Drug and Steroid-Free Holistic Approach to Ear Infections
I must say that even a day ago, I was not planning to write about ears. In fact, most vets find ear infections in dogs the black abyss of veterinary medicine.
ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids – ear flush – antibiotics – steroids
The best case scenario is that the suppression with steroids will eventually make the ears better, but the overall health of your dog worsens.
The worst case scenario leads to ear surgery – called partial or full ear ablation, which, in other words, is a removal of the ear canal and sometimes the whole ear. I am shivering just thinking about this. Imagine the agony? It's no wonder that these poor dogs often end up being nervous wrecks.
And so, I am here typing away with the hope that if I write about ears for the next few weeks, I will make a difference in at least a few canine lives.
What is coming
My plan is to rock the conventional ear treatment world foundations. In fact, I need to because the use of antibiotics and steroids does not address the core of ear problems and so many dogs suffer unnecessarily.
In the course of the next few weeks, I will share with you the following:
1. The true causes of ear conditions.
2. A step-by-step treatment guide for ear conditions.
3. Diet and supplements that address ear problems.
4. How to look after healthy ears.
5. and more….
True causes of ear conditions
I must be honest here. As soon as I wrote the title, I realized that this could be a book and not just a simple newsletter.
But then I thought, wait a minute, how about if I simply write about what I have learned about the causes of ear problems.
First, I would like to start with rare conditions that cause ear infections:
1. Ear mites in less than five percent of dogs; in fact, almost never.
2. Frequent swimming - it is not a cause because most dogs swim and have no ear problems.
3. Not enough ear cleaning.
4. Allergies are a sudden reaction to a specific food and people often mistake it with food intolerance.
Ear problems appear to be closely connected to the following:
1. Liver balance
2. Inappropriate diet for dogs, like processed food
3. Neck injury (trauma, collars)
4. Tightness in the temporal-mandibular joint. Dogs often scratch their ears when this happens
5. Lumbar injury which affects the intestinal tract and therefore the ears
6. Too much ear cleaning is a very frequent mistake
7. Too frequent treatment like repeated drug administration causes bacterial resistance and severe deep infections
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The red light
The red lightMost people see ear infections as a problem that relates only to the ears themselves. However, the reality is that the ears only signal that the body is out of balance and in distress. They are the ‘warning light’ that something is going on at the systemic level.
The biggest myth about ears
It is a common belief that when ears get waxy or infected cleaning will help. In fact, the only time I recommend cleaning is once at the beginning of the treatment and then wait and see.
Frequent ear cleaning often disturbs the ears and also introduces more resistant pathogenic bacteria, such as proteus or pseudomonas, which are very difficult to treat.
The discharge or wax that you clean out usually builds up again quickly and if you try to clean it out over and over again, your dog will slide into a vicious cycle of never ending ear problems.
The rule of thumb is when your dog’s ears are sore, focus on the overall health and the ears will follow.
I know this recommendation is contrary to some practitioners who suggest frequent cleaning. In my experience, this approach makes ear problems worse.
Why are ear problems so challenging to treat?
Most people have preconceived ideas about ear problems, about bacteria, too much water in the ear, not enough cleaning etc…
The first step to addressing your dog’s ear issues successfully is to open your mind to the likely possibility that your dog’s ear problems are systemic and that local treatment is unlikely to help without causing more damage systemically. It can be compared to washing your car instead of fixing the engine that leaks oil.
Of course, this is just a metaphor.
Take part in our natural ear treatment challenge!
If your dog is suffering from ear problems and you have had an exam done by your care provider to make sure that your dog is okay otherwise, I invite you to try our ear tune up protocol that works for the majority of dogs with ear problems.
All I am asking, is for you to keep your mind open and see what happens.
Action plan for dogs with ear problems
Originally, I intended to introduce you to feeding an all-natural diet because it is so important, but then I decided to postpone it to week two.
Today, I will focus on gently detoxing your dog's body.
I mentioned before that when ears get inflamed, it is usually a signal that something else is going on. Commonly it is a signal that the body is toxic. My experience is dogs are exposed to increasingly higher amounts of toxic substances from medication, food, and the environment. Treating ears can be relatively easy when you use the following:
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Collect your dog’s hair and get a HairQ Test done to check his or her mineral and heavy metal levels. You will receive your dog's results in 4-8 weeks.- Start GreenMin – a chlorophyll, amino acid and mineral rich formula to gently cleanse the digestive tract and provide missing nutrients. In order for your dog’s ears to start healing, you need to ensure that the digestive tract is in top notch condition and that your dog gets essential nutrients. I cannot emphasize this enough. No matter what food you feed, it is depleted of essential nutrients because of today’s intensive agriculture and soil depletion. GreenMin is a simple and economical solution to this problem. In fact, GreenMin is a human grade, all-natural product that both myself and my dog Skai take every day.
- Start your dog on LiverTune - a liver cleanse formula that is beneficial for dogs. Keep your dog on this treatment for an initial 4 week cleanse and then ongoing for 1 week per month as part of preventive care.
- If you would like more details on the above-mentioned products and supplements click here.
Collect your dog’s hair and get a CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 ON EAR INFECTIONS IN DOGS
