Here we go again!

[Smudge]

I just got off of the phone with the vet's office. I have an appointment for later this afternoon. Good thing I'm on vacation this week.

The girl at the desk I talked with seemed to think he has an infection, but she says there's no way of knowing until I come in. She said it sounded like he might need antibiotics or possibly an ear cream.

 

[Noneeds4me]

Jessica,

You'll both feel better after having Smudge checked out ;-).. It's definately worth the peace of mind ;-), and probably something very simple to take care of.

 

[Ann]

I agree with everyone here. You'll get a little tube with ear ointment at the vet that will fix him right up. Always good to have these things treated...the longer we wait, the worse it gets. How lucky Smudge is to have you! And yes, as Caro said, that first year I think I put another room on my vet's house!

 

[Smudge]

I'm back from the vet. According to the people in the waiting room I have the cutest female collie they've ever seen.

The vet looked in Smudge's ear and said that she couldn't see anything. She swabbed his ear and done some kind of test. She said she didn't see any ear mites at all. She was relly puzzled over the whole thing. She said the only thing she could think of was that it could be a yeast infection, but that I caught it too early. She gave me some antibiotics for ear mites just in case. She said to give it to him once a day for seven days. I have to keep it in the fridge. She said if he's still shaking his head in a week to call back.

So the problem is still a mystery. So it could either be the start of a yeast infection, or it could be nothing. We'll see. I feel better about going anyway. After you get a bed full of worms you have a tendancy to panic.

Also, there was a woman who took her dog to the groomer at the vet's office. This woman had her poodle's toenails painted purple! I just don't understand some people.

 

[Ania]

Ok, one suggestion, if he is going to be on the anti-biotics, I would supplement with Acidophillous after he is finished, to re-establish the 'good' and normal flora and to AVOID yeast infections. Anti-biotics kill ALL bacteria, the good and the bad, and that is when you are more prone to yeast infections, bloating, gas etc. You can get acidophillous in most health food stores (just make sure that you buy one that has been kept in a refridgerator and then you keep it in the fridge too, as room temperature kills off most of the acidophillous) Keep us informed as to how Smudge is doing, you know, your ' female collie' hehehe.

 

[king buddy]

Ok, one suggestion, if he is going to be on the anti-biotics, I would supplement with Acidophillous after he is finished, to re-establish the 'good' and normal flora and to AVOID yeast infections. Anti-biotics kill ALL bacteria, the good and the bad, and that is when you are more prone to yeast infections, bloating, gas etc. You can get acidophillous in most health food stores (just make sure that you buy one that has been kept in a refridgerator and then you keep it in the fridge too, as room temperature kills off most of t!he acidophillous) Keep us informed as to how Smudge is doing, you know, your ' female collie' hehehe.

I give mine a couple spoons of plain yogurt. helps keep the yeast away!
Bonus too they all get a treat thats good for their tummy! Mine eat it from the spoon just ...Its fun to they all sit in a row and mom feeds them their treat! lol

 

[Smudge]

Does it matter what kind of yogurt? Does it have to be plain, or can it be flavored?

Now I'm worried about his ears getting matted because of the medicine. The medicine is drying into the fur of his ears, but I afraid that if I wipe it off then the medicine won't work. The vet showed me how to give him the drops, and the medicine has crusted into his ear fur.

My poor, poor female collie. I just don't know what I'm going to do with her.

 

[Crystal1]

If the matting is on the outside of his ear, I would try either a dry shampoo or a dematting spray and comb it out very slowly. You don't want him to get any water inside his ears, since that can also cause ear infections. Good Luck to both of you. I'm sure things will end up okay.

 

[mcguiregirl2248]

This is going to sound silly but I just thought of it as I was reading the latest on Smudge. My girl Marlie really doesn't like the wind in her ears. Sometimes if the wind is blowing really badly and she gets an earfull of it, she will come in and shake her head for the rest of the day. I thought once that she had and ear infection but she stopped doing it by the next morning so I didn't call the vet. Has it been windy recently? Just a thought, like I said, I know it sounds silly!!

 

[Smudge]

This is going to sound silly but I just thought of it as I was reading the latest on Smudge. My girl Marlie really doesn't like the wind in her ears. Sometimes if the wind is blowing really badly and she gets an earfull of it, she will come in and shake her head for the rest of the day. I thought once that she had and ear infection but she stopped doing it by the next morning so I didn't call the vet. Has it been windy recently? Just a thought, like I said, I know it sounds silly!!

Smudge spends most of his time inside, because it's just too hot out. It hasn't been windy at all, only hot and dry. I'm thinking that it's probably nothing. We'll finish off the antibiotics and see how it goes after that. I did buy some yogurt today though. Plain, banana cream pie, and strawberry banana flavors. Also a mango. Is it ok to feed him flavored yogurt? I bought the store brand light variety. I thought I should ask here before giving it to him. If it's not ok there's always somebody around the house that could eat it.

He is still shaking his head though. Not near as much, but every so often. Is there any possibility of it being allergies? If so, how do I go about finding that out at the vet? In two weeks I go in for a third puppy shot, a rabies shot, and I'm going to ask for/about Interceptor.