Author: Sam

Pupdate: Sammie

Posted on by Sam

Sammie has been through all her pain pills and antibiotic, and we were diligent about flushing her ear tube and ear canal. About a week in, however, the tube quit draining. We called the vet, and they thought it might be a clog – they suggested we try putting peroxide through it and massage it to try and break it up. If that didn’t work, they could do it in their office.

Well, we tried without success so took her to the vet yesterday. Good news: her ear actually looked pretty good and they removed the tube! She still needs to go in next week to have her stitches removed, but we are on the right path.

She hasn’t come out the other side unscathed, however. Her ear doesn’t stick up fully anymore. But I think this makes her look even more endearing. What do you all think?

Back to the Vet

Posted on by Sam

Remember how I took Sammie to the vet to remedy her near-constant itchiness? The shot worked for a long time, but eventually the itchies returned, and her ears have continued to look flaky and gunky. We tried prescription diet food (but how do you prevent a toddler from sharing with a highly food-driven pooch?), we have tried different kinds of flushes, we have tried removing her new collar (I put it on her around the same time her ears got bad), and we have tried Benadryl and Allegra – all to no avail.

Family photo

I guess her ears were bothering her especially badly yesterday because we woke up this morning and the poor girl had a hematoma in her right ear (I knew something was wrong when her ear was floppy!). I took her to the vet first thing to have it drained. She’s now snoozing on the floor of our house. The vet said there was bacteria in her ear, and the drainage wasn’t all bloody, so we have:

  • An antibiotic, to fight an infection she may already have and to prevent a new one
  • Pain medicine, to help her feel better while she heals today and tomorrow
  • A tube flush, to keep the site clean
  • An ear flush, to help kick the bacterial infection

We go back in two weeks to check her progress and have the drainage tube removed. We’re also starting her back on a grain free food, to see if that brings her any relief (we had started her on a grain recipe when all the news came out about how bad grain free is for dogs’ hearts).

Keep your fingers crossed that all of this will bring our sweet girl some relief!