calliecritturs
Posted : 3/25/2006 11:44:58 PM
Puppyluver PLEASE PLEASE email me. Many times when ear infections go on and on like this they are allergy related. Allergies in the ears make the ear canals sore and inflamed -- easy prey for both bacteria and yeast.
If your vet is saying $5000 for ear ablations that is TOO MUCH. Now they are not cheap surgeries, and the trick is they have to be done by a really good surgeon -- but just because someone charges an arm and a leg doesn't make them good.
DO check out your state's best vet school -- it can be a super good option for surgery like this.
Most vets will NOT do both at once -- it's too much of a shock to the dog's system and this is mega major surgery. They don't 'close up' the ear canal really. They REMOVE it.
Essentially they literally remove the entire ear mechanism -- the inner ear, middle ear and outer ear. Those are held by a 'cup' of cartilage called the bulla -- the vet literally removes that entire thing -- then they bathe the whole area with a ton of antibiotics and then they sew the head shut. When you lift the dog's ear flap they look like a stuffed toy -- there is no hole at all.
We did have to have this done on Muffin the Intrepid. We rescued him and he had horrific ear infections -- he also had demodectic mange (an immune-deficiency thing that causes a horrible skin problem). Try as I might I couldn't get him well -- and it was because the inner ear infection was always there deep inside where you couldn't get to it. The vet just kept treating for yeast infections and in fact it was bacterial.
I know I can help you --I can tell you the things we did that worked and those that I wish had been done earlier. Sometimes you can get one ear good enough so you can postpone half the surgery for a good while. I repeat -- you do NOT want to do this on both sides at the same time if it can be avoided.
But there are things that you can do diet-wise to help. One of the common causes of the bacterial infection in ears can be e coli. And it is tough to kill. BUT you can switch them to a totally grain free diet -- and that will help enormously. E coli live on grain. they can't live without it -- so just plain taking the dog off kibble and feeding a diet of meat and veggies can sometimes help turn the tide a great deal.
But if the ear is swelled shut and has been inflamed for a long long time, the ear ablation is what will save the dog's life. Yes, it totally deafens them. But honestly a dog that has had infection in its ears for four years probably has very little hearing left anyway. And the pain they are in -- trust me, you don't even realize how much pain this dog lives with.
I cried over this for almost a YEAR before we had to have Muffin's done. And I do mean I CRIED. To me, having to remove his ears for an infection? I mean gee ... like if I have an infected hang nail are you going to cut off my hand???
But once we had it done and I realized the full extent of how impossible it was for the ear TO recover (if the ear canal has turned to bone then you can't really get rid of the infection any other way). You may be able to buy some time, but the ear ablation will likely be what has to be done.
I understand ... trust me -- when the vet first told me this I was FURIOUS. I was so angry that such a thing even needed to be done. And afford it? Trust me ... we were about dead broke at that time.
But I found after the first ear was done he was SO much better. When the second ear finally swelled shut (and man, that happened just about this time of year -- the allergies flared up and bang -- that ear slammed shut almost over night) about a year later, we went ahead with the second surgery without qualm. And man, he was like a PUPPY again!!
Muffin learned sign language. Just like they use in the deaf section in your church maybe?? He ultimately learned over 50 signs -- and he lip read like you wouldn't believe. Dogs that were at one time hearing and then lose their hearing become much more proficient at learning sign than dogs born deaf -- because they KNOW what words are. They KNOW what commands are. And they are looking for you to explain stuff to them.
I'm glad to help you. Truly I am. Please don't give up and don't be scared. I understand all you are going thru -- and Iunderstand how scarey the expense is. But I also can promise you that different vets will charge you totally different amounts to do this surgery and a vet school would be one of THE best places to do it. If you can email me and tell me whereabouts you live, I can help you figure out where to go.
Callie