[vb3]

My wife heard about this the other day in a basset, anyone have any experience with it?

 

[Soundtrack]

Absolutely. Chronic ear infections are usually linked to allergies.
My Webster has absolutely disgusting and very painful ears which could not be fixed until I found a diet that he did not react to. He also had terrible skin inflammation which also cleared up with the correct diet.

 

[Mikey T]

My Webster has absolutely disgusting and very painful ears which could not be fixed until I found a diet that he did not react to. He also had terrible skin inflammation which also cleared up with the correct diet.

That is the point the skin inflamation and imune system malfuction allows yeast to grow unchecked The same is true for another common basset skin issue seborrhea. B ut one must keep in mind it is any allergy and food allergies are among the least common and when they do occur more often than not it is in conjunction with atopy ( contact and inhalant allergies) as well so all allergens must be controlled before success is in hand.

 

[bubbad]

am I missing something? The blog site didn't say anything about ears that I could find. But on that same subject,Vinny has had an on going ear infection in his left ear for about two years now.I can't say that the food is the problem because it doesn't get better no matter what he eats. So allow me to vent,please. Even the $100.00 bottle of antibiotics couldn't fix it. Sometimes it gets better but never goes away.After the vet treating him for about 8 months sending out a sample of the crap in his ear and several hundred dollars with no real improvement,I've just been trying to take care of it myself.I've used a concoction from a spaniel website,no real improvement ,and the blue power ear treatment,same results.Just can't get the damn thing to clear up. He is 7 and before this he only had the normal stuff going on. I know if I could get it to stay dry it would get better, but the infection is so deep I can't get down there .He is going in for a dental soon so I guess I'll just have them do a deep ear flush while he is out and hope that does it.

 

[Kirska]

My mutt has multiple allergies, skin, food, etc. though all mild. He also has chronic ear infections pretty much all the time. As soon as you clear it up it's back again. Always thought it was a coincidence but maybe not. He does much better on a higher quality food. He hasn't had a skin infection in 2 years now.

 

[Soundtrack]

That is the point the skin inflamation and imune system malfuction allows yeast to grow unchecked The same is true for another common basset skin issue seborrhea. B ut one must keep in mind it is any allergy and food allergies are among the least common and when they do occur more often than not it is in conjunction with atopy ( contact and inhalant allergies) as well so all allergens must be controlled before success is in hand.

Obviously is Webster's case food was the major allergen. He must have also had a bit of seasonal allergy, because he would get a bit itchy in the spring, but nothing like he was before I changed his diet.

His ears were not only yeast, but three different kinds of bacteria, including psuedamonas. They were a mess - oozing yellow pus, you could smell him a mile away, and if I tried to clean them even very gently they would bleed. He was absolutely miserable and his previous vet had suggested putting him down. Once I got his allergies under control with diet and cleared up his ears with the Blue Power he had no further problems.

 

[Kirska]

Harley had both yeast and bacteria as well, not just one or the other. One day I ended up making a somewhat emergency vet appointment because he was so miserable he wouldn't even move one of his ears, for example when something caught his attention.

 

[vb3]

am I missing something? The blog site didn't say anything about ears that I could find.

Oops, sorry. Nope, the blog site is just part of my signature, it wasn't supposed to be a link about the ears question. Thanks for the response though. We are looking into a hound at the rescue facility where we got Layla, and the folks there say he has some ear problems that were cleared up due to food allergies. I wasn't sure what to think of that at first but it sounds like it's fairly common.

I ought to apologize - usually when I have basset questions I don't even bother to Google them anymore, I come here because there are enough owners and the answers I get are more informative anyway. Thanks to everybody who responded.

 

[Soundtrack]

If he's young, keep in mind that allergies seem to get worse as the dog ages, at least in my experience. I would also discuss the possibility of NOT vaccinating him again, as this tends to make allergies worse (as per the dermatologist vet I consulted with who told me that Webster must never have shots again, and I've heard it from other vets and other sources as well). In fact, you want to minimize anything that stresses the immune system, like anesthetics.