Dog Ear Yeast Infection

Yeast organisms are not usually the primary cause of ear infections, but they certainly do invade dog ears that are already red, moist, and irritated from other causes. Once a dog ear yeast infection is established it makes the ear much more painful and stinky and it's difficult to solve the ear problem without also treating the yeast problem.

Some veterinarians will diagnose a yeast infection based on smell alone. Others will require a yeast culture to confirm the diagnosis. Yeast is rarely the main problem, however, and there will be a need to treat additional problems. Just cleaning out a dog's ears is not likely to be enough.

When a veterinarian finds a dog ear yeast infection, he knows that there are probably underlying causes like allergies to things they breathe, eat or come into physical contact with. To treat a dog ear yeast infection the veterinarian will likely recommend a mild vinegar wash. It is an inexpensive and often adequate as a treatment. Vinegar is mildly acetic and yeast doesn't survive well in an acid environment.

There are, however, some problems associated with a vinegar ear wash. First, it is often not successful; probably because the pH change isn't extreme enough or long enough in duration to solve the problem. Vinegar can sting quite a bit and dogs don't like it. Also, vinegar can damage the ear drum and must be done very carefully.

There are many different ear washes that a veterinarian can prescribe or recommend to treat the dog ear yeast infection as the underlying causes are being treated. There are several brands, but many vets sell an ear cleaner/flush that lowers the pH of the ear canal which successfully kills the yeast. These prescription products tend to work better than vinegar treatments.

There are products that treat bacterial, as well as, yeast infections. Some are topical ointments and some come in shampoo form. They have varying degrees of success at killing yeast. If one doesn't work, another might be more effective.

Shampoos do work well when the whole dog needs to be treated and not just the ears.