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9 year old Westie has swollen edge on one ear
Our rescue Westie has been an ongoing battle against Yeast and other problems. Among the guesses is he is allergic to protein. He is now on a prescription dog food, Hills Z/D which has only modified protein. I have been giving him some cooked vegetables (beans and potatoes) to add some variety to his diet. These vegetables have protein.
The last couple of days we have noticed one of his ears has a faint droop. This breed has very expressive ears which are always erect even when sleeping. The ears at "rest" face forward to catch sounds from the front and the dog can move the to the side or even lower them if running hard, otherwise the ears are erect and forward facing.
His hears look normal, for him, with very little hair at the rear base. This area is mostly covered by the long hair on his head. The inside of the ears are stained dark and black splotchy from past battles with Yeast infection. This all looks unchanged to my eye/mind. But, on the ear that is drooping I can feel a thick edge on the out side, the side away from his head. I will estimate it has a "sack" or raise in the skin about 1/8" maximum and tapering down along the ear moving toward the ear base. He does not seem to be in any pain, no reaction to my feeling or gently squeezing. He has a habit of rubbing/scratching his ears (both) by turning one side down and against the rug and scooting along. This action is only a few 10s of seconds and only a few times a day, I see nothing different in this regard.
He has a follow up appointment with the vet in about a week and I plan to hold off contacting the vet until that time. The follow up is on the dog's battle with allergies/yeast and this symptom likely fits in. The problem may be my adding extra items to his diet. I note that the loss of fur and troubled skin on his feet and legs is almost all healed - he takes 50 mg of Keteconazole every day and has been on antibiotics in addition to the prescription dog food.
Any ideas what might be going on? Tomorrow is New Years day, so for sure he'll not see the vet tomorrow and I plan to watch and wait and will not take him to the vet until the 9th (from memory) when he has a scheduled appointment. Of course if the condition gets worse other actions may be required.
The last couple of days we have noticed one of his ears has a faint droop. This breed has very expressive ears which are always erect even when sleeping. The ears at "rest" face forward to catch sounds from the front and the dog can move the to the side or even lower them if running hard, otherwise the ears are erect and forward facing.
His hears look normal, for him, with very little hair at the rear base. This area is mostly covered by the long hair on his head. The inside of the ears are stained dark and black splotchy from past battles with Yeast infection. This all looks unchanged to my eye/mind. But, on the ear that is drooping I can feel a thick edge on the out side, the side away from his head. I will estimate it has a "sack" or raise in the skin about 1/8" maximum and tapering down along the ear moving toward the ear base. He does not seem to be in any pain, no reaction to my feeling or gently squeezing. He has a habit of rubbing/scratching his ears (both) by turning one side down and against the rug and scooting along. This action is only a few 10s of seconds and only a few times a day, I see nothing different in this regard.
He has a follow up appointment with the vet in about a week and I plan to hold off contacting the vet until that time. The follow up is on the dog's battle with allergies/yeast and this symptom likely fits in. The problem may be my adding extra items to his diet. I note that the loss of fur and troubled skin on his feet and legs is almost all healed - he takes 50 mg of Keteconazole every day and has been on antibiotics in addition to the prescription dog food.
Any ideas what might be going on? Tomorrow is New Years day, so for sure he'll not see the vet tomorrow and I plan to watch and wait and will not take him to the vet until the 9th (from memory) when he has a scheduled appointment. Of course if the condition gets worse other actions may be required.
Ah, Jerry, you're a good dog-dad! Wilson is lucky he is yours! :D
I'm glad that his hematoma is on the mend. I agree with your vet's aggressive treatment of it, if they are not treated aggressively and are allowed to just take their time healing, the ear pinna often ends up looking dried and shriveled, so it's best that she's doing what she's doing.
The food thing, well, let's just say that I don't envy you. I'm hoping that you are able to get to the bottom of these issues soon, because food allergies are THE most difficult thing to diagnose! It sounds like between you and your vet, young Wilson is in VERY good hands!
Ghilly
I'm glad that his hematoma is on the mend. I agree with your vet's aggressive treatment of it, if they are not treated aggressively and are allowed to just take their time healing, the ear pinna often ends up looking dried and shriveled, so it's best that she's doing what she's doing.
The food thing, well, let's just say that I don't envy you. I'm hoping that you are able to get to the bottom of these issues soon, because food allergies are THE most difficult thing to diagnose! It sounds like between you and your vet, young Wilson is in VERY good hands!
Ghilly
Wilson, our Westie, had his follow up appointment with his vet for the ongoing battle against Yeast infections mostly on the paws and ears. He passed on the paws and ears and goes off the Ketoconazole daily dose, but remains on the restricted food diet. His ears are better, but I ordered more Otomax prescription ointment as the ear problem will require periodic treatment and inspection.
On Ears:: The vet confirmed Ghilly's diagnoses of the ear swelling, it is indeed a Hematoma She drained it, gave him a steroid injection and put him on a week of steroid medication twice a day for 3 days, once a day for 3 days and once every other day for 3 periods (or something close to that, it is printed no the pill bottle). Seems she is aggressive on treating a Hematoma saying it can turn bad quickly if not treated. So that's what we did and the ear looks almost normal with the blood drained out.
Well, another $200 in service and prescriptions and Wilson seems to be on the path to good health - for a while it seems he will continue to be a struggle to keep healthy. He is a active attractive (for a Terrier) dog at the age of 9, estimated. He could well make it another 6 years, not so sure about me.
As far at the Yeast problem, I am going to, without specific direction from the vet, start testing his ability to deal with limited animal protein - I'll add some Salmon canned and Kibble to his diet and watch closely. I also plan to discuss Hill's Prescription Z/D Dog food with a local pet store owner who stocks and is considered "expert" on dog food allergies. He may have some alternatives for Z/D Wilson will enjoy switching to for variety. Wilson likes the Z/D but does show some weariness and will eat only when truly hungry - that's not all bad, his weight this morning was 18.5, his best weight yet, he was pushing 21 pounds, too much for a Westie. The diet problem is mostly in my head, I feel so sorry for him when he smells what we're eating and ends up with his usual dry Kibble. One thing I do in that regard is splash a little hot water on the Kibble and stir it with a spoon and then give it to him. That seems to increase his interest in eating, maybe the splash of hot water releases some of the fragrance. The stuff us dog lovers put ourselves through !! Some more (me) than others.
On Ears:: The vet confirmed Ghilly's diagnoses of the ear swelling, it is indeed a Hematoma She drained it, gave him a steroid injection and put him on a week of steroid medication twice a day for 3 days, once a day for 3 days and once every other day for 3 periods (or something close to that, it is printed no the pill bottle). Seems she is aggressive on treating a Hematoma saying it can turn bad quickly if not treated. So that's what we did and the ear looks almost normal with the blood drained out.
Well, another $200 in service and prescriptions and Wilson seems to be on the path to good health - for a while it seems he will continue to be a struggle to keep healthy. He is a active attractive (for a Terrier) dog at the age of 9, estimated. He could well make it another 6 years, not so sure about me.
As far at the Yeast problem, I am going to, without specific direction from the vet, start testing his ability to deal with limited animal protein - I'll add some Salmon canned and Kibble to his diet and watch closely. I also plan to discuss Hill's Prescription Z/D Dog food with a local pet store owner who stocks and is considered "expert" on dog food allergies. He may have some alternatives for Z/D Wilson will enjoy switching to for variety. Wilson likes the Z/D but does show some weariness and will eat only when truly hungry - that's not all bad, his weight this morning was 18.5, his best weight yet, he was pushing 21 pounds, too much for a Westie. The diet problem is mostly in my head, I feel so sorry for him when he smells what we're eating and ends up with his usual dry Kibble. One thing I do in that regard is splash a little hot water on the Kibble and stir it with a spoon and then give it to him. That seems to increase his interest in eating, maybe the splash of hot water releases some of the fragrance. The stuff us dog lovers put ourselves through !! Some more (me) than others.
The ear looks a little better this morning, but that may be the result of a good night's sleep, not any improvement in the embolism. Checking I see his vet appointment is for the 7th, so less than a week and I plan to wait for that appointment to have his vet check the ear condition.
The dog is on Hill's Z/D a prescription, I have to buy from the vet at about $4 a pound. So for the same money I could buy fresh food to cook.... he'd like that I think. The Hill's has only hydrolyzed (I think that's what it is called, the molecule chain of the protein is broken) protein and should not trigger any protein allergies..that's the plan. He doesn't like the canned version (that is really expensive and comes in the little cans like we buy tuna fish in) and finds the kibble okay, but gets tired of it. The vet agreed I could give him some baked potato and I also gave him some rice before I recalled rice is a grain. He also liked green beans and lima beans, but they too have vegetable protein so I have stopped all of that since I detected the ear flop. The hematoma shape follows his ear and is much longer than wide. It doesn't have any lumps other than itself, and nothing hard that I feel. He doesn't seem to have any pain when I touch.
He is now back to 24 hours with nothing to eat but water and the prescription dog food. I have not yet noticed any change in the swelling. He had an ear treatment tonight and he sleeps well - there is a lot to be thankful for. His good spirit and spunky personality remains, the hematoma doesn't seem to bother him in any way - and me only in the way the ears are no longer mirror images - on now droops.
I not too he has almost no hair behind his ears, and I think that is not "normal" for a Westie - damage from severe yeast infection before we adopted him. The lack of hair isn't unattractive as his long and very healthy looking hair on his body and head fills in that bare area.
The rescue person fought the yeast infection primarily with Keteconazole baths and pills and he looked great when we took him (the picture of him in my wife's lap on my photo gallery). The rescue worker advised me feed him no grain kibble and remembers feeding him a fish based protein.
The vet had us stop using Heartguard because it has a beef flavoring, it may be he has an acute allergy to beef?? Well I don't think so the rescue person had him on Front Line Plus and Heartgard.
Maybe the dog is allergic to me : (
He is now back to 24 hours with nothing to eat but water and the prescription dog food. I have not yet noticed any change in the swelling. He had an ear treatment tonight and he sleeps well - there is a lot to be thankful for. His good spirit and spunky personality remains, the hematoma doesn't seem to bother him in any way - and me only in the way the ears are no longer mirror images - on now droops.
I not too he has almost no hair behind his ears, and I think that is not "normal" for a Westie - damage from severe yeast infection before we adopted him. The lack of hair isn't unattractive as his long and very healthy looking hair on his body and head fills in that bare area.
The rescue person fought the yeast infection primarily with Keteconazole baths and pills and he looked great when we took him (the picture of him in my wife's lap on my photo gallery). The rescue worker advised me feed him no grain kibble and remembers feeding him a fish based protein.
The vet had us stop using Heartguard because it has a beef flavoring, it may be he has an acute allergy to beef?? Well I don't think so the rescue person had him on Front Line Plus and Heartgard.
Maybe the dog is allergic to me : (
It can't hurt to use the Zymox. You don't have to worry about any drug interactions since the Zymox is antibiotic-free. It works by creating an inhospitable environment for the organisms that cause the infection.
If the yeast is forming because of his diet, then the Zymox may not be completely effective since even though it does its job of ruining the bacteria's environment, if the dog's system is reacting to the diet, then it continues to rebuild the bad neighborhood, so to speak. If the problem is rooted in a food allergy, then you have my sympathy, because NOTHING can be tougher to figure out than just what ingredient it is that is the cause of the problem! Talk about finding a needle in a haystack! Yikes!
I seriously do NOT think that you rubbing his ears is the cause of the hematoma. You would have to rub him so hard as to cause him to yelp, and I don't see you doing that. They cause the hematomas themselves because their nails are what do the damage most often. Rubbing very vigorously on the carpet can also be the cause. So rest easy, this is not the result of anything that you have done.
What is the prescription food that the vet has him on? It might be best to put him on a B.A.R.F. (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods) diet. This is food that you prepare yourself from nothing but human-grade ingredients and there are NO ADDITIVES AT ALL. It's the most certain way to ensure that you know exactly what is going into his system. If you don't want to go the raw route, you can simply try home cooking for him. There are many good recipes on the web for safe, nutritious pet meals. Most folks who do this spend one day a week preparing enough meals for a couple of weeks and then packaging them in small parcels and freezing them, to be thawed out and used as needed. Just some more food for thought, pardon the pun.
Ghilly
If the yeast is forming because of his diet, then the Zymox may not be completely effective since even though it does its job of ruining the bacteria's environment, if the dog's system is reacting to the diet, then it continues to rebuild the bad neighborhood, so to speak. If the problem is rooted in a food allergy, then you have my sympathy, because NOTHING can be tougher to figure out than just what ingredient it is that is the cause of the problem! Talk about finding a needle in a haystack! Yikes!
I seriously do NOT think that you rubbing his ears is the cause of the hematoma. You would have to rub him so hard as to cause him to yelp, and I don't see you doing that. They cause the hematomas themselves because their nails are what do the damage most often. Rubbing very vigorously on the carpet can also be the cause. So rest easy, this is not the result of anything that you have done.
What is the prescription food that the vet has him on? It might be best to put him on a B.A.R.F. (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods) diet. This is food that you prepare yourself from nothing but human-grade ingredients and there are NO ADDITIVES AT ALL. It's the most certain way to ensure that you know exactly what is going into his system. If you don't want to go the raw route, you can simply try home cooking for him. There are many good recipes on the web for safe, nutritious pet meals. Most folks who do this spend one day a week preparing enough meals for a couple of weeks and then packaging them in small parcels and freezing them, to be thawed out and used as needed. Just some more food for thought, pardon the pun.
Ghilly
I forgot to add in the above long reply (got lost in all the words)
I also use an over the counter ear yeast treatment which is high priced but less than prescription Otomax The OTC med is called ZYMOX any opinion on this medication? This med had very high positive reviews on Amazon.
I also use an over the counter ear yeast treatment which is high priced but less than prescription Otomax The OTC med is called ZYMOX any opinion on this medication? This med had very high positive reviews on Amazon.
Thanks Ghilly, I marked your great answer as "best" because while it was also the "only", you "nailed" it I think - I feel you have rendered the answer.
Yes, he is currently on a reduced use of Otomax on the affected ear. This run is one of several over the last 1.5 years. At this point I was directed to use the Otomax only in the left ear (subject ear) once every few days (in truth I don't remember how often) and to do an ear wash in both ears once a week and a body wash in soap containing ketoconazole every two weeks. I have been close if not absolute on following these instructions. As I recall, in the beginning I was using Otomax in both ears twice a day, morning and night.
The prescriptions were given when he had black gluck/yeast down in his ear channels, there does not appear to be any now and I wonder if his ear rubbing is more habitual than needed - the smell of yeast is also much less to none.
Then too I have given him frequent ear rubs with my hands... two or three times a day, no more than two minutes each I estimate. Do you suppose I could cause a hematoma by rubbing his ears with my fingers?
I have also moved him back to nothing to eat but the prescription kibble, this makes it next to impossible to get any ketaconzaole down his throat, but the ear hematoma is the only symptom he seems to now be suffering from so the suspected protein allergy many not be a factor.
He is already deaf, the rescue worker told us the dog had lost some hearing due to the near death case of yeast and starvation he was in when she took him in and to a vet. It wasn't long before I concluded he is not hard-of-hearing, he is deaf. We live on 5 acres with about 500 ' to the nearest public road, so traffic isn't a serious threat - we do let him out on his own, but keep an eye on him. He stays in the "lawn" area near the house, about 2 acres, and may go further only if he is chasing White Tail deer - funny, 20 pounds chasing 80 pounds and several of them
I will work to get the hematoma under control before the appointment with the vet. Any time they have to but him under an anesthetic(sleep) I can't get him back for much less than a Thousand Bucks... that gets old, not to mention expensive.
You have given me hope and a path forward, I thank you for that, will stop for now rubbing his ears, and wish you a Happy New Year.
Yes, he is currently on a reduced use of Otomax on the affected ear. This run is one of several over the last 1.5 years. At this point I was directed to use the Otomax only in the left ear (subject ear) once every few days (in truth I don't remember how often) and to do an ear wash in both ears once a week and a body wash in soap containing ketoconazole every two weeks. I have been close if not absolute on following these instructions. As I recall, in the beginning I was using Otomax in both ears twice a day, morning and night.
The prescriptions were given when he had black gluck/yeast down in his ear channels, there does not appear to be any now and I wonder if his ear rubbing is more habitual than needed - the smell of yeast is also much less to none.
Then too I have given him frequent ear rubs with my hands... two or three times a day, no more than two minutes each I estimate. Do you suppose I could cause a hematoma by rubbing his ears with my fingers?
I have also moved him back to nothing to eat but the prescription kibble, this makes it next to impossible to get any ketaconzaole down his throat, but the ear hematoma is the only symptom he seems to now be suffering from so the suspected protein allergy many not be a factor.
He is already deaf, the rescue worker told us the dog had lost some hearing due to the near death case of yeast and starvation he was in when she took him in and to a vet. It wasn't long before I concluded he is not hard-of-hearing, he is deaf. We live on 5 acres with about 500 ' to the nearest public road, so traffic isn't a serious threat - we do let him out on his own, but keep an eye on him. He stays in the "lawn" area near the house, about 2 acres, and may go further only if he is chasing White Tail deer - funny, 20 pounds chasing 80 pounds and several of them
I will work to get the hematoma under control before the appointment with the vet. Any time they have to but him under an anesthetic(sleep) I can't get him back for much less than a Thousand Bucks... that gets old, not to mention expensive.
You have given me hope and a path forward, I thank you for that, will stop for now rubbing his ears, and wish you a Happy New Year.
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Has he been treated with Otomax yet? Otomax is an excellent ear medication that is very successful in treating malassezia pachydermatis, the yeast organism that grows in the ears. Once the yeast is brought under control he should stop scratching and, hence, stop forming hematomas. The ketoconazole is a good treatment but it is sometimes necessary to attack from two sides. The pills will work from internally but the Otomax would work topically. It really IS a very good medication. The one drawback is that the dogs MAY lose their hearing during the use of Otomax, but the hearing returns within about 30 days after cessation of use. The main thing to remember during that time is to be watchful and make sure he doesn't leave your sight while you're outside because if he gets near the road he won't hear cars coming.
If he continues to develop the hematomas, sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to make what amounts to literally a quilt of stitches on the ear pinna. This leaves no room for the blood to pool and stops the formation of the hematomas.
If you have not already tried him on the Otomax, when you go to the vet for your follow-up, please mention it to him and ask it you can at least try it. I have had great success with it, it has cleared up yeast infections in some rescue dogs over the years who were in HORRID shape because of yeast infections.
Ghilly