodle has had an ear infection in both ears for 7 years. I have had Vince on continuous anti biotics/meds/ raw food diet/thyroid meds and taken him to so many specialists. His eyes became infected about 3 years ago and were so raw they would bleed. Nothing I did helped my poor dog. I even tried allergy testing and gave him shots daily. Did not help any of the symptoms. Some days he just laid in his bed and moaned. Finally about 3 months ago I started cleaning his ears with peroxide and 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water. I also started feeding him twice a day and adding Dinovite in his food. It has taken 2 months but he is finally symptom free. It is the first time in 7 years that Vince is not in pain.
Posted by Mila (Niagara Falls, On, Canada, Ontario) on 07/09/2013 ★★★★★
I am a breeder of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Every year I was fighting ear infections in some of my doggies, as Cavaliers have long ears and infections are quite common. After learning about use of probiotic formula for pets 2 years ago, I don't see these infections any more. I am giving them just a little sprinkle (a pinch) on their food once a day - not even the recommendation on the product container. Only once a week I am cleaning their ears, but there are no infections. You can buy this "Geneflora Probiotic formula" in any pet store. It costs around $36.00, which is much cheeper then vet visits, medications and the time involved. I hope this will help somebody else as well...
Posted by Wheaten Owner (Drayden, Maryland) on 04/03/2013 ★★★★★
Re: Dog with ear infections: I have not used the vinegar method but just about everything else. Paid high dollars for 2 years to vets for visits and meds to no avail. One day I decided to try human vaginal yeast cream. WOW! It worked like a charm. Called a friend who has a Lab with chronic ear infections and told her of my success. She also tried the vaginal yeast cream and it also worked for her dog. I am the daughter of a vet and knew that a lot of the meds he suggested were what we buy over the counter for ourselves.
Posted by John (Warrington, UK) on 04/05/2015 ★★★★★
My boy is bout fourteen and he kept goin off balance and calapsing thort it was old age and thort I was goin to have to put him to sleep but luckily I read this first so I tried it and sure enough it worked when he stud up without fallin over I got on one knee and give him such a big hug with tears down my cheek thanku so much for leavin a comment so people like me kud read as I cud of made a bad mistake once again thanku so much my dog is a Alsatian cross with a lab and I also have a Japanese Akita which I rescued from the fire at Manchester dogs home and I love my boys to bits
Hi Jessica, you want to use apple cider vinegar (ACV). It's much better than regular white vinegar. And to Kathy, that is, equal parts apple cider vinegar (ACV), peroxide and water. My husband and I have a cattery in Oregon, and have 20 cats, at present. Unfortunately, one of our babies got sick with ear mites, which quickly spread to all the other 19 kitties, as most were litters of kittens from our queens! We have always favored natural remedies. My grandmother had been an advocate of apple cider vinegar, claiming it could cure just about anything that ails you. So, I decided to try the ear wash, made up of equal parts apple cider vinegar (ACV) and warm water, in a spray bottle. You want to use a bottle that has a setting for a light mist. Spray in cats/dogs ears twice a day, for 7-10 days. I'd recommend going a full 10 days, to be certain all larvae, as well as the mites, are good and dead! We decided to follow this method up with yet another natural home remedy, using warm olive oil and coconut oil. Just warm up a little of each kind of oil, together, dab with a cotton ball, in kitty/dogs ears. Be sure to wipe out any excess oils. These work beautifully together, as the oils, really help to calm and soothe the redness and irritation from the mites/infection. Which, in my opinion, the ACV/H2O mixture, because of its acidity, doesn't necessarily do, on its own. Another natural option, follow-up, to the ACV/H2O mixture, is Aloe Vera. I'm happy to report, our cattery is free of mites! I hope this is helpful! It certainly was for us and we have 20, very grateful babies!
I have 4 cocker spaniels. Anyone who has had cockers knows they have ear problems. Also they are prone to skin conditions. I had 2 previous cockers one that skin condition so bad at 8 years old.........she got so sick and died. The other I spent a fortune on medications again and lived to 7. I bought a very healthy male and female at 6 weeks old. Waited to make sure they had no skin or health problems. Of course they were on otomax every other month That's the ear thing. We breed them and had a litter of pups. We kept 2 of them. One of them has severe ear and skin problems. All of a sudden the Mom started the skin problem. Again vet bills on medications. I have changed food so many times figuring allergy. I finally went to a no-grain dog food. The ears and skin cleared up , but it kept reacurring every couple months. I finally did 2 days of searching on the internet. They are still on the no grain dog food........but, I am adding a teaspoon of chopped garlic packed in water to their dinner meal. Also a few squirts of flaxseed oil, and a little powdered Acidophilis. We keep treating a condition and not getting to the root!!! After 4 days.and a bath 2x a week with Selsum blue shampoo. my baby that has had problems all her life (3 years) does not scratch any more. great skin and coat. and no more bad ears!!!! The other three have had same diet and they are amazingly more happy and active. They don't scratch anymore either!!! I know it's the garlic!!! It is the best natural medication there is!!!! They all weight about 20 pounds each..........and for 3 weeks now.no side effects except i can sleep with out my bed shaking from dogs scratching , licking feet and shaking their heads!
Posted by Marilyn (Queensbury, New York) on 11/19/2007 ★★★★★
My newfie has always had goopy ears and a slight doggy odor about her. At her last chiropractic visit, the chiropractor said that for some reason the big fluffy dogs are more prone to doggy odor and to give her 1/2 of a sweet potato every other day. She said just fix the sweet potato the way that I normally would and give it to her. So, I baked it in the microwave (poke some holes all around, nuke on high for 10 minutes, when done, immediately wrap in aluminum foil and let sit for at least 5 minutes), mashed it up with a little butter and gave it to her. Almost immediately I noticed a big difference - no more doggy odor and BONUS her normally goopy ears were clear and dry!!! Now she gets her sweet potato as prescribed - and they don't cost a fortune.
Posted by Tim (Magnolia Springs, Alabama) on 09/18/2007 ★★★★★
We have a poodle Bridgett who gets infections after grooming. My wife takes 1/2 peroxide and water and cleanse her ears and then takes virgin coconut oil and rubs her ears and it works great no scratching and rubbing until the next grooming.
Posted by Chris (Milton, Florida ) on 08/30/2022 ★★★★★
Our Bordernese seemed to have an issue with his ear. Kept on shaking his head violently. I cut HP with water at a ration of 50:50, wetted a cottonpad with it and carefully massaged his inner ear. All good after first treatment. Thank you, earthclinic!!
A few more notes on garlic and thiosulfate. All the sources that I have seen do not explain the supposed toxicity to cats. AI does not report any cats harmed by it. There are people completely panicked and asking web vets for help, just because their cat "may have" chewed on a clove, or actually at one. The vets said that it would take 3-6 cloves to cause problems, and that the ingestion would need to be chronic. Also, the AI says that thiosulfate is not toxic, but used as a poison antidote. Unless I see more convincing info, I don't believe this to be an issue in practical terms. To urge cat owners to go to ER immediately upon ingesting a bit seems irresponsible.
Here is another answer from AI: "Based on the available research, thiosulfate appears to be generally well tolerated in cats. There is no evidence to suggest that thiosulfate has inherent toxicity to cats. In fact, thiosulfate is often used to treat cyanide poisoning in animals, including cats, as it helps convert cyanide into thiocyanate, reducing its toxic effects."
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You might try adding Betadine solution to warm water - use 1 cup of water and add drop by drop the Betadine until it is the color of tea [for reference, look at the bottled teas in the grocery store] and use that to wash the ears out.
Our Dog's left ear started having tarry stuff which smelled like yeast, so I came across here as always the first thing comes to my mind after facing a medical problem is visiting earth clinic and searched for a cure, things I tried with no avail :
-) Mixture of garlic and olive oil, boiled, let cool, and dripped in ear ( not even helped, but caused the formation of a gray stuff in his ear which we believe it was pus )
-) Apple cider vinegar, helped a bit at first but couldn't successfully cure anything, We insist which caused dryness in his ear and after scratching the ear by the dog it caused injury so we stopped using it.
The infection developed to the another ear, and what helped at last was :
+) Zinc oxide ointment ( mixed with a little bit of another antibiotic ointment, we used mupirocin but I think another ones work as well )
* How we applied the ointment *
I just put some mixture of ointments on calf of my hand, and with my finger tip ( don't forget to wash your hand and cut your nails or you might scratch the wall of the outer ear and cause injury ) of another hand apply the ointment to all areas of outer ear ( the inside of ear not outside of it, it's just called outer ear or external ear but in fact it is the inside of the part of ear which is like a plate ), don't be afraid of large dose using of ointment as it won't harm and will be absorbed by skin and helps immune system to fight infection but don't use too much to block the hearing and make the area prone to absorb new infections from environment, after covering the whole outer ear, try to GENTLY put your finger in ear canal whilst your finger tip has ointment on it and apply the ointment on the entry and very beginning of ear canal and try to turn your finger so very GENTLY ( caution : you don't need to go too deep )
Just after one day, clean the ear with your finger tip by help of a soft tissue and re apply the ointment, as you go through you'll notice the stuff is becoming lesser and lesser and will disappear just after few days .
Our dog got recovered in his both ears just after few days, with no side effects, despite the fact that there were some injuries in his ears by using inappropriate substances and scratching his ears by himself .
Beside the therapeutic effect of this remedy by chronically helping immune system in helping infections, as some infections cause dryness in ear, the ointment can soften the inside of ear and alleviate the feeling of discomfort for the pet. I hope it helps.
There is an enzyme based product called Zymox which works wonders on ear infections. I had a 16 yo dog whose ears were red and inflamed, and after ordering this product (zymox otic hc 1%) it cleared up within a day. Recently I gave a bottle to a friend whose dog has chronic ear infections, and the drugs and cleanings did nothing. She was constantly shaking her head, poor thing was in agony. Within 5 days all shaking stopped. You can order from amazon. Be sure to read the directions, and don't clean the ear first, just apply to dirty ear.
Posted by Nothy Lane (Hamilton, Ontario) on 09/19/2017 ★★★★★
I've used Monestat in the past, and it works but it takes a day. After reading about Clotrimazole here, I went to the store and purchased some. It was in the foot section. My dog immediately stopped shaking his head and seems very comfortable. I am so glad I read Veronicac's post. I will always have a tube of this $8 cream on hand. What a big difference it has made already!
Posted by Sarafina (San Francisco) on 12/16/2014 ★★★★★
The rubbing alcohol works for swimmers ear because it breaks the surface tension of the water trapped in the ear, which facilitates draining. The trapped water is not sterile and creates a nice warm humid environment for bugs to grow in.
Get the water out and no infection develops. I use the cocker spaniel ear cleaner which is alcohol based after my setter has been swimming to avoid problems from this. And I learned it when I was a kid, from dad, who was a competitive swimmer ; -)
You must be logged in to this post! Please sign in:
Please note that we use cookies necessary for the functioning of our website, cookies that optimize the performance. To learn more about our cookies, how we use them and their benefits, please read our Privacy Policy
