My mother has a golden retriever and he had ear problem. Is the vet right?

unfortunately labradors and retrievers are prone to ear problems. see them at work all the time. NEVER put vinegar in your dogs ear. use the drops the vet prescribed yes they may be expensive but they work. If you use something which the vet has NOT prescribed then you run risk of causing other problems. If the dogs ear drum is ruptured then putting other things in the ear can cause pain and discomfort. If the ear is red and inflamed then using other products will make make it sting and the dog will not want you to touch the ears and medicate them. Unfortunately it only takes a little bit of water to get into the ear to cause a problem, cause their ears are flopping over and dogs ear canals are like a L shape so whatever goes past that bend gets stuck so the water would just sit in the canal causing the infection. just stick to the drops and once they have all finished perhaps ask the vet about getting a ear cleaner which will help dry out and moisture and remove any excess wax. good luck

I can't understand your Vet saying this. He should know that Labradors and Retrievers are Gundogs and if they were in a working environment they would be spending most of their lives in water when they are retrieving game etc.

What I will say is if a dog swims a lot then particular attention should be paid to it's ears by the owner. The ears should be dried thoroughly as should the tail to prevent a condition called 'Wet Tail' where the tail will hang limp and be extremely painful for the dog. This is why the tail should be dried first when a dog comes out of water.

I would imagine that your Mum's Golden had an ear infection but it could not have been caused by swimming if she has never taken him in the water.

There is a danger of a dog having very sore ears if it swims in a chlorinated pool or indeed a pool which has been treated with any other chemical cleaning agent.

If you live in the UK there is a very good product called 'Thornit' for dogs' ears. It comes in powder form and you only need a tiny pinch in each ear every now and again to keep the ears free from infection and especially ear mites. It is excellent and keeps the ears squeaky clean. I use it on a regular basis for all my dogs and they have never had any ear problems. You can purchase it from www.groomers-online.co.uk or from Petcetera. You can Google 'Thornit' and you'll be able to read all about it.

I hope your Mum's Golden makes a good recovery. I think the dose of antibiotics the Vet has prescried is quite excessive. Normally an ear infection should clear up within 10 days if treated with antibiotics with a review after that to see if another course is required.

I have a greyhound who has never been in water except for having two baths since I've had her in three months. Four days ago she started shaking her head and her ear looked inflamed so I took her to the vet. She too has an ear infection-a yeast infection. I did a lot of reading on it and their ears should be dried out very well after a bath. I have had dogs all my life and have never had a problem with ear infections. Some dogs are just more prone to getting them. My dog's ears are more greasy and seemingly "wet" than any of my other greyhounds ears have been.

So, in short, yes the vet was right about the infection. As far as going swimming, since the dog doesn't, it doesn't matter. Since your dog never gets ear infections, it's okay for him. Some dogs are just more prone to getting them.

Yes, the medicine is expensive and I have to take my girl back in two weeks.

Rubbing alcohol doesn't kill a yeast infection, it simply helps dry out the ear. The mixture of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 alcohol is good. Vinegar makes the ear uninhabitable for bacteria growth and the alcohol dries it up. Good thing to do to keep infection away but it will not get rid of it. I've done this with my dogs for a long time but haven't had this particular greyhound long enough to prevent an infection. It must have been brewing for a while. You need to drop some drops of the mixture into the ear and make sure it goes down inside. Dog's ears are L shaped and you can't reach down inside far enough with a swab or cotton ball.

Never ever put alcohol or hydrogen peroxide in your dog's ears. If the vet gave your mom ear cleanser and ear medications stick with that. It can be a yeast infection but it also can be a bacterial infection but you could only tell by the vet taking a sample from the ear and checking under the microscope or sending out to his lab. Also ears can flare up like an ear infection if the dog has allergies again only the vet can tell by certain allergy blood work where they can tell which type of allergy the dog has and give medication accordingly.

if you don't trust the vet then go to another one . But GR can get problems/ infections from water in the ear canal - just like any other dog.

Don't put alcohol or other stuff in the dogs ear .You might make it worser .

to the ppl who say it is yeast etc ...if you are a fortune teller can you tell me the numbers for the next jackpot????

It's yeast. Rubbing alcohol will kill yeast. Just put a few drops in the ear a couple of times a week to prevent its growth. Some people use a half-half mixture of rubbing alcohol and vinegar to clear up yeast growth.

It is caused by moisture in the ears, but it has more to do with the shape of the ear rather than the dog being in water or not. Some dog's ears just don't dry out, so yeast grows in them. Yeast infections are the most common ear infections in dogs.

Rubbish!

Try Thornit powder.

You can get it online from champion pet supplies.

Alot of show people swear by it for ear infections.