Ear infection

    • Bronze

    Ear infection

            Hello. My German Shep has had an ear infection for the past two weeks which is almost gone as we have been giving her ear medication. My question being is now she is very scared to walk in the halls of our house (not carpeted). We have to slowly push her so she can run fast to another room so she can from one side of the house to another.

    This dog has been very skidish from day one, we think mostly from her previous owner (brother-in-law who is horrible with dogs) but I do not know what to think of this.

    When she jumps on my bed at night, its like she looses her balance and literally falls right on me. I personally think its just from the ear infection and that could explain why she lost her balance, but it also could be she is affraid to be on any slippery surface.

    Would you think she is doing this now because when she really had the ear infection she was falling on the floor after running through the halls and now is scared it do anything?

    Thankyou,
    -Jon
    • Gold Top Dog
    Ear infections can affect balance.  Until she feels more secure, perhaps you could invest in some carpet runners to make it easier for her to get around without fear.  Once you are sure that the ear infection and its effects are completely gone, you might try to entice her onto the hard floor, a step or two at a time, and give her some yummy treats for each step.  Once she realizes that she is being rewarded for her bravery, she should get better.  Do make sure that her nails are trimmed properly, so that her pads are contacting the floor.  Sometimes, if the dog can't get a proper grip, that makes them nervous, too.
    If your dog is generally fearful, there's a great little booklet by Patricia McConnell called "The Cautious Canine" that has some great hints for increasing a dog's confidence.  Another good  one is "Help for Your Shy Dog" by Deborah Wood.  You should be able to get both at dogwise.com.  Good luck, and I hope your dog feels lots better really soon.
    • Gold Top Dog
    above info is good but it alwo might be good to go back for another evaluation for possible middle or inner ear infection
    • Bronze
    Thankyou both for the quick relpies, I am going to take a look at those books they sound like they can give us a little insight also.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Dvat is absolutely right -- my bet is that it is NOT gone, but has instead gone into the inner ear (ear drum) and is affecting balance.  Please don't assume it's gone ... you may have had a yeast infection that was covering up a bacterial infection. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    A few years ago my golden retriever KayCee had what i thought at the time wqs a seizrue.  She dumped over to the left, had trouble getting up, went down again, when she did get it she staggered to the left.  I was in a panic, rushed her to the vet and tit turned out she had a bad innder ear infection and it caused what he called a vertigo episode.  There was no sign of infection--ear clean, no smell, not even pink.  But it was there.  I agree with Callie and dcet--her ear needs to be looked at again.  PS  My 5 year old grand daughter had to be taken to doctor today because she had 'an ache ON her ear"  She had an ear infection on her ear drum.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Well, I agree with everyone.  Hows that for planting myself firmly on the fence?
     
    An ear infection absolutely can affect balance so a recheck and possibly even a culture is crucial.  One of my foster pups spent a couple months in a home with ceramic tile floors....in the winter.  So always wet and slippery.  Tyler does not like bare floors.  Often he is fine about coming down the hall to bed, but every now and then he stands there and barks for someone to come walk with him....and he likes to have a light on.  And I HAVE a long runner in the hallway.  When he first started this, I'd get up, snap a lead on him because that took the control away from him in his mind...mom's in charge, I'm safe, kind of thinking,  And I'm always calm and matter of fact about it....or as calm as I can be in the middle of the night......so probably more dazed!
     
    Sometimes it doesn't take much for them to develop a fear and you've just got to show them that there is nothing to fear....and often it takes a very long time to get them "back to normal".  Do have that recheck done.
     
    • Gold Top Dog
    My German Shepherd Rumor has had ear infections, he is more prone to it because of his allergies.
     
    Adjusting his diet to keep out corn has helped quiet a bit, dogs with allergies are affected in the chest and head area more than other dogs according to my vet.
     
    The ear ointment that works wonders for him is "Animax", with cleaning his ears on a regular basis.