Hi, I’m sorry to hear this! Ears can be very troublesome. Please please don’t pluck your dogs ear hair. It’s painful and can lead
to further infection. Has your vet taken a swab of your dogs ears to ascertain what/if bacteria/yeasts are the cause? Given the history you have provided I would be looking at anaesthetising your dog (provided pre-GA bloods are okay and your dog is otherwise healthy) and thoroughly cleaning out both ears before installing a long acting antibiotic anti yeast product in line with the culture and sensitivity findings from the swabs taken. This way you’re more likely to get a targeted response and the right treatment initiated. Failing that some recurrent ear infections can sometimes be down to food allergies or intolerances. These are quite uncommon but can account for approximately 10% of food allergies. (So around 1/10 Dogs who have skin or ear conditions can be attributed to food allergies) In this instance another blood test can be performed to ascertain which foods your dog is allergic to but the best way of working it out is to do a food elimination trial. This is usually eight weeks where you try and only give them a specific type of protein and carbohydrate source which is usually fish and potato-based. There are some extremely good and reliable ready-made diets from Hills and Royal Canin which will be able to help you with that. Please don’t be persuaded to buy off-the-shelf products that claim to be hypoallergenic. The
Manufacturing process in non prescription diets doesn’t reliably provide the type of solution that your potentially food allergic dog may have. Please do this with the guidance and support of your veterinary surgeon. I’m really sorry you’re struggling with this and feel sad for your little dog. Ear infections are really sore and can really make an otherwise happy dog miserable. I think you need to have a really good chat with your vet about where to go from here, and you may have a longer road to recovery than just a weeks worth of antibiotics etc. Also it’s worth bearing in mind that pain relief is important to keep your dog comfy (non steroidals are most commonly prescribed for this sort of issue although if your dog is on steroids to calm the ear inflammation then your vet will most likely choose not to add in pain relief of the NSAID variety) Again, sorry you’re having to go through this. Skin and ear conditions make up a vast percentage of the cases I see and they can be very difficult to get on top of, or face recurring issues. Hopefully you’re insured and they can help with some of the costs?
Please feel free to PM me if I can be of any further help. (Sorry if this reads a bit all over the place- just putting kids to bed)