Speaking of ears

[JennaPenny]

They SMELL.

I took her to the vet for a thorough exam last week; one that came highly recommended (thanks to the person who gave me the referral!) and, while she screamed when the Vet touched her ears, he gave the all clear and said not a thing was wrong with them. She's a bit picky about her ears, and as of this point will only let me touch them with any regularity. Vet told me to tell my husband and daughter to handle them as often as possible, so she'll get over that particular fear.

Any way, she has no infection or mites. They just smell. Any particular ideas on that? It's not an "OH MY GOD!" smell, but, compared to the rest of her, it's surprising.

[Wylie's Mom]

If the smell really is noticeable, then I'd be suspecting some yeast. Our Wylie's ears used to be much more smelly, but when we went to grain-free foods, that really changed for the better. Whatcha feeding? Maybe switching foods would help as many dogs are sensitive to grains (which yeast LOVES!) due to being carnivores...

[JennaPenny]

Royal Canin- mini puppy formula. Grain free? I see that you guys have feeding information so I can look it up there right now.

Which brand in particular do you use? She's a great eater, so I'm certain we won't have much problems changing up, and I've been reading more and more on years infections in the ears.

I AM surprised to know that it's not easily noticed, but, I can see why I guess- especially if it's all clear during an exam. Thanks!!!

[Wylie's Mom]

I feed pre-made frozen raw by either Primal or Natures Variety.

But kibbles I like/respect are Natures Logic (esp the venison!), Natures Variety, Wellness Core, Solid Gold's Barking At The Moon or Wee Bits, Orijen or Acana...to name a few.

Btw, I do kind of think that sometimes puppy ears might be a bit more smelly in general bc they're teething etc - so maybe it's from that too.

[Magnus]

I've heard a lot of good things about raw food. But I'm actually feeding my two The Honest Kitchen. It's basically dehydrated human grade food.

Zoey used to have smelly ears. I noticed Magnus licking them.. When vet looked, she said Zoey had a slight yeast infection. So came home with some ear drops and cleaning instructions. Haven't had that problem since changing food.

[canana]

When I first got Scottie at 5 months, he had smelly ears due to a minor yeast infection, rashes on his belly, and a lot of dandruff.

I too read great things about feeding raw, either in the frozen form or the freeze-dried/dehydrated form. But it was a bit too pricey for me.

I switched his kibble food to Acana and then to Orijen and he's now got healthy everything now - no smelly ears, healthy skin, healthy hair. But, both Acana and Orijen is grain free and made of quality ingredients.

[JennaPenny]

Originally Posted by canana

When I first got Scottie at 5 months, he had smelly ears due to a minor yeast infection, rashes on his belly, and a lot of dandruff.

I too read great things about feeding raw, either in the frozen form or the freeze-dried/dehydrated form. But it was a bit too pricey for me.

I switched his kibble food to Acana and then to Orijen and he's now got healthy everything now - no smelly ears, healthy skin, healthy hair. But, both Acana and Orijen is grain free and made of quality ingredients.

Interesting that you mention that; She's conked out on my lap and she has dandruff- again. I heard her crunching on something that I couldn't find in her mouth a few minutes ago and am now wondering if she swallowed a baby tooth as I write this. sorry, sorry, I'm wandering a bit. She gets a lot of dandruff, and my husband reacts badly to it. We know shes getting it-again- when he sneezes and eyes turn red. Her hair is super soft and very healthy, so I'm left wondering if this is the culprit. For sure.

[canana]

If you notice a lot of dandruff, I would consider changing her food, whether feeding raw or a high quality grain-free kibble. The dandruff means her skin is dry and she'll likely scratch more, which won't help the skin or your husband's allergies. I am allergic to dogs and when I first got Scottie I suffered the whole itchy red watery eyes too, despite Yorkies being relatively hypo-allergenic. So it was very important to me that I got rid of his dandruff.

If you go with the grain-free kibble route, make sure you read the ingredients list. Prior to Acana and Orijen, Scottie also tried Fromm's Grain-Free kibble, which is known to be really good as well. They're really small bite sized pieces! Once you change the food, you may need to wait a month or so to notice changes. Just make sure you do the gradual transition if you do change kibbles. If you go with feeding raw, don't mix with kibble - they digest at different rates and could give your little one stomachaches.

Also consider giving her filtered water rather than tap water. That may help too. Yorkies are so sensitive

[JennaPenny]

Originally Posted by canana

If you notice a lot of dandruff, I would consider changing her food, whether feeding raw or a high quality grain-free kibble. The dandruff means her skin is dry and she'll likely scratch more, which won't help the skin or your husband's allergies. I am allergic to dogs and when I first got Scottie I suffered the whole itchy red watery eyes too, despite Yorkies being relatively hypo-allergenic. So it was very important to me that I got rid of his dandruff.

If you go with the grain-free kibble route, make sure you read the ingredients list. Prior to Acana and Orijen, Scottie also tried Fromm's Grain-Free kibble, which is known to be really good as well. They're really small bite sized pieces! Once you change the food, you may need to wait a month or so to notice changes. Just make sure you do the gradual transition if you do change kibbles. If you go with feeding raw, don't mix with kibble - they digest at different rates and could give your little one stomachaches.

Also consider giving her filtered water rather than tap water. That may help too. Yorkies are so sensitive

The filtered water was given from day one. I don't know if you follow much about autism and links with the water supply? I ask because most people don't follow it. My severely autistic son, who had sudden onset autism due to very apparent allergies with shots. He was conceived and in utero there for the first 5 months, when the brain does all the developing. I was drinking "safe" well water, that was later found to have high levels of percolate (rocket fuel) in it, and subsequently was cleaned up. Ky, my son, who is now in an institution and thriving, was found from a DAN! doc to have high levels of different things in his blood, including mercury. So was I, and I also was born and raised in that little pocket of the country. We are fanatics about water now, as you can understand. NONE of us touch tap water, and our baby sure wasn't going to drink it!