My dog is in lots of pain with a bad ear infection- what can I do until the vet office opens?

Question

I have a year and a half Samoyed, Monty. He is a very healthy boy and this is the first issue he's ever had. He has been out of sorts for 2 days: pacing around the house a bit, and he let out a short muffled whine yesterday that only lasted a second. (I thought he was dreaming.) Today he barely left his crate and when he walks he tilts his head low to the ground, and his eyes look like he is in a lot of pain.

My dog is no wuss- he never whimpers during blood tests and needles, and when he got neutered he never missed a beat. But he's suffering now. He's pacing everywhere as we speak and he looks miserable. His ear is inflamed and brick red and my husband says it smells a bit. So yeast infection, I guess. But it must really hurt.

What can I do until I can get him to the vet? Can I give him a quarter of an aspirin? I would love to take his pain away a little so he could sleep. Poor baby. Should I take his temperature? (I have a thermometer).

He's about 55 pounds, in perfect health, and he's not taking any other meds.

I really appreciate your help :)

Answer 1

My dog who recently passed away used to get these a lot and TABLE food is a HUGE no no....the vet jumped back and said NO TABLE food! he said it can go to the brain and kill them.  I had to take him 2 times to the vet and he came home with about 4 products but it certainly did the trick!  Good luck and give your dog a kiss and hope he gets to the vet soon.  He needs relief.  I don't know if this home remedy works below ---

Answer 2

just because your vet isn't opened, it does not mean there isn't one opened out there. you should go to an emergency clinic. your dog is worth the extra 30 minutes of driving. don't give it anything, no aspirin or anything, don't want to risk it. take him to an emergency room, or wait till your vet is opened. good luck, i hope he gets better :)

Answer 3

My dog is a pug and he has the same thing. Its called a yeast infection. We bought him some ear meds from the pet store and then we got some from the vet when they opened. Its fine to put alcohol in his ears. That's what the vet even told us to do. Hope your little guys gets better! Even thought i dont know him, give him lots of oxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoox for me!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Awe the poor guy! I wouldn't give him any kind of meds until you talk to the Vet. Call an emergancy Vet, they should be able to tell you over the phone what to do until you can get him in to his Vet. Good Luck. You can put some peroxide in his ear, it will fizz and drive him nuts but I wouldn't try anything else until you speak to a Vet.

Answer 5

if there is an e-vet near you take him there. if not, children's tylenol until you can get to the regular vet. the tylenol will help him sleep. don't put anything in his ears. you can try ice though to help with the redness. sorry your baby is in pain, this is what i had to do for my furbaby until the next morning.

Answer 6

There is likely an emergency vet clinic near by to you (it might be an hour away), and if you're extremely concerned and can't wait until the regular vet opens, you could call them and head there with your dog.

Do not put anything in his ear right now.  It may seem like you really need to do something, but in the matter of a few hours, you could do more damage than good, since your vet hasn't diagnosed it yet.  It could look like one issue, but be something else different entirely.  Treating an unknown issue could be potentially very dangerous and possibly more painful.

For a dog of his weight, give him one baby aspirin, about 80mg.  Don't use those children's flavored ones if you can help it, but if that is all you have available at home or at a grocery store, it is better than nothing.  Usually, there's a Saint Joseph's brand of low-dose aspirin, or a baby aspirin brand, and that typically is a 1 pill dose of around 80mgs (sometimes 81 or 82, its all fine if it is about 80).  Give it to your pup in a little peanut butter or wrapped in a slice of cheese, and just make sure he swallows it down.  The little bit of cheese or peanut butter will help coat his stomach, since aspirin can be subtly harsh to a dog's system.  It will make him feel a great deal better, especially if it doesn't upset his tummy by giving him the pill with some cheese.

If you can wait until the regular vet opens, just continue to give the 1 dose of aspirin through the night as prescribed on the box (usually about every 4-6 hours).  You may also need to take him out more often for potty.  Some dogs have trouble with accidents in the house when they aren't feeling well.  Also, be sure he is staying hydrated.  If he isn't drinking water, provide him some ice cubes.  If he won't eat ice cubes either, get a baby medicine dropper and a bottle of unflavored Pedialyte (can be found at the grocery store, a convenience store, etc) and give him a dropper full about every 15-30 minutes, and give him more if he'll let you.  This will keep him from getting dehydrated during the night until you get to the vet.  Many dogs stop drinking when they don't feel well, and can turn what is a managable problem into something major when they end up dehydrated.  It can happen a lot faster than you think.

Good luck.  It's hard when your dog isn't feeling well.  Make sure his favorite sleeping place is nice and comfy, provide water nearby (as close as possible so he doesn't have to go far to get it), and keep him as comfy as you can.

Answer 7

My vet says baby aspirin!

Answer 8

Don't put alcohol or peroxide in the ear. It is very painful. I don't know your time zone, but local pet shops sell ear cleaner which may help until the vet can give you some antibiotics. He will be ok, just very miserable until the morning. Any human ear cleaner or plain saline may help.