Gooey Eyes/Dry Ears

[JoyMac]

Hello Everyone! I just adopted a 7-8 month old French Bulldog puppy on Sunday. The couple who had him had to give him away because they had a baby and a toddler and couldn't give my little guy the attention he needed.

Toby's ears are dry (and I notice waxy) and when he wakes up in the morning he has slime (gunk) on the bottom of his eyes.

They were feeding him PUPPY CHOW and some other thing Gravy Train, and he was eating "snausages" for snacks. I am working to switch him to something better and purchased Organix Puppy Food which I cut with his puppy chow so he gets used to it.

What do you think? Think his ears and eyes will clear up with better food?

[kasia]

better food should help, but I am unfamiliar with those brands so can't comment on ingredient lists - perhaps others will be more helpful. I feed raw, and this diet has had tremendous positive impact on my dog's coat and ears (no wax at all).

in terms of supplements, i would recommend a good fish oil which should help with the dry ears and general dryness of the skin/coat. not sure if this is available outside of canada, but there is an excellent seal oil from newfoundland called 'arctic vigor.' very high in omega 3 and low in omega 6.

[JoyMac]

It's only been three days and his ears and eyes have gotten better. His ears are still rather dry though. The other day I gave him a bath so he was less itchy with some shampoo I bought at the pet store. Since my last post I have purchased "Natural Balance" Sweet Potato and Venision dog food for him and we will try that out next.
He's such a good dog and I am just so happy to have him.

[gmacleod]

If it's only been three days - but you're already seeing improvement - then I'd be inclined to give Organix a little longer before switching again. Natural Balance is an equally good food, and aimed at allergy sufferers. But even so, if his symptoms are clearing up so quickly on Organix, then it's likely that that will continue. By all means, try the NB a little later - but I'd give him a bit of a chance on the food you're now feeding before switching it again. That will give you a better indication of what may be problematic, as well as giving his system a good chance to settle down.

[Piperloo]

Is the dryness on the inside of his pinnas? If so, you can smooth a thin layer of petroleum jelly on them once a day until the dryness goes away. Don't go into the canal though. :)