tonsilitis and ear infections - YorkieTalk.com Forums

ahoff · 01-08-2009, 04:22 PM

I have a one year old yorkie. He weighs 4 lbs and eats nutri science dry food. Since the weather changed in September he has had a constant case of tonsilitis and ear infections. The vet says the ear infectiions are caused from the tonsilitis because the swollen lymph glands come first, then the throat, then the ears. Twice he has run fever. He does not get a cough. This is about the sixth time he has been on anitibiotics to treat this; usually he is off for two weeks and then he gets sick again. This time he was only off ceph drops for 10 days. First three times he was treated with amoxi drops and that didn't seem to work so we switched to the cepha drops. His ears get treated with otomax ear drops. Rolo goes outside to potty and he goes with me to work everyday, but I try to keep him dry and warm. Is this normal for a yorkie to keep a constant infection? Any thoughts on what else to do for him?

Dawn125 · 01-10-2009, 06:09 PM

I could be wrong but I don't think ear infections are common in yorkies at all. I have heard that ear infections can be related to food allergies. I haven't heard of the dog food you mentioned. Perhaps you should change his diet. I haven't heard of tonsillitis in dogs either.

pebstheyorkie · 01-10-2009, 06:55 PM

My Yorkie had ear infections for almost all of her 15 years. I was told they were due to allergies. We used something called Tresaderm every now and then to help it, but it was an ongoing thing. She eventually went deaf when she was about 13.

kalina82 · 01-10-2009, 09:05 PM

sorry your yorkie is having these problems.

for the ear infections this is what i would do. check the ears and make sure there is no hair in the canal. if there is, pluck it because this lets the ear canal breath and prevent infections. this should be done on a regular basis.

have your vet take a smear of the ear goo to make sure he is treating it with the correct antibiotics. this could be the problem for it not healing. I like mometamax. its more powerful then otomax and works faster.

I would also switch his food to a higher quality food with no corn or wheat as these are common allergens.

switching antibiotics so much isn't going to help. A culture is the best way to figure out what type of antibiotics to use to battle infections but i'm not sure what the vet would culture (throat or lyme node aspiration?)

i'm just throwing a bunch of ideas out there.

ahoff · 01-11-2009, 06:00 AM

Thank you, I will talk to my vet about switching the ear medication and doing the cultures. Also I need to learn about the hair in the ear; I don't know what to look for. What kind of food do you suggest? I have read several posts and I keep seeing Orijin and Merrick and something called Life's Abundance. What do you use?

Wylie's Mom · 01-11-2009, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalina82

have your vet take a smear of the ear goo to make sure he is treating it with the correct antibiotics. this could be the problem for it not healing. I like mometamax. its more powerful then otomax and works faster.

switching antibiotics so much isn't going to help. A culture is the best way to figure out what type of antibiotics to use to battle infections but i'm not sure what the vet would culture (throat or lyme node aspiration?)

I was thinking along these lines too. Any time you've tried multiple antibiotics, you really should request a culture - this could be a strain that is (or becoming) antibiotic resistant. So, when 1 or 2 antibiotics don't work - a doc should run a culture to truly find out what the bug is, enabling him/her to treat that actual bug with the corresponding antibiotic. Also, always make sure you give the antibiotic for the FULL prescription time (10-14 days); some people stop giving it when symptoms go away - but they don't realize the bug is STILL there - and then the infection starts again. Hope this all made sense.

As for the food you asked about - Orijen is excellent!! If I fed kibble (I feed raw) - that is the one I'd choose.

IluvLucy · 01-11-2009, 07:26 AM

Rebel has has problems with ear infections, too. Each time, he's been put on antibiotics, but the last time he got a shot, too.

He's 2 yrs old and has had 4 infections. Our vet finally told me it was allergies and I have to be really careful what he eats. I also make sure that I don't get water in his ears at bathtime.

He and Lucy both eat Royal Canin now - I know some people don't approve of that food, but it works for my 2.

kalina82 · 01-11-2009, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahoff

Thank you, I will talk to my vet about switching the ear medication and doing the cultures. Also I need to learn about the hair in the ear; I don't know what to look for. What kind of food do you suggest? I have read several posts and I keep seeing Orijin and Merrick and something called Life's Abundance. What do you use?

There is a video in this thread about ear hair plucking. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-ear-hair.html i personally don't use powder on my yorkie, but i have used it on other breeds that have thicker greasier ear hair. i just used my fingers or a hemostat.

As for food, i have been feeding Wellness Core to my yorkie and i also give her Nature's Variety Raw Venison. I love both these brands. My cats have been eating wellness for 9 years and my yorkie has had it off and on for almost 3 years.

Orijin is good too. I had feed Merricks when morgan was a puppy but she didn't like it very much.

Mom2Odie · 01-11-2009, 08:13 AM

Try a grain free diet. I use Orijen Dry formula. The lady, Diana, at Champion Pet Foods 780-939-6888 told me that a family member of hers has 2 Yorkies. One always got ear infections. Then they put both Yorkies on Orijen Dry and the infections stopped and never came back. I have done alot of research and I have found information that says grains are said to cause alot of health problems in dogs. Dogs are evolved to metabolize protein. They are not evolved to metabolize carbohydrates (they have short digestive systems and a very low PH and no amylase - the digestive enzyme we humans are equipped with to help us break down carbs).
Odie was on Wellness Dry and had terrible loose stools, diarrhea and foul smelling gas. Within one day on the Orijen his poop improved and over the course of the week it returned to a normal firm stool. I was amazed. I'll never have my dog on grains again, including treats. The Orijen is high protein with fruits and herbs and probiotics. Diana also sent me an email with detailed information and studies on a high protein, grain free diet for dogs. Odie is doing amazing.
Odie is 10 months.

Good Luck!

Wylie's Mom · 01-11-2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mom2Odie

Dogs are evolved to metabolize protein. They are not evolved to metabolize carbohydrates (they have short digestive systems and a very low PH and no amylase - the digestive enzyme we humans are equipped with to help us break down carbs).

No disrespect

, but this needs clarification.

Dogs don't have salivary amylase. They DO make amylase in the pancreas - this amylase is released into the small intestine, where the carbs are digested.

pebstheyorkie · 01-11-2009, 09:30 AM

I had forgotten about the ear plucking... the groomer used to do that for Pebbles... I guess if you don't, the wax really has something to stick onto and can cause infections, it did seem to help when the groomer did this.

Mom2Odie · 01-11-2009, 09:53 AM

This information was given to me by Diana at Champion Pet Foods. 780-939-6888
I'm sure she can clarify the information. My point was that research is showing that grains are causing health problems in dogs. I don't think asking for clarification is disrespectful. I had no idea of this myself. I'm sure Diana can talk more about this than I can. I was only passing on information that I received about allergies and grains. What a person does with it is up to them. It is my understanding that this forum was about sharing information. In fact I think I will leave this forum. I was only trying to help. If there was information that i passed on that was incorrect I apologize. Good Bye

pebstheyorkie · 01-12-2009, 07:58 AM

Hmmm.... I would do lots of research on this if I were you. My dog did have all kinds of allergies,(this is going back about 12 years) back then I don't think we knew about allergies to grains in food. The poor thing suffered many years with ear problems. I have the feeling they will know so much more now, that hopefully you can get it under control with your dog.

01-08-2009, 04:22 PM	#1
ahoff Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Winnfield, LA, USA Posts: 10	tonsilitis and ear infections I have a one year old yorkie. He weighs 4 lbs and eats nutri science dry food. Since the weather changed in September he has had a constant case of tonsilitis and ear infections. The vet says the ear infectiions are caused from the tonsilitis because the swollen lymph glands come first, then the throat, then the ears. Twice he has run fever. He does not get a cough. This is about the sixth time he has been on anitibiotics to treat this; usually he is off for two weeks and then he gets sick again. This time he was only off ceph drops for 10 days. First three times he was treated with amoxi drops and that didn't seem to work so we switched to the cepha drops. His ears get treated with otomax ear drops. Rolo goes outside to potty and he goes with me to work everyday, but I try to keep him dry and warm. Is this normal for a yorkie to keep a constant infection? Any thoughts on what else to do for him?

01-10-2009, 06:09 PM	#2
Dawn125 YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Central California Posts: 445	I could be wrong but I don't think ear infections are common in yorkies at all. I have heard that ear infections can be related to food allergies. I haven't heard of the dog food you mentioned. Perhaps you should change his diet. I haven't heard of tonsillitis in dogs either. __________________ Dawn (Brandy & Titan's mom)

01-10-2009, 06:55 PM	#3
pebstheyorkie Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hingham,MA Posts: 84	My Yorkie had ear infections for almost all of her 15 years. I was told they were due to allergies. We used something called Tresaderm every now and then to help it, but it was an ongoing thing. She eventually went deaf when she was about 13. __________________ RIP my little Pebbles

01-10-2009, 09:05 PM	#4
kalina82 Phantom Queen Morrigan Donating Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: with my yorkie baby Posts: 10,141 Blog Entries: 1	sorry your yorkie is having these problems. for the ear infections this is what i would do. check the ears and make sure there is no hair in the canal. if there is, pluck it because this lets the ear canal breath and prevent infections. this should be done on a regular basis. have your vet take a smear of the ear goo to make sure he is treating it with the correct antibiotics. this could be the problem for it not healing. I like mometamax. its more powerful then otomax and works faster. I would also switch his food to a higher quality food with no corn or wheat as these are common allergens. switching antibiotics so much isn't going to help. A culture is the best way to figure out what type of antibiotics to use to battle infections but i'm not sure what the vet would culture (throat or lyme node aspiration?) i'm just throwing a bunch of ideas out there. __________________ Kellie and Morgan

01-11-2009, 07:26 AM	#7
IluvLucy Lovin' Lucy & Rebel Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 4,438	Rebel has has problems with ear infections, too. Each time, he's been put on antibiotics, but the last time he got a shot, too. He's 2 yrs old and has had 4 infections. Our vet finally told me it was allergies and I have to be really careful what he eats. I also make sure that I don't get water in his ears at bathtime. He and Lucy both eat Royal Canin now - I know some people don't approve of that food, but it works for my 2. __________________ Kim , Rebel ,and baby Dixie RIP my sweet Lucy

01-11-2009, 06:00 AM	#5
ahoff Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Winnfield, LA, USA Posts: 10	Thank you, I will talk to my vet about switching the ear medication and doing the cultures. Also I need to learn about the hair in the ear; I don't know what to look for. What kind of food do you suggest? I have read several posts and I keep seeing Orijin and Merrick and something called Life's Abundance. What do you use?

01-11-2009, 08:13 AM	#9
Mom2Odie No Longer a Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Canada Posts: 36	Try a grain free diet. I use Orijen Dry formula. The lady, Diana, at Champion Pet Foods 780-939-6888 told me that a family member of hers has 2 Yorkies. One always got ear infections. Then they put both Yorkies on Orijen Dry and the infections stopped and never came back. I have done alot of research and I have found information that says grains are said to cause alot of health problems in dogs. Dogs are evolved to metabolize protein. They are not evolved to metabolize carbohydrates (they have short digestive systems and a very low PH and no amylase - the digestive enzyme we humans are equipped with to help us break down carbs). Odie was on Wellness Dry and had terrible loose stools, diarrhea and foul smelling gas. Within one day on the Orijen his poop improved and over the course of the week it returned to a normal firm stool. I was amazed. I'll never have my dog on grains again, including treats. The Orijen is high protein with fruits and herbs and probiotics. Diana also sent me an email with detailed information and studies on a high protein, grain free diet for dogs. Odie is doing amazing. Odie is 10 months. Good Luck! Last edited by Mom2Odie; 01-11-2009 at 08:14 AM.

01-11-2009, 09:30 AM	#11
pebstheyorkie Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hingham,MA Posts: 84	I had forgotten about the ear plucking... the groomer used to do that for Pebbles... I guess if you don't, the wax really has something to stick onto and can cause infections, it did seem to help when the groomer did this. __________________ RIP my little Pebbles

01-11-2009, 09:53 AM	#12
Mom2Odie No Longer a Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Canada Posts: 36	This information was given to me by Diana at Champion Pet Foods. 780-939-6888 I'm sure she can clarify the information. My point was that research is showing that grains are causing health problems in dogs. I don't think asking for clarification is disrespectful. I had no idea of this myself. I'm sure Diana can talk more about this than I can. I was only passing on information that I received about allergies and grains. What a person does with it is up to them. It is my understanding that this forum was about sharing information. In fact I think I will leave this forum. I was only trying to help. If there was information that i passed on that was incorrect I apologize. Good Bye Last edited by Mom2Odie; 01-11-2009 at 09:56 AM.

01-12-2009, 07:58 AM	#13
pebstheyorkie Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hingham,MA Posts: 84	Hmmm.... I would do lots of research on this if I were you. My dog did have all kinds of allergies,(this is going back about 12 years) back then I don't think we knew about allergies to grains in food. The poor thing suffered many years with ear problems. I have the feeling they will know so much more now, that hopefully you can get it under control with your dog. __________________ RIP my little Pebbles