Need Dog Help Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[sundance]

My Pitt is 10 years old, and she has an ear infection. she has these pretty regular so I know to doctor her with half alachol and half white vinegar solution. My problem is now tht she is getting old, she won't let me put ANYTHING in her ear to kill the infection. DH and I have both tried to hold her so I could use an old syringe to put the solution in. For the firsttime in her life she tried to bite me and those teeth are long and sharp.Take her to the vet is out of the question right now (money problems) that green stuff most dr. require that I have almost forgoten looks like. besides that he is scared of her, he gets behind dh and looks over his shoulder to see my dog. so what good is taking her to a vet.I have given her my antibotics that the doc gave me, that I was allergy to, and an aspirin every day for the last couple days, may I gonna kill my dog or should I just go ahead and have her put down. I have lost 4 dogs in the last 6 months, 3 to old age and my yorkie to an accident.I'll rant on that later, nowI'm worried about Mia. I don't want to lose her. can any one help. marrie

 

[mamaKate]

I have a little Springer mix with touch of Sp. rage. I started early on to muzzle him for grooming sessions. I take an old sock and cut it to form a long strip, then wrap his muzzle and tie it behind his ears. Part of your problem is that vinegar and alcohol really burn. There is an ear cleaner called Epi-Otic Advanced that really works. It costs about $20 for the eight oz. It comes in 4 oz, too, which would probably treat one dog. If you can manage some raw meat, it makes a difference as a preventative.

 

[sundance]

thanks will go the drug store tomarrow marrie

 

[Amyable]

Yes, you'll have to muzzle her and then you can wrestle her down. Used to have to do that with our GSD to trim nails. Once you take away the teeth, it's much safer. She'll forgive you later. Nylon muzzles are lightweight but strong, and pretty inexpensive at a pet store.

 

[mamaKate]

You can only buy it from a vet or an online source like Entirely Pets etc. I know how you feel. I used to have a Dane with ear AND temperament problems. It wasn't any fun to straddle a 100+ lb goof and work on his ears while he growled at me.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

Seriously, if you can get her off the carbs her ears will improve. Raw food is great and it doesn't have to be expensive. Until that kicks in you do need to muzzle her. Maybe you can muzzle, then treat, muzzle treat, a few times so that she doesn't associate the muzzle with her ears.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Oh, Marrie! I'm so sorry you are having such problems. I have a boxer with ear issues and she is a real pain to treat as well. I generally just get her back into a corner and wrestle her down.

I have some stuff called Swimmer's Ear Astringent that my vet gave to me. It doesn't so much work on my dog, but it might for you. It also has alcohol in it along with some other stuff. If you can meet me around campus tomorrow you are welcome to it.

Hope your pup gets to feeling better soon!

 

[Cara]

I wouldn't give her the human antibiotics. If she has recurring ear infections they are most likely caused by yeast rather than bacteria, so at best the antibiotics will do no good. Worst case they could cause another problem if given incorrectly.

ETA Have you looked into low cost clinics in your area? An ear infection is pretty miserable.

 

[cobrien]

Hi, I am a former vet tech with a lot of experience restraining dogs to treat them. Unfortunately we sometimes had to resort to using muscle to restrain dogs for treatments that they needed. I can offer a few tips:

- I second the idea of muzzling your dog for treatments. The sock idea is a good one. If you come across an affordable muzzle that fits your dog, get it, it will make things a little easier. Here's how I would use the sock, however it might not be long enough so experiment. you can also use fabirc, an old tie, wide shoelace....use your imagination (at the vet hospital where rolls of gauze were readily available, we used that):
-get all treatment materials ready to go - it is best to go as quickly as possible. animals tend to build up a resistance/panic response, so the faster you get it done, the better off they are. If they get really panicked during the treatment, give them a break, let them get some air, give some treats
-best way to restrain a dog of yours' size is to have dog sit or lay down and have some one use one arm for a head lock and the other to restrain legs and body. If your dog really fights back, you can have the dog lay down (not on side, but with chest on floor), and have someone straddle her at the shoulders, and use one arm for a head lock around the neck
-tie a not in the middle of the sock, it weighs it down and makes it easier to maneuver
-hold the sock under your dogs chin, with knot directly under their chin
-quickly wrap the sock over the top of the muzzle, tie a single knot on top of the muzzle (1/2 way between nose and eyes)
-you can either tie a double knot on top of the muzzle and leave it like this if someone restrains the dog from moving around and sliding the sock/muzzle off, however for extra securement, you can leave the single knot and then wrap the sock/fabric under the dogs chin so that it crosses over each end, then run the sock/fabric behind their head and tie into a firm knot

for the ear treatment:
-as soon as the dog is restrained, squirt the stuff in and massage the ear from the outside; dog will try to shake head to get the stuff out, try to keep them from doing this. Wipe ear out with cotton ball (note: I have found a mix of tea trea oil and witch hazel to work well as an ear treatment, but use what your vet recommends)

Other options:
You can also try to leash the dog with a choker coller, run the leash through something like a chain link fence and pull the leash through towards you. This 'sandwiches' the dog up against the fence and can give you some leverage. Be careful not to choke the dog. You can also use a long leash around their hips/tummy and run the leash through the fence the same way for extra securement. We did this with especially difficult dogs.

After you treat them, even if they misbehave, give them some treats.

For a big, determined pit bull, there are times when 2 people may be needed to restrain the dog, one for the head/front legs, one for the back end.


Good luck!

Colleen

 

[ChickenCat]

Get the vinegar out of her ears and into her water, just like for the chickens. Second look at her processed food, does it contain corn? Not good. Get her off of processed foods and look at the raw diets for dogs. It is amazing what a raw, natural diet can do for dogs and cats. Many problems will be alleviated by feeding what is natural for them. Raw diet balances their system, no more stinky, itchy ears, no more drainage of the eyes, pads smell better, breath smells better...... I cannot describe to you the difference it has made in the health and well being of my 4 dogs.

pads don't smell.