Quote:
Originally Posted by dwerten
(Post 2816167)
not a fan of tea tree oil myself as it is toxic to cats and not good for allergy dogs as most are allergic to meleuca tree which is where tea tree oil is from - also a yorkie owner used full strength on yorkie and it died :( so i believe it is toxic to dogs too
| Large doses of tea tree oil is toxic to dogs.... but tea tree oil shouldn't even be used full strength on a human either. Tea Tree oil is dangerous when swallowed. Don't ever use full strength tea tree oil on anyone. Ever. It needs to be diluted. Tea tree oil even when diluted can cause skin irritation so its definitely something you need to look out for. (This is partly why I never understood why its recommended so much for allergy or skin issues, because while it helps, it can tend to create new issues.) Tea tree oil is also said to loose a lot of its anti fungal and anti-bacterial properties when diluted to 4%. 100% solution into the ears of an animal has been shown to cause some hearing loss, so no full strength! They have done studies with the ears of animals and a 2% solution and found no hearing loss but if you combine the studies that show how the usefulness is decreased at that point you question if its worth it.
Personally, I fight ear issues with my Winston... I just use Zymox. (They do make an ear cleaner too, but I haven't purchased it yet.) Its a holistic approach. Its been a godsend with Winston. There are a lot of vets out there who recommend it (and sell it) and a huge amount of pet owners online who swear by it. (If you go to both amazon, or 1800petmeds there are tons and ton of reviews like mine, and even more if you just search the internet.) It just worked for us, after we seemingly got no where with the couple of vets we saw. It works by using several enzymes that are anti fungal, antibacterial and help combat yeast. I started using it on Winston twice a day, and we saw a dramatic decrease of his symptoms immediately. (From the first administration he stops scratching and rubbing and his normal personality came back full force.) Now I just use it after baths, and once every 3-4 days. (And well.. sometimes never in between baths because he doesn't have ear issues anymore and I forget to use it as maintenance!)
It is over the counter, and you can purchase it in a variety of places online (like 1800petmeds or amazon and more.) The only thing you do need to be careful about it this - nothing with Hydrocortisone should be used on an animal with punctured eardrums. So, if your dog hasn't seen the vet recently and hasn't had its ears checked don't buy the solution with 1% Hydrocortisone (but the one Hydrocortisone free.) | 