Ear infection is a common ailment for dogs and usually manifests many times throughout a dog’s life. To curtail the number of times your dog develops ear infection and to treat the ailment once it presents, try these natural home remedy and prevention methods that have saved me money on vet bills and kept my pooches happy and ear infection free.
Home Diagnosis
If your dog is frequently shaking his head back and forth or scratching his ears more than normal, something is going on. To determine if that something is an ear infection try this simple home diagnosis trick; Place a clean cotton ball in your dog’s ear then pull it back out. If the cotton ball has a brown, waxy substance on it that smells like fresh bread (sweet and yeasty) there’s an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast , the fungi that causes ear infection.
Once the diagnosis has been made, head to the local drug store to purchase a these inexpensive and natural ingredients so you can mix up a natural home remedy to cure your dog’s ear infection. Rubbing alcohol , boric acid powder and Gentian Violet liquid solution. Rubbing alcohol cleans and disinfects, boric acid is an antiseptic and antibacterial and Gentian Violet is a natural antifungal and an old-timey home remedy used for various fungal infections including mouth thrush and ear infection.
Mix 4 ounces of rubbing alcohol, 1 tablespoon of boric acid powder and 4 drops of Gentian Violet liquid and pour in a dropper bottle. Place a few drops of the ear solution in your dog’s ear twice a day for the first week. For the following two weeks use the ear solution once a day, then for the next two months use the ear drops twice a week.
Sometimes a bacterial infection will follow a yeast infection in the ears and this home remedy will not combat the bacteria, so if symptoms continue after two months of treatment, a visit to the vet for prescription antibiotics will be needed.
Ear Infection Prevention
Clean your dog’s ears regularly and maintain a proper balance between yeast and bacteria by mixing two parts vinegar and one part boric acid powder. Place a few drops into the dog’s ear and massage in, leave for five minutes then wipe clean and dry with a cotton ball.
Long-eared dog breeds, like Basset Hounds, are more susceptible to ear infection and diligent ear cleaning is required for prevention and this extra element – increased air circulation in the ears to prevent moisture buildup. Use a soft hair ‘scrunchie’ to hold up long ears for an hour each day by creating an ear ponytail on top of the dog’s head.
Sources:
Purina Care
