[megansmomma]

Little by little more pieces to this issue are coming together. I have several more questions for you regarding Bear.

Has he ever been under anesthesia before?
Is he neutered and any retained teeth removed?
What is the vet saying about his periodontal disease? Retained puppy teeth?
Is he neutered? I'm assuming that he is not do to you being worried about anesthesia.

The fact that you say you are worried about anesthesia and his small size is very incorrect. Even with slightly elevated enzymes he can be anesthetized for routine care such as a dental.

I had a foster that had HORRIBLE ears when I first brought him home. His ears were so inflamed with infection that they were totally swollen shut and had gunk running out of them. He is the yorkie that I mentioned about that had the leather ear that I treated eventually with Lotrimin. But that was not until after the infection in his mouth was cleared and a dental was done to remove infected teeth. When I took him to my vet there were several things that were done to help him. He was put on an antibiotic for the infection in his ears, his teeth and also respiratory infection. I was told it was all related to his TEETH!

What exactly is the vet saying about him needing a dental? Does he have retained teeth that might be causing periodontal disease? You need to much more aggressive with treatment is you truly want to help him and that begins with taking care of his teeth. I believe the other issues will fall into place. Truman (my foster) was placed on a longer term antibiotic prior to and after the dental was done and he continued to improve. But his teeth were related to all his other issues including his balance because the infection in his teeth had spread to other areas of his body including his ears and respiratory tract.

My suggestion is you make an appointment and start with his teeth. They need to be cleaned and all diseased teeth need to be removed including any retained puppy teeth. If he's not neutered you should also take care of that at the same time. After any decayed teeth are removed possibly an antibiotic needs to be given again. Then you can work on the ears. But I am not a vet just a YT member with some experience with his issues.

I'm looking at your pictures and it looks like the hair on his legs is very thin. Is he chewing his paws too? This could be allergies which could also be related to his ear issues. I would look at his food and try something like limited ingredient or even Royal Canin hydrolyzed RX food might help.