Dog Needs Tests, Medicine to Relieve Ear Infection

By Pet Care DR. JEFF NICHOL For the Journal

Q: I have a Lab/terrier mix who’s had a recurring yeast infection in both ears for two years. I have been to many vets and spent hundreds of dollars with no relief. I love this animal, but my heart breaks because he can’t get any lasting relief — he’s miserable and I’m miserable because I feel totally hopeless.

Dr. Nichol: It sounds like both of you need a break. You are right to do whatever it takes to solve this problem. Smoldering infections release immune complexes into the blood that gradually damage the kidneys and heart valves. It’s time to eliminate your boy’s ear infections once and for all.

All unwelcome ear creatures great and small must be identified so specific treatment can be started. A microscopic exam of the ear exudate will show whether any mites or bacteria are sharing living quarters with the yeast. Cultures may be necessary. Your dog’s ears will need to be irrigated to eliminate every bit of discharge. Follow-up treatment at home may consist of oral medications along with topical treatment. It could take several weeks, with recheck exams, to completely eliminate your dog’s ear infections.

So why have these infections kept coming back? Many allergic dogs scratch and damage their ear canals, setting themselves up for recurring problems. Some are low thyroid, making it hard for their immune systems to combat the organisms. Your dog needs more than thorough diagnostic work and treatment; he needs testing to find the underlying cause of his epic struggles. Let me know if I can help.

Q: We have a 7-year-old indoor cat that chases her tail. She’ll start to clean herself, then notice her tail moving, claw it and even hiss at it. Then she’ll run away. She seems preoccupied with thinking her tail is something foreign. Our vet put her on an anti- depressant. She gained six pounds and it didn’t stop her. She’s been like this for five years.

Dr. Nichol: I love cats, in part because they are truly wild animals. People like you and I have the audacity to keep them as pets. It’s no surprise that confining a cat inside a human environment results in bizarre compulsive behavior. Natural predation is unavailable. An erratically flicking tail may be the closest thing to an injured bird that your cat can find in your home.

Your girl needs to chase feathers tied to your ankle on a 2-foot- long string as you walk around the house. Stalk and pounce toys are good, too. E-mail me through my Web site (see below) for a list of environmental enrichments.

Tony the tiger, the Nichol family cat, goes outside with the protection of an Invisible Fence (265-4007) so he can hunt and pounce on the cunning grasshoppers that bedevil him. He’s so busy his tail is like a watch or a pair of glasses to most humans — second nature.

Puppy behavior: Hands-on help

All puppies, goofy, naughty or just plain puzzling are welcome to attend my “Pet Behavior Issues” seminar at the Canine Country Club, 7327 Fourth NW from 6 to 9 p.m. April 18. Cost: $40. Call 277-0077 to register. Pet owners are welcome to attend.

Dr. Jeff Nichol cares for pets with behavior and

health disorders at VCA Adobe Animal Hospital in

Albuquerque. Contact Dr. Nichol on his Web site

by going online to drjeffnichol.com (click Submit?)

or 5920 Fourth NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107.

Unpublished letters may not be answered individually.

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.