Please help.im so upset and unsure.im looking for real advise here and experiences if any.
my lge breed dog is 5 years old.shes suffered with ear infections for years now,reoccuring and used antibiotics constantly to help her.so in the end(last dec)she had opperations on both ears to widen the ear canal so an wax could come to the surface,i forget now what completely happened but now shes deaf in both ears.they went through the ear drum to clean it all out.
all this was due to trapped water that could never escape causing a terrible inflamation ect ect.....shes 5 on the 3rd dec..she cant hear no one she has yet again today had another emergency visit to our vet due to collapsing NO warnin signs nothin just layed down in pain with her head and crying. vet says it could be due to an infection somewhere eles and the blood running through her body and back up to the head is causng the pain in her head..has she any quality of life??

she dont wag her tail she walks around everwhere never bounce in her step,miserable....she eats and drinks fine...enjoys her baths and grooming sessions....she wont play with her toys not for love nor treats.she just lays watching the others romp around..
vet said she could now suffer all her life with nfections and she'll forever be in and out of there for treatment.is that fair??

please anything anyone can say to help...?

My dog suffered like yours with constant infections.  I chose not to operate but to persevre with ear cleaning/drops and antibiotics.  He was like this his entire life but he did love life.  He ate, drank fine and loved a good rumble game with me only, not other dogs.  He never played with toys but then some dogs don't.  He enjoyed a good knuckle bone and loved going out walks.

Only you know your dog is what I am trying to say.  I knew when my boys legs couldn't take him anymore and I got 'the look' from him.  He was tired.  Is your girl like this or do you need to investigate other treatments?  I don't know your dog at all but I think PTS is maybe a bit drastic for a 5 yr old with no other issues. (sorry if that came across harsh, I really don't mean it that way).  An old wives tale to dry out the ear is that powder stuff you can get.  It's homeopathic but it really helped another of my dogs to dry up infection.  My vet doesn't like it but I wonder if it's because it did him out of some treatments.

Either way, best wishes for the future.

no no doesnt sound harsh i was kinda hoping for that answer!! i dont want to see her go at all....shes not a dog shes a baby.....she doesnt have an ear as such,just the actualy flaps,nothing can get inside the ear now its been sewn up so if theres an infection its unlikey to be inside(vets words).
she does just lay around.shes different to her real personality although shes not giving me the look she does give me the mum please help me look and its breaking my heart...genuinly! shes normally a right pain,goes in the cupboards and jumps up the gate and barks in the garden shes not been herslef for so long now and todays visit has got me thinking on whats best for her and not whats suits me...because i love her you know?

What a difficult question, at the moment it would seem your dog is not enjoying at least 50% of her life, or at least that seems to be the case as described by you.

Positive
eating
drinking
enjoys grooming and personal attention

Negative
Pain
Deaf
No play
poor prognosis

Not looked at - walking, exercise & sleeping.

If she were mine and she is not getting pleasure from being walked and is not happy in the company of her fellow dogs particularly if she is unable to rest and sleep well I think I would be saying goodbye.

Sorry, that said only you will know how much of her life is, for her, pleasurable and only you will know what you consider acceptable quality of life for your dogs.

Would also say it is not just the dog who is suffering from her condition, your other dogs and your family to say nothing about you are suffering because of the way she is.

So sad for you and I hope I have not added to your pain but I think you wanted it straight and I think you know the answer.

Not looked at - walking, exercise & sleeping

she sleeps alllll day long,in the dining room.shes no longer interested in visitors which isnt her at all!! she would normally be described as if your coming in see her first...basically you'd not have a choice lol..

she goes for walks and goes for her daily feild/forest run they seem to be ok to be honest..although the swimming isnt something she'll be desperate for anymore,i just thought that was maturity..

she used to (im talking before the ops inbetween pain and infections so only last year)bow down and bark to play,she would run to greet visitors and jump up for cuddles she'd watch the tele lol,pinch my dressing gown and lay on it be a normal happy dog.....its like shes aged 10 years over night....its sad to see.
thats why im asking
and thank you dont be sorry

It really does come down to the prognosis, is there any chance she will return to a pain and drug free life or not. I would persevere if I could see an end to the pain and a future for her but would not let her linger if I thought this was as good as it was going to get.

Has your vet mentioned an MRI scan to see what is going on inside her head, or has he checked over her whole body and done bloods to check that there isn't something else going on anywhere ? It is very easy to jump to the conclusion that it is her ears when it could be something else. You don't mention whether you have insurance or not but obviously there is the financial side to think of. I think that if I were you I would check that it is her ears and whether something can be done to treat the problem and stop the pain. If nothing can be done then you have to think what you would want if you were her. Best wishes to you both, X .

If I have read correctly this dog does not actual have any ears the hearing parts have been removed and the canal sew closed. It could be there is inflammation of the brain or the sensory system resulting from the operation so yes a through check of her condition and then a prognosis. 

We are not in a positions to know what is troubling this bitch but the vet should and if not a specialist but there has to be a line drawn somewhere if she is not to continue in pain and depression.

As I read it the ear canals have been widened so they are still there - I wonder if it would be worth doing the full op and having them removed and closed.  I knew a spaniel who had it done once and he was so much happier for it.

Otherwise I second the powder suggestion - Thornit - worth a try if you haven't already, I know of plenty of dogs who it's helped after recurrent infections that nothing else helped, and indeed it's helped my oldie who had an infection for dog knows how long that was left untreated and was very deep.

i do have insurance and the cost isnt an issue anyway id always make sure shes seen to no matter what!
Todays visit is a first from the last operation.a year ago to which we were told the actual ear canal would never trouble her again. she has the ears so she looks like a normal dog but theres nothing inside.so no she cant hear anything,we do sign language with her which really only affects her off lead walking,so we dont let her off unless other half is at one end of the field and im the other...shes always been taught hand signals right from the word go anyway.....

I didnt mention that we have her booked in in the morning for an x ray.vet said there could be an infection somewhere thats gone through her system and back up to the brainsomething about blood pumpinh through the body??...u know the more i think about it the more i forget whats been said....but i know im not looking forward to the morning as i have to leave her while they sedate her and x ray her head and shoulders...i just wish i knew what to ask for and understood why shes getting all this agro.
im not bothered by the vets trips nor the looking after her or anything eles thats constant when shes ill...its the worry and the agony she must be in and to make me only just see..how long has she been in pain for before not being able to take it no more? iv not noticed no difference in her cos all she does is spend time on her sofa in the dining room...

i feel terribly bad iv only really just noticed that shes 'not actually' picked up from her last op..shes just 'stayed' slower and more queit and thats terrible isnt it.

Ahhhh - Thornit!!  That's it.  I bought a tiny bottle of the stuff(you don't use much) to try and it was fabulous and still is!

Thornit - worth a try if you haven't already,

tried this years ago...

im not typing slow enough,i just assume im making sense sorry..shes had an op to widen canals and it didnt work so now theyre closed.

we tried everything in the book..

This may be silly but could she just be adjusting to the fact that she's now deaf?  Maybe a bit unsure of the quiet life and as she gains confidence with hand signals, etc she might pick up again?  Remember and talk to her like she can still hear as body/facial language is a big thing(obvs!!hehe).  I remember my friend and I hollering and yelling at her deaf dally.  He thought it was brilliant and was very excited but we were hoarse by the end of the day!!lol.

i tel you now if she picks up and goes back to being the naughty girl she used to be i swear now ill throw a party for all the dogs and doggy people and ill never tell her off for going down the fridge again or runnin up the garden with clean washing ect she was such a moo full of life .....if shes just adjusting and shes got a simple headache (HA HA) ill not moan .....corr the sigh ive just done u wouldnt belive.

thanks all just getting it off my chest is helping.
still....tommorrow will still come tho

It may be worth asking the vet to check out her hips when she's in. My rescue TM was like your girl to a degree when I first got him, turned out he had mild HD which I had suspected when I first saw him walk, but his owners just thought that was the way he moved. Constant low grade pain can be very wearing on a body.
Hope you get a good outcome for her.

> she doesnt have an ear as such,just the actual flaps,nothing can get inside the ear now its been sewn up so if there's an infection its unlikey to be inside(vets words).
>

It sounds like she has had  an ear ablation, where the whole ear canal is removed, rather than I think you said something about widening the ear canals. My one girl has suffered for most of her life with ear infections in her left ear and I have read up on the different surgeries. With the ablation which is the most drastic surgery, although the ear canal is removed,the dog can still hear as the ear drum is left intact. I do believe there can be problems with abscess's sometimes yrs later. Good luck at the vets and I hope it's nothing serious.

Thought somewhere the OP said the drums have been removed to drain beyond, no amount of powder of any kind will help if there is no canal to be carrying infection or mites no canal, no ear canal infection and no need for powder.

Really think it is no good offering opinion or the OP trying to decide the future of this bitch until they know what is ailing her and what the future holds. Just being unable to hear will disorientate the dog but not cause pain.

To test for pain -  high doses of painkillers can be given for a short period to see if shes living with constant head pain.
If not then she may just be depressed by her recovery and loss of hearing.

Im sorry to say but I would not let a dog live with constant head pain.

If an infection is suspected one low cost and more importantly non-invasive technique is thermal imaging.  It shows up tumours, infections and soft tissue damage where there is inflammation.  I believe the cost is just under £100 for the whole dog.  Here is a link:  http://www.veterinary-thermal-imaging.com/

That is a brilliant device ginjaninia,

Tamara with things like this you have to trust your own instincts, even if a vet spells the worst or the best you are the only person who knows your dog, and feels for her. I could not bare my dog to be in pain, nothing worse than looking into the eyes of a dog hurting and not being able to tell you why, so understand fully how you must be in turmoil here.

Let's hope that she will improve and whatever it is can be put right, don't just think the worst, plenty of solutions to problems yet, :-) She is only 5yrs old and has every chance of getting over whatever it is that now plagues her, collapsing is terrible, something needs sorting, let us know the results could it be an MRI scan that she is having anyway? 

I know we will all have our fingers crossed for her.

yes,fingers crossed,and love sent xx