I have a 7 year old choc lab. I have recently in the last month taken her off kibble completely (I was giving her holistic atrium from walmart) as she has a sensitivity to corn and finding kibble at a decent price with no corn is impossible so I started making it.. she loved it.. but then a week or so ago, I switched from rice to Barley and added some new beans to the food.. she was eating it no problem and it made a big difference in her coat and her bowels, then 4 days ago she got bad diarehea.. really bad.like projectile poop,and she wouldn't eat.. so I got the diarehea under control.. with imodium and she ate some yogurt.. but no matter what I give her she will not eat.. she is hungry though,and will eat hotdogs.. treats if you give them to her.. but she will not eat the food.. Should I try her on kibble ? Could she have had a reaction to a bean? Or is she just sick of eating this food? I even did rice and hamburger.plain.she wouldn't eat it.. tuna and rice.. she wouldn't eat it.. Help?

Hopefully your lab is eating by now. If not, please take her to the vet as it has been far too long for her to be ill. In the meantime you can try her with small amounts of a mixture of boiled rice and hamburger with a bit of yogurt added. This will be both tasty to her and gentle to her stomach. Make sure she is drinking. It definitely seems like your poor gal has eaten something that she is intolerant to and that is possibly the food you have been preparing for her. If her corn sensitivity is minimal I would definitely go back to a kibble. There are many good dog foods that aren't too expensive that have lamb and rice as their main ingredient rather than corn and grains. I use Purina Pro Plan Lamb & Rice for my 3 dogs (one is a Chocolate Lab, one is a Golden Retriever and the other is a Bernese Mountain Dog - all said to be 'sensitive' breeds). It's slightly more expensive than your lower quality foods (not meaning to rock any boats here) but I get mine from a feed store and they have a plan where if I buy 10 bags I get one free. Also, note that the bags are larger and the food is smaller so you actually are getting more for your money.

I wonder why you felt she had a sensitivity to corn? Corn is actually an uncommon allergy but a commonly blamed suspected allergen. Has she been given the appropriate tests to rule out thyroid issues? Is it possibly an environmental allergy (ie: cleansing detergents on the floor or her bedding, carpet shampoos & fibres, air sprays, etc.) or yeast infections? I am always concerned when people make their own dog foods because they tend to over-supplement with vitamins, minerals and even oils. Often the diet and Omegas are unbalanced or there are important enzymes missing due to the cooking processes. Anyhow, right now the main issue is to have her feeling better as soon as possible.

Please let us know how she is doing.

Hugs, Didi

Thank you for your kind words Didi. I know my dog really well. I was hesitant to change her diet of kibble to the semi raw diet.but I have a good friend who has been doing the raw diet for 5 years with her two dogs and she is very informed on how to make the food and the right proportions.. It was my vet who said it was an allergy to corn.. She has had chronic yeast infections since 6 months old.. Once we removed her from a diet consisting of corn additives, it did get better.. but I have to tell you she still has an issue with one ear.. which is where she would get the yeast infection.. so perhaps it isn't corn,

Anyway she is eating now.. Once I got the diarehea under control I stared to give her rice and hamburger.. which she would not touch.. She would not touch anything that had to do with her food.rice.beans.. hamburger.. but she was taking treats.. hotdogs.. so I knew she was hungry... I decided to try the Grain Free kibble and she couldn't get to it fast enough.. Personally I think that when I changed from rice to Barley and put in new beans, she had a reaction to something and once she was feeling better.. she was scared to eat anything that remotely resembled tha food she had previously.She is fine now.. eating .playng and having regular bowel movements..

If you can give me any ideas about the ear.. other than the obvious.. A vet.. all they do is take my money each time and tell me the same thing and then perscribe the same thing.. if the medicine the gave me worked, I would not be back every 6 monbths for a recurring issue..

Thanks again

I'm so happy to read she's doing better for you! That's great!

Oh, my! You are having an issue with lab ear and yeast infections and your vet immediately thinks it's a corn allergy? I'm not saying they are wrong, but to me, a food allergy nearly almost manifests as an itchy, oozing skin condition and yeasty ear infections tend to indicate a systemic yeast infection. I'd say if your dog suffers from recurring yeast infections I would first ask the vet to check her thyroid (T3 & T4 thyroid test). Most dogs with yeast infections and allergies do have a thyroid issue. If the test is even low normal I'd ask to have her put on medication it to see if there is any change. If so, I think you may find the other issues clear up fine!

If your dog has been on antibiotics but the problem is yeast related then the antibiotics could actually be aggravating the condition! They remove the good bacteria from the dogs stomach. So, if your gal is on antibiotics frequently, I'd definitely give her probiotics at the same time to help keep things well balanced in there. :) Otherwise there is an overbalance of yeast growth because there isn't enough bacteria to keep it balanced.

Other than that, I'm not sure how often your dog is exposed to water - either in play, the rain or bathing, but if you notice she tends to get those ear problems in those situations there are a few things you can do. First, try to keep waters out of the ears as much as possible. When the dog is in water, make sure her ears are VERY well dried. You can also get a product from your vet called Otomax (or something similar... that's what I use here in Canada) for the ears. Clean your dogs ears on a regular basis with that, even if she doesn't have an infection. I squirt a bit in the ear, rub it in like crazy from the outside too loosen any dirt, let the dog shake it (sometimes the best place to do this is outside!) then take swabs of cotton and clean the outer part of the ear and the inner part (only gently on the exterior parts of the cavity) down to your first knuckle. Don't use Q-Tips or anything like that. I'm sure you probably know how to do this already if your gal has a lot of problems. I do my dogs ears weekly or at any sign of a problem.

The ears of water dogs are generally built a bit differently than a lot of other dogs ears are. I think it's to help keep water out, but of course, that also stops the water/moisture that does get in there from getting out. Your dog can also get an ear infection or ear pain from wind and cold, so if she's out in the cold or wind give them a quick squirt of the product and wipe them out gently and thoroughly then, too. That should REALLY help a lot. The product is NOT expensive and a little goes a long way. There are also products on the market and/or internet for your dog's ear issues that contain gentian violet, boric acid, and some have colloidal silver in them. The liquid forms contain isopropyl alcohol; the powders do not. They work quite well with swimmer's ear, yeasty ears or feet and hotspots. They cost about $1/ounce but you can get a 12 or 16 ounce bottle so they last quite awwhile. A lot of people don't like to put alcohol in their dog's ears because it stings a little if they are irritated or they feel it dries them too much, but I prefer it in the lab's ears especially. If you find the dog is doing real well with weekly cleanings, you can gradually reduce the cleanings to every 2 weeks, then perhaps 3 and 4 weeks. I would try to keep her on a monthly cleaning schedule.

I hope this helps. I know that the Otomax and use of a probiotic initially and whenever he's been on antibiotics (which is never, now) really helped my Chocolate moose. His ears were horrendous from the time I took him in as a foster dog in 2005 until I began that routine.

Hugs, Didi

Didi,

Once again thank you.. Yes my dog is a water dog.. can't keep her out and wouldn't want to. I think that is where it comes from. I really don't think it has anything to do with her tyhroid.. I could be wrong.. The issue last week is probably not related to her ear.. I held her down last night and cleaned them as best I could.. she is not easy to do.. I have this stuff called Malacetic Otic.. IT is supposed to have a steroid or something in it and I am supposed to use it every 2 weeks to maintain her. I don't know if that is the same stuff you are using or not. Can I give her yogurt as a probiotic or should it be something I put in her food. I have had so many different opinions from so many vets and frankly it is always about the money.. and every time I need the drops they want to see her.. they will not just give me the drops even knowing that the issue is recurring..

Thanks again for the advise

If it was about the money, trust me everyone who works there (Technicians like me included) we wouldn't be making what we do (which is crap).
We aren't after your money. Your pet cannot tell us what is wrong so we have to go through the necessary channels to figure out what is wrong.
You can NOT just randomly pick an ear medication. You need to go to the vet to get swabs done. What is in them, beit yeast, bacteria, blood.. or a combination of them will say which medication to use. Using the wrong stuff can make it worse, or create resistance.
Dogs with chronic ear issues seem to often have low thyroid. You can never rule that out until you try.

The reason why your vet won't just "give you the drops" is because even though it's recurring in the same AREA, doesn't mean it's the same THING. Trust me. We have dogs come in regularly with ear issues and it seems to be always something different, requiring something different.
Think about it. If we give you random drops because your dog has had this issue before, but look! This time it's a little different and it just makes the problem worse. You continue using the drops and the ear gets bad enough it requires extensive treatment. You could sue us because we dispensed a PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION without ensuring it was the correct medication to give. Why would we risk that?

Vets and Techs aren't in it for the money. If we were, we would have different careers that are easier to obtain and pay better.

Sorry for the rant, but the "just in it for the money" excuse strikes a nerve. Where is this extra money we make for screwing clients out of it? Maybe I wouldn't be barely scraping by...

Chronic ear problems can be tough to get rid of.. Sometimes the yeast in the ears are resistant to so many types of antibiotics that it is just an ongoing battle for everyone involved.

I know one treat that is kind of a hip shoot, it's a vinegar solution. Yeast live off moist ears, which is why dogs with floppy ears and water dogs get it so much. Sometimes over the counter ear cleaner isn't drying enough.. and sometimes the antibiotics just aren't strong enough to kill the yeast/bacteria. I have heard of this solution working for dogs when vet drops didn't work...

Here is a website that I found. It's from a cocker spaniel breeder.. and if you think you're sick and tired of dealing of ear infections, own a cocker lol

Here is the website. Hope it helps you

Cocker Spaniel Ear Cleaner Recipe - Ear Infections (http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/EarCleaner.html)