When dogs eat wheat they don’t break it down properly. Bits of it hang around the gut causing all sorts of problems, most notably arousing the immune system and this results in inflammation. This inflammation can materialise in the gut as you might expect (IBS type symptoms / diarrhoea / anal gland issues) but from here it can travel to the skin (recurring skin rash / atopic dermatitis / nibbly toes / terrible itch), eyes (weepy) or the ears.

When this inflammation pops up in the ear the ear flap and canal will swell a little, turning red and heating up, as blood and immune debris rush to the area. This irritates the dog, resulting in head shaking, rubbing, whining while he delicately puts his toe nail in there. Dark brown wax (gunk coming out of the body) will build but it won’t stink per se, not like a yeast infection.

This sort of ear “infection” is far and away the most popular ear issue in (dry fed) dogs today. Wheat is in their dry food, their treats, dental sticks, milk bones, the crust of bread in the morning, all that stuff. Nor is it just wheat. Ultra processed food contains all the top canine food allergens including soy, meat meal, countless horrible chemicals and dust mites. Some pretend to be “hypoallergenic” but it is nothing of the sort.

The cure to this type of ear infection is cutting out the majority if not all the foodstuffs mentioned. It does not (yet) require antibiotics. If you suspect this might be happening in your dog then please read the most popular article on our site – Food Allergies in Dogs. It will explain the cause of and dietary solution to your dog’s woes. 

2/4 Dog Ear Infections Related to Bacteria

Any dog can get a bacterial infection of their ear for various reasons. They can be simply unlucky, for sure, but that is surely rare. As with 9/10 dogs developing gum disease by three years of age, nature didn’t drop the ball here, we’re all pretty robust coming off the assembly line. Something is causing all these ear infections and the fact remains fresh fed dogs seem far less prone to this issue. 

More often than not, a bacterial ear infection in your dog is actually a secondary issue to the food sensitivity above. The dog itches his irritated ears so much he cuts one and now pathogenic bacteria can get in. While your vet may tackle the infection, the way to avoid this is the future is to reduce that inflammation in the ear….by getting the diet right.

Food aside, some dogs have ears that are perfect breeding grounds for infections – some breeds have fluffy ears, others have hanging down ear flaps. Both hold the moisture in (normally, a wild canid’s ears are supposed to be up and well ventilated). One swim in a river, home to the heat, add a little scratch for good measure and bingo, he gets an infection.

Again, a bacterial infection won’t stink. If you suspect a bacterial infection, the most potent antibacterial available to you would be garlic oil. Clean the ears twice daily. Use cotton swabs. One wipe, throwaway. One wipe. Throw away. Never use the same swab in each ear.

You can make your own garlic oil by soaking crushed cloves of garlic in olive oil and then straining. Some recommended a gentle cooking of this mixture to kill any bacteria present.

If you want to pick up a product to save you time I recommend this mullein garlic oil on Amazon. It’s been turbo charged with all sorts of anti-inflammatories include Mullein and Calendula. Folk have had a lot of success with it as you can see by the reviews in Amazon. Only $12 or so. Bargain.

The glorious thing about garlic oil is that it’s great for yeast too, so you might kill two birds with one stone trying this one.

3/4 Dog Ear Infections Related to Yeast

Dog ears are nice, warm places. All you need is a little moistness, say from licked paws or simply a moment’s innocent wetting, and yeast will bloom. You’ll know it’s there because you’ll smell it. It’s horrible.

As with bacterial infections above yeast infections are often related to diet, in that you see so few of them in dogs fed biologically appropriate food.

The thing is yeast LOVES carbs. Carbs are sugar to the body and that’s what yeast eats. Carbs / sugar in your dogs diet would be cereal for sure, dental sticks (whose third ingredient is sugar) but also fruit, potatoes, rice and the sweeter veg like carrots.

If your dog is suffering a yeast infection of the ear the best ear cleaner is vinega. While any will do, apple cider vinegar is the best. You want the stuff with the mother in it (the cloudy stuff with the bits in the bottom) but you don’t want the bits in the mix you put in the ears! Pour through some cloth and use it neat. Incredibly effective for yeast but also bacteria and really anything living.

Before using vinegar make sure there are no cuts in his ear. Don’t worry, it won’t kill him. If there was a little cut in there you missed, he’ll let you know.

They can get yeast infections in other damp spots too, eg fat folds on a bulldog and paws are a common one. You can use vinegar there too as long as his skin is not cracked.

Lastly, yeast hates garlic. Include a little fresh garlic in their food. Yes, garlic is safe for dogs. Half a clove (chopped fine or pulped) per 15kg of dog is a good dose. Also keeps the flea and worms away! 

4/4 Dog Ear Infections Related to Mites

Dog ear infections from a mite infection can happen, albeit this too is suspected to be a secondary resulting from an impaired immunity. The things is, dust mites are all over the place. They’re on us all the time. They eat our dead skin (and we make lots of that, it’s pretty much all the dust in your house). We’ve evolved to live with them for the most part. A robust immune system and body chemistry keeps them in check for the most part, so why do they suddenly get a hold and cause issues?

Well, as with a flea or mage outbreak, a natural vet would not be as consumed with the critters as your conventional vet. They are more consumed with the question “what has happened under the hood that enabled these guys took hold?”. 

There are many things that will negatively affect your dog’s immune system. One thing is obviously an underlying sickness. Another is age, very old and very young dogs have decreased and undeveloped immune systems respectively. Another would be if the dog had a food sensitivity and you continually fed him let’s say wheat based dry food. Another is stress (dogs in kennels are far more likely to get mange, not simply as there are other dogs about, after all there is always mites and other dogs about!).

Whatever the cause a good wipe with apple cider vinegar on a cotton swab sorts those ear mites out good and proper! Another one is garlic oil. It is THE bug killer.

How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Step 1. Give the ears a wipe first with cotton swabs to remove and major dirt from inside the ear, giving us better access to the ear canal later.

Step 2: Use a cotton ball. Dip a cotton ball in very warm mixture of olive and garlic oil. We don’t use water in ears, it helps the bacteria / yeast / mites). We heat it to help soften the wax. Place that in the ear and massage the ear over it, paying particular attention to the base of the ear (where the canal is). The cotton ball will absorb excess solution and it will grab onto the debris as it comes up! You can change the ball a few times each treatment.

Step 3: Use cotton swabs again to wipe the ear clean and dry. Wipe once, dump, repeat. Remember don’t use the same swab for the same ear.

Step 4: A final wipe with a solution of choice is now recommended. If you suspect yeast then a final wipe of ACV will dry out the area, sucking water from the yeast, killing it instantly. A final swab with garlic oil or any other natural anti-bacterial mix will make things very unpleasant for bacteria.

Notes: Use lots of meaty treats during the process. They make everything easier. Do not use cotton ball cue tips. They can hurt and force the bad stuff the wrong way.

Also please note that if you do find yourself at the vet with a potential ear infection and they prescribe antibiotics know that less than a quarter of ear infections are bacteria related. Most are something else, meaning the antibiotics are absolutely useless. It is the cleaning of the ear that does the trick, not the tablets. We need to tackle the over-use of antibiotics in dogs together.

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