Ear Canal Closing

[carmiesmommy]

Just got back from the vet and my dog's ear canal is closing due to chronic ear infection. He was put on 5mg prednisone 2x per day for a week to see if inflammation goes down. The other alternative is surgery which I want to avoid at all costs if necessary. He is 9 years old. Has anyone had a similar experience and how effective was the use of prednisone? Thanks to all who reply.

[psshiss]

Hi -
I don't have any animal experience with this, but when my son was young, he had ear issues and was given prednisone for the same problem and it worked for him. :lol:
Good luck and I hope it works for your little guy -
Patty

[French Queen]

Hi there - sorry to hear about your boys ear, your vet is doing the right thing by prescribing this medication, they should take the inflammation down very quickly, this is what they usually give when the ear is very closed down.

The problem is when the ear closes it makes cleaning more difficult & applying medication may be less affective, you need to discuss with your vet the best cleaning regime for your boy once his ear has settled down.

Our Fern was prescribed prednisone a few times over the years for chronic ear infections & each time they worked brilliantly but in the end our Fern had to have aural resection, she had a few problems with ear after surgery but she was fine in the end.


Best wishes

Queenie & the little clowns :)

[carmiesmommy]

Thanks for getting back to me. Looks like ear canal is opening after 1 week on prednisone. Now he is on Baytril Otic because there is an infection. He is down to 5mg of pred now. Hope this works. How old was your frenchie when he underwent surgery?

[French Queen]

Hi there - so pleased your boy's ear canal is opening up appicon

Our Fern was seven yrs old when she had the surgery, besides her ear closing down she had a polyp growing in the ear canal too.

It was a constant battle to keep her ear clean once the skin had thickened I always found there was another infection lurking in the background. Once an infection had cleared up I would constantly check the ear the best I could.

With normal ears you can usually see all the horrible gunk but a dog whose ear is nearly closed it can take a while to come to the surface giving the infection a head start & not all dogs scratch or shake so even if I can't see anything I can smell trouble coming!
An infection will always have a bad odour, a yeast infection usually smells like cheesy Wotsits.

I tend to use a lot of home remedies but I always buy Clean Aural (cat) cleaner, they are specially formulated to clean & dry up excess moisture in the ear canal which is a must for a dog with narrow canals.

Best wishes

Queenie & the little clowns :)

[carmiesmommy]

I think there is a polyp in his ear too just near the opening. I am now even more nervous and I just made an appointment with a specialist. Is there any way they can check out the polyp without anesthesia? He is going to be 9 years old this Friday and I want to avoid surgery if at all possible. What are your thoughts Frenchie Queen???

[French Queen]

Hi there - if the polyp is near the opening your boy won't need an anesthetic to examine it,
for a thorough examination of the canal sedation may be required. Our Jade had one near the opening too.

Write down a list of questions you would like to ask the specialist & take it with you, if he tells you something you don't understand, tell him. Say for instances your boy needs surgery ask if they have experience in anaesthesia of brachyephalic breeds & have a total blood count done prior surgery, this will help to evaluate your boys heath so they can avoid problems. I know you are worried about anaesthetics but they are so good now a days the risks are much smaller.

There are two techniques commonly used Lateral Ear Resection & Totaol Ear Canal Ablation (TECA) Our Fern had TECA, this surgery requires a lot of skill & is usually done by a specialist but my own vet did our Fern. The most common complication with this surgery is facial paralysis but this is usually temporary. Hearing is usually diminished after long term ear infections anyway so further loss afterwards may not represent a dramatic change in hearing. After the ears are ablated some hearing remains in many patients.

All I can say is our Fern came through the surgery fine can't comment on the hearing she has been deaf since she was two yrs old, she didn't have facial paralysis. This surgery ended Fern's suffering, she was in so much pain, I was constantly ear cleaning & it was medication after medication that never really worked. It's not like a allergy where you can help to control it & keep the dog comfortable, this polyp will not go away it will just grow & grow & cause more problems in the long run.

I wouldn't hesitate to have it done again, in fact I am having it done again , our Jade had a polpy removed last week (which was removed 15mths earlier) luckily this one wasn't growing in the canal, so the vet had easy access. While she was under GA he checked down into the canal & found a small polyp, I'm going to give her time before she has it removed as she's had a rough few weeks what with being spayed, polyp removed & an eye ulcer & now the poor girl has cystitis.

Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Queenie & the little clowns :)