Bulldogs World

I looked up the Purina HA and it is awful.  Read the ingredients and you will find the the major one is starch, not very healthy by any means.  A lot of vets sell these rx foods and think they are great, but they aren't.  I would change her to a good quality grain free food, maybe with a fish (salmon) protein or even duck.  They don't have rice or oatmeal which can be allergens, most have sweet potato as the carbohydrate.  Taste of the Wild is good, so is Natural Balance which is a little cheaper.  Or California Natural.  Look for a protein of 25% or close to it.  Our guys don't need high protein with their energy levels.  I know that a good grainfree food can help a lot of problems, yeast being one of them.  It's a good starting point.  Have you looked on the home page for vets in Pittsburgh?  I know they all say they know about bulldogs, but most don't.  If you have a bulldog club or know of a breeder, they might be able to steer you to a good vet.  

Our Kilmore had bad ear infections throughout his life.  Finally after seeing a dermatologist we were able to get the ear infections under control.    We had to do a high dose of prednisone for a short time, cephalexin and they made us a special ear solution to use.  The ear solution was done twice a day then daily and then every other day.  He also had to have his ear drums popped due to fluid behind them, but they also saw his ear issues.  He had narrowing of the ear canal which lead the prednisone helped open them up.  I can't remember what the stuff was in his ear, but they got it cleared up.  So if you have a animal dermatologist around your area that would be my suggestion.  Good luck!

Sarah

this problem. 

On the home page there is a list of Bulldog Vets, and one is in your area.

Marvin Godstein's The Nature of Animal Healing had a few suggestions:

Often a cleansing wash, conducted gently, will help. A classic natural acidifire is applecider vinegar; apply a dropperful of it in a dilute solution (a teaspoon of vinegar to 1/2 cup of distilled water) to the affected ear, massage gently from the outside so that the fluid circulates through the ear canal, then let the pet shake it out. 

He is also partial to an herbal ear wash called Halo which contains several herbal extracts. Perhaps you could google that.

Someone on this forum once reccommended Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution the hydrocortisone free. I keep that on hand. It was helpful when Kofi once had problems with her ears. I use it now and then still.

I hope this helps.

going to try coconut oil this time around.  The gal at our pet food store told us that it is better to use because virgin coconut oil has many health benefits AND is great at clearing ear infections naturally.  She said that you just scoop a tiny amount out of the jar with a spoon and let the VCO slide down their ear (because it will melt inside).  Fatboy has been given a small amount for taste and he loved it.  The pet store lady also mentioned that vets don't recommend VCO because they want you to keep buying prescriptions from them (which they get kick backs from).  I'm going to post a a separate question regarding this but I thought you'd might like to read up on it. 

Kofi loves coconut oil, and I use it on her nose. I also give her about a teaspoon when I think of it. I think I'll try it to clean her ears next time.

Thanks for the tip!

Our Riley was a rescue and had a problem with black gunk in her ears, nose rope and tail pocket.    By switching her to the raw food diet, it completely went away.   Now she has a bit of light brown wax in her ears, but a simple cleaning with a Q-tip in the outside folds of her ear is enough to keep her ears healthy.   It worked for us!

Best of luck.   It is soooooo hard to watch them suffer!