Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/17/2005

Question
I have a dog, part pit and lab, who continually has ear infections and will scratch her ears until the inside shell bleeds.  Is there any home remedy that I can use to help keep these at bay or to keep them clear?  Or, to keep her from continually scratching them and reinfecting them?  

Answer
Almost 90% of ear infections result from skin allergies.  Labs are very prone to allergies including allergies to foods. So to prevent them, the dog's allergies need to be identified and treated by your vet.

The problem with telling you what to put in the ears is that we base treatment on what is going on in the ears.  It could be a yeast infection or a bacterial infection.  It could be limited to the external ear or it could be deeper, like in the middle ear.  It could be that there are parasites or growths in the ear canal.  

You should let your vet examine the ears and do a swab of the ear canal looked at under the microscope. Then they can tell you what to put in the ears.