Once again, allergy season is upon us. Isn't it allergy season all the time these days? Maybe it is "climate change," but my family and my dog seem forever sticken with allergy symptoms, among them ear infections. Just like in humans, allergies in dogs can be caused by the environment or the food ingested. You will need to experiment a bit to find out which is the underlying cause in order to do a good job of treating ear infections at their root.
Ruling out a food allergy is actually a little bit of an undertaking, but well worth the effort if you find that your dog is allergic to one of the main food products you have been feeding for years. If you are curious about how to do this, take a look at http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id38.html to see exactly how to implement an elimination diet. Once your dog is eating a limited ingredient diet--one protein and one carbohydrate--you can add back one ingredient at a time and evaluate your dog's reactions. It takes awhile to conduct this process, but your dog will benefit greatly once you know exactly what ingredient is the allergen. Usually, one of these eight ingredients will be the problem--corn, wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, beef, chicken or pork. It is easy these days to find hypoallergenic, limited ingredient dog foods online and in pet stores.
For those dogs with allergies to the great outdoors, regular ear cleaning can help reduce your dog's symptoms. Watch this video below for a quick explanation of how to clean a dog's ears. This vet uses cotton balls and ear cleaning solution, but you can gently use a Q-tip on the outside, too. I know, no one is supposed to stick a Q-tip in a human or a dog ear, but gently? Just around the dirty parts on the outside won't hurt. At least that is what I tell my son, and the dog, too; neither of whom enjoy a good ear cleaning the way I do. Go figure.
Watch this quick video to see how easily ear cleaning can be done: Don't forget to let your dog shake out the ear cleaning fluid. This will prevent fear of the process in the future. Unlike this mellow Dalmatian, my Black Lab would have acted like I was killing him--he's a little high strung.
Clearing up a nasty ear infection will return your dog to your lively sidekick who no longer has smelly ears. Prevention is the best cure for what ails our dog pals.
Ruling out a food allergy is actually a little bit of an undertaking, but well worth the effort if you find that your dog is allergic to one of the main food products you have been feeding for years. If you are curious about how to do this, take a look at http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id38.html to see exactly how to implement an elimination diet. Once your dog is eating a limited ingredient diet--one protein and one carbohydrate--you can add back one ingredient at a time and evaluate your dog's reactions. It takes awhile to conduct this process, but your dog will benefit greatly once you know exactly what ingredient is the allergen. Usually, one of these eight ingredients will be the problem--corn, wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, beef, chicken or pork. It is easy these days to find hypoallergenic, limited ingredient dog foods online and in pet stores.
For those dogs with allergies to the great outdoors, regular ear cleaning can help reduce your dog's symptoms. Watch this video below for a quick explanation of how to clean a dog's ears. This vet uses cotton balls and ear cleaning solution, but you can gently use a Q-tip on the outside, too. I know, no one is supposed to stick a Q-tip in a human or a dog ear, but gently? Just around the dirty parts on the outside won't hurt. At least that is what I tell my son, and the dog, too; neither of whom enjoy a good ear cleaning the way I do. Go figure.
Watch this quick video to see how easily ear cleaning can be done: Don't forget to let your dog shake out the ear cleaning fluid. This will prevent fear of the process in the future. Unlike this mellow Dalmatian, my Black Lab would have acted like I was killing him--he's a little high strung.
Clearing up a nasty ear infection will return your dog to your lively sidekick who no longer has smelly ears. Prevention is the best cure for what ails our dog pals.
About the Author:
If you want to find out more about limited ingredient, hypoallergenic dog food options, then visit Frank Eshelman's site on how to choose the best hypoallergenic ingredients, such as duck, salmon, lamb, bison, or trout for your dog's needs.
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