How To Stop Dog's Itching?

My dog will not stop itching his ears?

• My dog has always scratched his ears to the point where they get scaly/raw/bloody inside his ears. I have taken him to the vet numerous times over this. They have already given him ear flush procedures and they gave me pills to give him and they gave me this creamy white medication to put in his ears, and it does go away, but then he scratches his ears excessively and it comes back. Now he has scratched the outside of his right ear to the point where the hair is starting to come off! It so frustrating. Im not sure if its allergies? Idk if my vet is an idiot but I feel bad for the poor thing her really looks like he's in pain ! He's a mix of a chihuahua and a poodle. Why do you think he's itching his ear?

• Answer:

  What did your vet say was the reason for these constant ear problems? It's unlikely to be ear mites, they are more prevalent in cats that in adult dogs. It's more likely to be yeast or bacteria or a combination of both. Did the vet take a swab of the ear. This is necessary to determine the cause. Without knowing the cause the vet is simply prescribing hit or miss medication rather than the appropriate meds for the infection. Bacterial infections require antibiotics. Usually both oral and drops to adminster into the ear canal. Yeasty ears will often respond to a change in diet..away from corn and wheat... along with anti fungal ear drops to kill the yeast. In difficult cases the vet may also prescribe anti fungal oral meds. ADD: If your vet is a dud at communicating, ask him direct questions that require a yes or no answer. Did you take a swab? Yes or No. Is it yeast? Yes or No. Is it Bacteria? Yes or No. You get the drift. Ask him and if you don't get what he's telling you, ask him again. Eventually you'll get your answers. Be patient...as frustrating as it is. However if he's telling you what the meds do, listen carefully because somewhere in that explanation there will be the cause of the problem. ADD2: Do not attempt to swab the ear yourself. The smear from the swab needs to be examined under a microscope to identify the problem. There are a few causes for black ear debris and the least likely of those causes would be ear mites in an adult dog. Don't complicate the issue by using OTC ear medication. A dogs ear canal has a totally different anatomy to the human ear canal. It's unwise to poke anything into dogs ears because all you will achieve is to push the debris down further and make it more difficult to remove.