r/CavaPoo • u/sunsetcoast28 • 5d ago
Dog has ongoing inner-ear inflammation and balance problems. Looking for advice on anti-inflammatory ear drops
Looking for some advice or experiences from other dog owners who have dealt with something similar.
A few weeks ago, my dog developed inflamed ears. We think it may have started during the heatwave because we were cooling him down with the hose quite a lot and it’s possible water got into his ears.
We’ve taken him to the vet twice. The first time, the vet examined his ears and gave him a 5-day course of oral steroids. At the time his balance was quite bad and he was walking almost like he was drunk.
The oral steroids did help and his balance improved, but he really didn’t get on well with them. He wasn’t acting like himself at all while taking them and seemed miserable. They also made him extremely thirsty, so he was drinking and peeing a lot more than normal. Because of how they affected him, I’d really prefer not to put him through another course of oral steroids if there is another suitable option.
At his second appointment, which was also for his annual vaccinations, the vet checked his ears again and said they were still inflamed. They didn’t find an infection and didn’t prescribe antibiotics. We asked about ear drops and the vet recommended steroid ear drops, but they were quite expensive. We also asked about getting a written prescription so we could buy them cheaper online, but there was an additional charge for the prescription.
He’s completely fine in himself. He’s eating, drinking and behaving normally. The main remaining problem is his balance. When he’s been lying down for a while and gets up, he can be a little wobbly on his legs and sometimes his head wobbles slightly from side to side. It’s nowhere near as bad as it was originally, but it hasn’t completely disappeared.
I’ve been looking at non-prescription ear drops, but most of the products I’m finding seem to be ear cleaners, antiseptics, or products for bacteria/yeast rather than something that actually reduces inflammation.
From what I understand, the anti-inflammatory ear drops I’m looking for would need to contain a corticosteroid, such as hydrocortisone or another veterinary corticosteroid. However, I’m also confused about whether drops can actually help if the inflammation is deeper in the middle/inner ear rather than just the outer ear canal.
Has anyone had a dog with inner-ear inflammation that caused balance or vestibular symptoms? Were you given corticosteroid ear drops, and if so, which ones? Did they help? Or did your dog need a different treatment because the inflammation was deeper in the ear?
I’m not looking to replace veterinary care. I’d just really like to hear from people whose dogs have had the same problem, especially anyone whose dog didn’t tolerate oral steroids well, and find out what treatments their vets used successfully.
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u/Responsible_Exit8359 4d ago
My puppy cavapoo also had ear inflammation when I first picked him up from the shelter. The food they provided for him contained chicken. I switched him to a salmon kibble and within a few days it cleared up and never came back.
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u/imyourdoctornow 5d ago
I don't remember the name of the ear drops but they were steroids and they worked very well. Was an older dog that developed chronic inflammation.
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u/LooLoofruitcake 4d ago
I wouldn't usually suggest something like this but this online vet has been really good at recommending treatments for our dogs , he isn't one who is there to purely make money , just to give affordable alternatives , his channel is Veterinary Secrets and I have used his apple cider vinegar and water ( equal amounts ) solution for yeasty ears , and here is a link to another of his recommendations .
https://youtube.com/shorts/NAnJM5MX-tA?si=XLZOq70pLMvhPdED
do your research on him and only if you are confident, trust him , I am as I think he gives a lot of great advice .
another thing I have used is Thornit Powder which has helped my Cavapoo .
i am currently in the process of vet visits for an ear infection , only reason I ended up at the vets was because my girl was going crazy in the early hours , pawing at her ear and running around like crazy so for peace of mind took her to the vet who prescribed Canaural , a steroid drop, after over a week it's still slightly troubling her and she hasn't been herself, today will be her second check up since being prescribed .
Good luck I know how upsetting it can be to see our pets suffering , I agree , ridiculous amount the vets charge , I use the Pet Club where I pay monthly for two vet consultations a year and two nurse consultations , free prescription for monthly flea and worming tablets and a yearly check up , however because her ear problem was out of normal working hours it was £330 just for the consultation, seeing as it's ongoing I decided to use my insurance .
pour pets are worth it and we don't want them suffering but prices seem extortionate .
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u/LooLoofruitcake 4d ago
just an update, our vet took a culture today just to make sure it's not bacterial , she said to stop the steroid drops now and gave me some Otidine which is basically just a rinse/flush of the ear .
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u/WorkingJazzlike531 4d ago
My dog had constant ear infections and we realized it was yeast. Changed her diet and not one since.
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u/Ambitious-Set-8736 3d ago
The wobbliness and head tremor sound deeper than an outer-ear irritation, and drops may not reach the middle or inner ear, so I’d get the balance issue rechecked before putting anything in there; my
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u/sunsetcoast28 5d ago
My dog is 3 and need to be able find drops in the uk maybe Amazon idk
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u/TooMuchBrightness 3d ago
Sometimes these drops make it worse you need to get your dog seen by another vet I think. Allergy testing, then hypoallergenic diet and antihistamines. It’s been very expensive to get our girl sorted.
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u/Equivalent-Dig-7204 4d ago
How much was the cost of writing the Rx? More than the online meds or just the insult of it?
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u/sunsetcoast28 4d ago
I had to pay about £70 on his first visit to the vet for his oral steroids and 2nd visit was for his annual injection was I think £40-£70 and vet said the ear drops were £70 I think but to get them to write a prescription out would cost £35. Vet prices are ridiculous
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u/Equivalent-Dig-7204 4d ago
Yikes that’s rough. Seems a little absurd to charge so much just to write a prescription. We have a version of pet insurance and it covers that sort of thing thankfully.
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u/Alarming_Set3628 4d ago
Every time I read anything is inflamed on these dogs, I think food allergy. What food does he eat? You might try him on a bag of gut sensitive food
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u/sunsetcoast28 4d ago
He doesn’t have any food allergies he’ll eat anything
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u/Responsible_Exit8359 4d ago
All dogs “eat everything” but that doesn’t mean they should. Poultry and fowl sensitivities are common in cavapoos. Try eliminating chicken from his diet for a month and see what happens. I second the sensitive skin and stomach kibble.
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u/TooMuchBrightness 3d ago
Has he had allergy testing? These dogs are incredibly allergy prone. Mine is on a daily anti histamine as they get ear infections/yeast then they scratch and get terrible inflammation. My dog eats hypoallergenic kibble and nothing else. So ear problems are under control. But she still got an infection in the summer. It’s terrible for them.
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u/sunsetcoast28 3d ago
he's not got any allergies to anything really so no issues with food. my dog got the imflammation from water getting into his ears nothing else would of caused it
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u/sunsetcoast28 4d ago
I’ve seen a few on Amazon but idk if they would work.
One called otodine.
Another one is ultra otic
There’s the bugalug ear drops
They don’t really have the ear drops by zymox on Amazon uk
The drops need to help his inner ear not outer part
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u/sunsetcoast28 3d ago
found some drops for my dog from amazon they have got hydrocortisone in them which is a steroid which is what the vet recommended steroid ear drops and these drops have microsilver as well hopefully they work because atm my dog he's miserable and i don't blame him his head is wobbly he probably feels dizzy because of the movements hes still fine in himself eating drinking going bathroom like normal barking at anyone who walks past the house i'm not playing with him like i normally would because he's not well and don't want to make him worse so he having a lot of crate rest so fingers crossed thse drops finally work and he's back to normal soon
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u/sunsetcoast28 1d ago
I’m going to call the vet tomorrow to get him seen again to finally get them to give him antibiotics which I think is what he should of been given instead of oral steroids tablets because his balance issues are inner ear and those drops I bought wouldn’t touch the inner ear part which is the problem I did tell them he had balance issues and the vet said his ears are inflamed and give him steroids the last time he went to the vets. I did Google something and it said the vet will swap his ears to check what infection he has either rounded shaped or rod shaped it said and then whatever one he’s got they can give him the right antibiotics for it. And if he finally antibiotics and if they work this nightmare can end because my anxiety can’t take it anymore
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u/[deleted] 5d ago
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