Ear irritation

Our dog Pebbles is troubled by irritated ears.  We took her to the vet and was assured that it was not ear mites but more likely a fungal infection.  We cleaned her ears and used the anti-fungal, but she would shake her head so hard afterwards that it made the tips of one of her ears bleed.
This has been ongoing for 2 years off and on.  We're reluctant to use the medicine because of the ear tip bleeding but is this just something we'll have to get through, use the meds and get rid of the problem??
The head shaking and bleeding is really a problem.  We had to take a tube sock, cut it, slide it over her head so when she shook the ear wouldn't flop and blood wouldn't splatter all over the place.  She would wear this until the ear healed.

[Kimberly Coyner, D.V.M., DACVD]

Chronic or recurrent ear itching and ear infections in pets are due to an underlying cause such as allergic disease (food allergy or pollen/dust allergies), or a foreign body or mass in the ear canal. When an external ear infection becomes chronic, it descends into the middle ear and then both oral and topical medications are needed for resolution. Additionally, since the ear canal of dogs is quite long, there is often accumulated debris packed into the deeper ear canal, perpetuating irritation and infection. In dogs with chronic ear infections, three things must be done: the external and middle ear infection must be identified and treated for 1-2 months with topical and oral medications, the accumulated ear exudate must be flushed out for the medications to be able to work, and the underlying cause must be identified and treated so that the infection does not recur. Since this has been going on for 2 years, I recommend evaluation of your dog by a veterinary dermatologist for definitive diagnosis and treatment. There is one in your are: www.dermatologyforanimals.com.
Good luck,
Kimberly Coyner, DVM DACVD