Please help me

[BuddysTheShihTzu]

He was taken to the vet about a few weeks ago for his ear. She gave him some medicine.  I believe it was called "Ped 5". She gave him ten pills and he took all ten of them(he took the final one a few days ago)and it hasn't cleared up. I'm pissed off and concerned right now. I don't know what to do.

His ear is red
There is a little thick wax on the hair of his ear
It's flaked a little bit with skin
It smells bad
He shakes his head
He scratches his ear and tries to lick his foot

I'm BEYOND livid right now. I don't have the money to take him to the vet every week! That freaking medicine was supposed to work and it hasn't done anything yet. I'm just really angry and ready to change vets because either she has no clue what she's doing or my father doesn't have enough brain cells to properly form a sentence and tell he what the issue is.

My father is absolutely no ******* help. He took him to the vet(I gave him the money but this is the family dog)and didn't tell me anything because he ******* forgot. So I have no clue what is going on. I googled his symptoms and it came back as Otitis. I'm trying not to go and strangle someone. This is really bothering me because he seems so uncomfortable at times.

Are there any home remedies that actually work?!
What do I do?

[Jacquelyn_S]

My Shih Tzu has the same problem. We switched to a grain free orvegan food and give him yogurt in his food once a day. His ears are cleaned weekly after he is bathed. The yeast lives in his long hair on his paws so I have to keep him clipped short. So far this works for him.

[Sparkygip]

I had this problem with one of my dogs.  I used a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil. You can get this at any pharmacy in the vitamin section at Wal Mart, Walgreens, CVs.  Cost around $8.00.  Massage bottom of ear after applying drops.  Check ears later and clean. This oil is good for a lot of things. Look it up on the internet  That's how I found out about it.

[Ghilly]

It sounds like he might have a yeast infection in his ear.  There is a good ear medication called Otomax but you may have to use it for more than a week for it to kill off the yeast depending on how deep-seated the infection is.  Why not just call your vet and ask her what her diagnosis was, and then go on to tell her that the medication she prescribed did not work and that your dog still has ear issues.  My guess is that she may not even want to see your dog again, she may just tell you to stop by the clinic and pick up a different prescription.  Yeast infections can be tenacious and difficult to get rid of.  I have seen people have to use medicine for, in a couple of cases, almost 30 days to completely get rid of a yeast infection in the ears.  It could be also be a case of either the wrong medication or even the right medication, just not for a long enough period of time.  Your vet won't know unless you give her your feedback.

Ghilly    

[Jerry_NJ]

The smells bad and itch sounds like it might be a Yeast infection - I don't know the medicine you said was prescribed.  

Yeast/dermatitis can be treated with a shampoo containing Ketaconazole (sp? this is a hard one, but my spelling is close enough).  I have purchased it over-the-counter for about $10 at Walmart.. may have been an "Adams" brand  The active ingredients are listed on the bottle.

For a small dog one bottle would be enough for 3 maybe 4 baths.  The shampoo has to be worked into a lather and left on the skin for about 10 minutes before rinsing.  This could be done very couple of days and see if it helps.  I think dog's ears are mor sensitive than ours, but when I give our Westie a bath I make sure his ears (not alot of hair on the inside anyway) get washed too.

This may not be your problem but I give this experienced in case it helps.

The shampoo I mention should not do any harm even if it doesn't work on the itch, and a dog needs a bath when dirty and a couple of times in one month even if not dirty will not hurt.

[Misfits4Me]

The photo is a little blurry, so I can't get a good look.....Can you take another one? If you will give us more information and a better description, we can help you further.......Karla

[Margot49]

Meant to add, if you clean the ear, only use cotton balls.  Do not stick Q Tips down into the canal area.

[Margot49]

You are obviously upset and that is understandable.

Since you were not able to take the dog to the Vet yourself and didn't send a list of questions with Dad ( if, for some reason my husband has to take an animal in without me, I make a list if questions and ask the Vet to write the answers diwn) the best thing you can do us call the Vet's office yourself and ask if the Vet can call you back concerning your dog.  This could be yeast, bacteria, mites or something worse.
Did the Vet do a swab and check it?
You weren't given any type of ear wash?
You could try irrigating the ear with some warm water or use and follow the directions on an OTC ear wash for dogs.  However, this may not be the proper treatment.
Try calling the Vet and ask these questions.  He/ she may prescribe something else.  For the same condition, my Vet would probably not charge another office call visit fora follow up appt.
if you are not happy with this Vet, sorry to say, you should probably consult another.
Good luck.  Wish I could be of more help.