Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
How do you know that your dog has an ear infection? And before you say 'but the ear is really red / thickened / itchy / waxy' it's worth explaining that for far more than 75% of dogs presenting like this, infection is not the cause, even if bacteria are present (they tend to move into the ears with lots of discharge and damaged lining). This often explains why a course of antibiotics doesn't clear up such ears in the long-term. Often ear disease is linked to inflammation of the ear canals, which tends to be caused by allergy or (much less commonly) an abnormality of the ear eg a lump. In general (I know little about your specific dog), ear disease doesn't vanish with any sort of treatment. Rather it is chronic (an ongoing, recurring problem - like arthritis or diabetes that needs to be managed effectively in the long-term and not just treated when it flares up). Your vet's involvement is probably crucial and questions like, 'What do you think is underlying this? Why do you think it is happening?' may be much more helpful than 'What drugs can you give me to get it to go away for a while'.
I hope that this helps a little.
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