Mackenzie's got an ear infection.

I don't really need advice on this issue, but I feel like writing about it may help me to feel better this evening.

When I came home from work, Mackenzie (~6 year old rat terrier/mix) was her typical lovey-dovey self. After I was washed up and sitting down, she came over and jumped up on my lap for some loving. And, as I went to scritch her ears, she yelped. It was so sad! I asked my roommate (who was home all day) and she said that one of the other dogs was licking at Mackenzie's ear all day and that she had also been whimpering and whining a bit more than usual. It didn't take me more than a couple of seconds to come to the conclusion that the poor thing has an ear infection.

She doesn't want to let me close to her ear, but I did smell it and it smells yeasty (yes, I use smell a lot when dealing with my pets). So, I'm assuming she has a yeast infection happening. There may be a secondary (or primary) bacterial infection going on as well and so I'll be calling the vet first thing in the morning so that she can get checked out. I do have some Tresaderm at home which would work, but I'd rather not give anything until I have the vet look at her. Thankfully, I work at the vets' office (although I'm off tomorrow) and can probably get her in quickly. But, if not, I work Tuesday evening and I know I can always bring her in with me then. If I thought it were anything serious, I would have her at the ER vet asap, but I am confident that we can wait. And, even as I type this, she's snoozing away comfortably under the freshly-washed duvet sitting on the sofa. But, that all being said, I always feel badly when one of my babies is hurting.

So, if you can spare a quick vibe for Mackenzie, that would be most appreciated. (As well as one for Maddie (~4.5 year old toy fox terrier) who has an abrasion on the right side of her ribs due to flinging herself against the sofa and missing. She's okay, but the extra vibes can't hurt, right?)

Mackenzie!

Vibes sent for the little darling!

Thank you for the vibes and, if you can, please keep them coming. My little girl has a fever today and seems to be very uncomfortable. Thankfully, I was able to get an appointment for this evening at 6:00pm and so we'll be taking her in then, but she's just miserable now.

I noticed this morning that her ear was very red and inflamed. She whimpers and cries when I try to touch her ear and she's visibly in pain. I feel so bad for her. She is still eating and drinking, but she's not herself. She's feisty yet, but, again, it's obvious that she's feeling some discomfort. I was worried I was going to have to wait until tomorrow to bring her in to work with me, but I'm grateful to have gotten an appointment today.

I am stressed, though. Money is very tight. I don't get my first paycheck from my new job until this Friday and there's little money left in my savings. And, I'm talking very little money. Of course, I have enough to fall back on for emergencies, but it is difficult. I was hoping nothing would come up until I started working again and so I'm thankful that it's only a couple of days before I get paid, but this appointment tonight will likely tap me out. I believe I get a discount since I work at the office, but I'm not positive whether it kicks immediately or takes 90 days before taking effect. Either way, she's going to her appointment and whatever she needs will be taken care of, but I am keeping my fingers crossed nonetheless. I do all that I can not to be in this kind of position financially, but I suppose no one is immune to financial hardships. I know I can manage this appointment and that things are looking up now that I am working (and picking up extra hours), but the financial insecurity is still there. I feel guilty even for writing that. But, it's the truth.

I'll post this evening when I know more about what is going on with Mackenzie's ear. Last night, I thought we were dealing with a yeast infection, but I'm beginning to think it's bacterial in nature (with a secondary yeast infection possible). But, I suppose I'll find out in just a couple of hours. And, hopefully, it will be something easy to treat. I don't want my poor girl to be in pain or discomfort any longer than necessary.

ask your vet about this ... it is enzyme based and wonderful for ear issues Zymox

Well, Mackenzie and I have been back from the vet's office for about an hour now. As it turns out, she does have otitis externa and media (an external and middle ear infection) as a result of yeast overgrowth. Her right ear is the affected one; the left ear will be treated, but appears normal. The poor girl has some major inflammation and swelling in her ear and, along with a medication to help clear up the ear infection, she will also be on pain medicine for as many as 5 days.

The vet prescribed Zymox (thank you Sharky, I didn't see this before I left, but I appreciate knowing you recommend it) for her ear 2x daily for 14 days and Carprofen (Rimadyl) for pain and inflammation relief 2x daily for 5 days. She's already been given her first doses of each medication and is now resting comfortably on the sofa next to me. She had a slight fever at the vet's office, but it has since come down and she's doing okay. She was such a good girl at the vet and I'm so proud of her. I just hope she gets to feeling better soon.

Unless anything out of the ordinary happens that is a concern, she doesn't need to be seen back at the vet for 2 weeks. Thankfully, I work there. If I have any questions, I can always just ask. And, I'm also grateful for the 20% discount I received. A $115.00 vet appointment cost me under $100.00. That was a big relief! So, as of now, all seems well. Thank God for that! But, the continued vibes would be appreciated since little Mackenzie is still not feeling too well. But, at least we're now on the mend...

Bless her heart! I hope her ear is fully mended very soon!

How's MacKenzie doing now? I'm sorry I missed your update on Monday until now.

Mackenzie is still dealing with a rather serious ear infection, but she's doing much better. And, she and I are both grateful for the continued vibes and well wishes.

Her ear is still red and inflamed, but it's definitely improved since Sunday and Monday. She is still waking up every morning with a slight fever, but the vet has reassured me that this is not unusual or something that I need to be overly concerned with. The swelling and inflammation has come down quite a bit, but it's obvious that she's still very uncomfortable. But, despite everything, she has returned to her feisty self. In the mornings when she's still a bit down, she's quiet, but after her dose of Carprofen, she's back to being my bratty girl. She's eating, drinking, and eliminating as per the norm and has been increasingly playful -- I suspect she'll be close to 100% by Sunday.

She'll be getting the Zymox for another 10 days, but she'll be done with the Carprofen by the end of the weekend. And, while she hates having her ears cleaned and the medicated drops put in, she's not being as difficult as I expected. I think she realizes that the meds are helping her. She has a recheck once she's done with the Zymox and then, hopefully, she'll be fully recovered and she won't need to go back to the vet until her next wellness exam. She's never had an ear infection before (although I have only had her since she was 4 and she's 6 now) and so I'm hoping this is a one-shot deal, but we'll figure something out if it becomes a more frequent issue. I'm pleased with how she's progressing and, for now, that's all that is important. Well, that and, of course, the fact that she's feeling better too.

Thank you all again for your vibes. They've been much appreciated over the last couple of days and they'll continue to be appreciated as we move forward. Mackenzie thanks you as well!

(And, check in the pic section for a photo or two of the little bug! I'm headed there next.)

I'm glad she is improving and feeling more comfortable. What a relief!

I figured I'd come back to this thread now while I'm still wide awake (and it's almost 4:00am).

I am very grateful to be able to report that Mackenzie is doing better today. Yesterday (Thursday), was a very difficult day for her. My roommate usually feeds all of the dogs in the morning and I feed them in the evening, but I had a note waiting for me when I woke up explaining that Mackenzie had refused food and water and was very lethargic. Immediately, knowing how Kenz is, I was concerned. She has had many issues with medications in the past causing colic-like illnesses and I was worried that the Carprofen was potentially causing a similar issue. And, to compound matters, Mackenzie was feverish, her ear was red and inflamed, and she was obviously very uncomfortable. I knew calling the vet at that point would not be productive (as I work in the vet clinic and handle similar issues there) and so I just monitored her for the morning and early afternoon. When afternoon came and went with her still not doing better, I did check in with the vet who advised me to try to get her to eat something so that she could get her medication -- the theory being that if the meds helped ease her pain we would know it was the ear infection and not the pain medication causing her discomfort. Thankfully, I was finally able to get her to eat some plain meatballs I cooked up and she was given her pain medication and her ear drops. And, thank God, within the next hour she was starting to perk up. From then on, she improved throughout the night.

Mackenzie's ear was still very pink this morning and she did not want me to clean it, but I did and then applied the drops about an hour later. She ate her regular breakfast and got her pain pill and was as rambunctious as ever. I'm seeing a lot more debris (she has a fairly serious yeast infection in her right ear) and the vet, today, explained that I'm seeing more due to the fact that her ear canal is not as swollen shut as it had been earlier in the week. So, cleaning the ear daily and using the ear drops will help Kenz significantly improve over the next couple of days. The pain meds will run out by the end of this weekend and the goal is to keep her off of them next week despite continuing with treatment. Her appetite has much improved and she was being her typical terror of a self and so I'm grateful we're seeing some solid improvement over yesterday, but we still have a ways to go. Until yesterday, she was very uncomfortable with anyone touching her ear, but it seems that it's becoming itchy now and she wants us to rub it. And, so, between my roommate and I, we're massaging her ears for about 10 minutes per hour. The vet agrees that this will help work out the debris and offer her some relief from the itching. Let me just say that I never realized just how terrible ear infections in dogs could be.

Today was a good day for Kenz and I hope tomorrow will be even better. I hate seeing my baby in pain, but I know we're on the right track now. Thank you all for your vibes and well wishes -- here's to hoping that we continue moving forward from stinky, itchy, and painful ears to fresh, clean, and healthy ears .

And, now...with a content Mackenzie in tow, I'm heading to bed. 'Night all!

So glad that MacKenzie is on the road to recovery. What a lucky dog to have such a caring knowledgeable human to cater to her. Reading posts like yours makes me so happy, and I try very hard not to think about all the dogs who don't get this kind of care when they have ear problems.

MacKenzie

It has been just over a week since Mackenzie started treatment for a rather severe yeast infection in her right ear. She officially finished her pain medication (Carprofen) on Sunday and has, at least, another week of Zybox for the infection. She has returned to her normal schedule and is eating, drinking, playing, and eliminating just fine. However, her ear is still quite inflamed and there is a lot of debris still being cleaned out daily. It looks like we've turned a major corner over the weekend, but it's still a process and I'm anxiously waiting for her follow-up appointment next Monday. But, moving in the right direction is still moving in the right direction in my book. And, I think both myself and Mackenzie are grateful for that.

My roommate and I are still gently massaging Kenzie's ears for about 10 minutes each hour. And, I've been cleaning her ear every morning with the ear cleanser from the vet's office and then wiping them out with a cotton ball. I've even used q-tips a number of times when the debris was especially bad (I have been trained to do it the proper way at work and don't necessarily recommend anyone doing that without training first). Her ear canal is about 75% open now and the swelling has decreased some, but it's still got a ways to go. And, I think an infection is starting in the left ear so I've gotten the go ahead to begin treating the other ear more aggressively as well. But, with all that being said, I'm thankful to see that she's feeling better and that she's on the mend. It's all looking up and, I hope, by this time next week, I'll be able to say that she's at 95% or better. And, I think I will.

Thank you for your continued vibes and, please, if you can, please keep them coming . She's been such a good girl throughout this and I just want her to feel completely better. But, in time, I know we'll get there -- it just reminds me to be grateful that I've been able to afford her treatment (since I was unemployed for so long) and that I work in such a caring, informative environment that fosters my growth and the health of my loved ones...especially the little furry ones...

Thanks for the update! You're doing a great job with her. Ears can be tricky and it's wonderful that you have the skills to take care of her at home.

MacKenzie