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One of the most misunderstood problems in dogs is the ultimate cause of chronic and recurring
ear disease. For many years, clinicians have been diagnosing ear disease as yeast or bacterial
infections. We have done a modest job in treating the current infection, but have done a very
poor job in helping your pet prevent recurrences.
Food-related allergies, also known as cutaneous adverse food reactions, can cause significant
and chronic changes within the ear canal. Here's what happens:
If your dog is allergic to beef, for example, the immune system's response affects skin
tissues, such as the lining of the ear canals. There is chronic over-stimulation of the wax
producing glands producing hyperplasia and increased secretion of wax. This excessive
production of wax is then colonized by yeast and bacteria. Then, we see that end-result: a
severe yeast infection, with your pet shaking its head, scratching at the ear, and a foul
odor and discharge. In the past, we treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
With increased use of video otoscopy , we now are able to see the lining of the ears more
clearly. Hyperplasia of the ceruminous glands (see above) looks like a cobblestone street. This change
can, over the long run, reduce the diameter of the ear canal, causing stenosis and trapping of
the secreted wax material.
Certain breeds are predisposed to this process because their ears contain a higher number of
wax glands (black Labrador Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, and Springer Spaniels).
Simply changing foods is the solution. Of course the difficult thing is identifying the foods
that are causing the reaction.
We recommend, in these cases, placing your dog on Hill's Z/D. This diet is made specifically
for food allergies. By feeding Z/D and eliminating all other foods, the pet's allergies
quiet down. The pet's ears are no longer over-stimulated to make excessive wax and the
numbers of yeast/bacteria are reduced. After 4-6 weeks, we can start re-introducing single
foods, one-by-one.
If your dog has recurring or chronic ear infections, he/she may be suffering from food-related
allergies. Call us for an appointment.
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