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Treating Ear Crud
by Fred Lanting
Copyright July, 2007 -
Correcting misconceptions and misinformation is fighting a losing battle, because new people are being born and entering the age of discussion and discovery all the time, and have to re-learn all the stuff that has already been tested by those who have gone before. There is an old saying that "Those who do not (or refuse to) learn from history are doomed to repeat it." The present article deals with ear problems in dogs (and, I’ve been told, in some cats) in which redness, tenderness, and possibly swelling accompany a build-up of smelly, dark crud in the canal.
Old-wives' tales persist in the popular literature and culture, despite most of them being erroneous. Remedies and treatments abound, including on Internet discussion list sites, but people who wade through one after another in attempts to get help or learn facts are frequently disappointed. I hereby offer one central principle and additional observations to keep in mind:
The original medical motto still holds: "First, do no harm."
Supporting that, I offer another: Try the simplest, least-complicated, least harmful (to the pet and/or environment) approach first. The same methodology is at the core of astrophysics, chemistry, philosophy, etc. For example, if there is a problem with your leg, you shouldn't automatically jump to amputation as a remedy, even though that heroic, drastic move might solve your problem with a splinter or hangnail. You should first try (or see if scientists have already tried) things like curettage, drawing ointments, picking at the lesion with a pin, letting it fix itself, etc. A transliteration of the Hippocratic motto might be, "Try the simplest first". Einstein had this approach, too, in theoretical physics. And Biblical scholars have learned the same lesson: the most obvious and simplest is often the most accurate explanation of a passage... don't read too much into it unless the simplest is not satisfactory. If the easiest, most uncomplicated answer does not satisfy, move on incrementally to the next step up the ladder of complexity. All this philosophical introduction was brought on by a recent and recurring Internet discussion of ear crud in dogs, and the plethora of palliative approaches.
First, identify the problem. Experienced breeders know that the vast majority of these problems was (superficially, at least) fungal. Therefore, something to make the environment unfriendly to fungus (yeast is a type of fungus, by the way) should be tried first. If one tries to set bear traps around his house when the problem is termites, he will not have success and his house will crumble. If you use antibiotics that are designed to kill bacteria, you will simply open the door further to allow fungi inside (the two organisms are as different as moths and mushrooms, and require different kinds of bear traps). In fact, killing off the naturally-occurring "friendly" flora of bacteria (which may be considered an enemy of fungus, can actually encourage the enemy to proliferate.
Second, use the simplest effective ammunition. Stomping on a bug on your kitchen floor is probably better than attacking it with a shotgun or flame-thrower, though these would also kill it. For ear fungus, the acidic environment of plain white vinegar, on a daily or perhaps twice-weekly frequency, is usually sufficient. I have success with a 50% water dilution. Some people like to alternate vinegar with peroxide. Use toilet paper wrapped around your little finger or a swab stick to mechanically get the bulk of the crud out first; vinegar-dampened paper towels are sturdier than tissue paper. Then go to the Q-tips (again, dipped in a bottle-cap-size amount of the liquid) to clean out the crud from the crevices, wiping it off the tip until the cotton comes off and you have to use a new stick or put more cotton on it. Twist the Q-tip in only one direction to keep it from falling apart. Use a clean cotton-tipped stick for the final cleaning each day you do it. The next more complicated approach might be to use an anti-fungal drug, but you might not need to do so until you've given the "natural", simpler approach a chance. If the ear canal is raw-looking (inflamed and/or cracked open), a little soothing ointment might be called for; this could be as simple as mineral oil or Vaseline or a combination anti-bacterial/anti-fungal ointment (read the labels!), but the sooner you can let the dog generate its own healthy ear wax, the better.
Third, don't drag out the bear traps or the shotgun unless you are sure you have a bear in your yard or kitchen. Don't use an anti-bacterial weapon (that's what antibiotics are) unless the prime problem is clearly a bacterium. Now, as I mentioned, there are ointments whose various ingredients include some that attack bacteria, besides those that attack fungi, but ask yourself if you need them. Usually, if you soothe the integument (skin, ear leather's inner surface, etc.) by getting rid of the fungus, the irritation in the cracked, raw skin that might be caused by bacteria as a secondary infection, is taken care of by the body's natural defense system. If you don't trust that or don't have patience, you might want those combination salves. But understand that the anti-bacterial ingredient(s) is less important than getting rid of the fungus.
Fourth (related to the first step of identifying the problem), consider that the problem may have arisen because of some weakness in the dog's immune defense system. We have found, in recent years, that too much "medicine" and vaccinations are partially responsible for the dramatic increase in (human) asthma, autism, and other problems. We are staring to catch on to the fact that a few of us "dog people" have been preaching for so long, that over-vaccination (too often in some cases, too many given together in some, and unnecessary antigens in others) has deleterious effects on our pets' health and longevity. The recent success of Kris Christine, Ron Schultz, and Jean Dodds in the Maine vaccine battle is vibrant testimony to this. While most of the time it is a defensive action, the dietary use of immune-system boosters such as Vitamin E (and perhaps ellagic acid) can help your dog cope with the burden of vaccinations, ear infections, and other problems that owners and veterinarians have caused.
Finally, one small caveat: there is a very small chance that ear mites may be contributing to a few of the ear-crud problems. The deposits look different to the dog person with decades of wide experience, but not to many owners. If a miticide is called for, by all means, use it. If so, I would consider a couple months of large-dose Ivermectin as well, and a miticidal shampoo. But this particular cause of crud is a small, infrequent actor on the stage.
Fred Lanting is an internationally respected show judge, approved by many registries as an all-breed judge, has judged numerous countries’ Sieger Shows and Landesgruppen events, and has many years experience with SV. He presents seminars and consults worldwide on such topics as Gait-&-Structure, HD and Other Orthopedic Disorders, Anatomy, Training Techniques, and The GSD. He conducts annual non-profit sightseeing tours of Europe, centered on the Sieger Show (biggest breed show in the world) and BSP.
All Things Canine -- consulting division, Willow Wood Services Phone: 256-498-3319 Fax: 256-498-3311 E-mail mr.gsd@netscape.com
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