Dog ear infection with yeast: Is amoxicillin the right treatment?

Ear infections are usually treated with an antibiotic ointment that is placed directly in the ear and left in the ear to work in between cleanings. A typical schedule of cleanings include cleaning out the affected ear every twelve hours, placing the ointment in the ear, massaging and letting it set. This continues for a period of 7-10 days to completely clear the infection. There are some OTC ear infection ointments available but it is likely you will need to visit your vet for a prescription version. Amoxicillin is a general antibiotic and is more common in other infections such as skin or minor internal infections. It is best to check with your vet to see if it is appropriate for your dog's type of ear infection rather than just giving it. Giving the wrong medication or wrong dosage for the problem can actually make it worse, or even make your dog very ill.

Yeast ear infections often need antifungal topical ear medications to help resolution. Most topical ear medications will also contain an antibiotic (not always needed) and a steroid, which will help with the itch the yeast can cause. I would recommend that you discuss the proper medication with your veterinarian. Many times yeast ear infections are caused by too much moisture in the ear (like after swimming in a pool or lake) or from inflammation caused by allergies (from fleas, food, environment, etc.). If Tiki has recurrent yeast ear infections, you may need to have her vet work up allergies as the primary problem. For minor yeast ear infections that aren't red, swollen, or itchy, you can try an ear cleanser to help remove the yeast. If you do this for a couple days and it isn't better, than she will probably need prescription medications.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The most important aspect of treating an ear infection is applying the appropriate medication (determined based on ear cytology, or looking at a sample of ear discharge on a microscope slide) directly into the ear canal as a topical treatment to the infection. Sometimes, particularly if the eardrum is ruptured, a dog may be put on an oral course of antibiotics and/or antifungals (depending on the type of infection), but penicillin would not be a usual antibiotic choice as it is unlikely to address the more common causes of ear infections. Therefore, injectable penicillin is not a typical component of treating an ear infection. I recommend you have Aerial seen by your primary veterinarian, and they can help guide you on an appropriate treatment of the infection; injectable antibiotics should never be used without the guidance of a veterinarian.

Hello. Otomax is a broad spectrum medication the contains an antibiotic, antifungal as well as a steroid. It is possible that the steroid is preventing the lesion from healing. I would talk to your vet about this & switching to another antibiotic such as silver sulfadiazine. If it still does not heal, the lesion may need to be cultured or biopsied to identify why it is not healing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Clavamox will clear-up some infections, but not all and is usually given in more severe cases of ear infections. Ear infections usually have a primary cause that allows it to be infected and allergies are a common primary cause. If your vet recently evaluated him, then I would assume they would have noticed this and it would be worth giving your vet a call to see if this was a consideration when they prescribed the clavamox. Otherwise, the vet would need to evaluate him again to determine what the problem is and the necessary treatment. I hope that helps and he gets better soon.

Yes, cleaning solutions are good but it is likely that the signs you are describing are compatible with an ear infection and antibiotic+anti-inflammatories ear drops are needed. I would strongly recommend a check up, an otoscopic examination (your vet will have a look down in the ear canal) and appropriate treatment.

This looks like a very severe infection possibly due to bacterial proliferation inside the ear canal. Unfortunately antibiotics and antiinflammatory drops are needed in this case to be able to resolve the problem effectively.