My lab has had sore ears this week.  Took him to the vet and he said they are not infected but it looks like a food intolerance as it is common in labs???  Anyway got him home and he had diaorhea.  He's on Burns food and has been since March with no probs.  I did give him turkey roll as a treat this week and that's the only thing I can think of that he has had different in his diet.  Last time he had lamb it gave him diaohrea so we know that doesn't agree with him.

Do you think it could just be the turkey thing?

Hi labmad,

sorry about your boy.  He could have become intolerant to the Burns ingredients even although he's been eating it for a while.  Additionall, ear problems through allergy can take a significant time to develop and may be ongoing for months only becoming obvious when the dog starts to scratch or shake it's head a lot - this happened to one of mine, so, as I'm sure is the case for you, it's not neglect ;)

It could of course be the turkey roll but realistically it would depend on how much he'd eaten for it to cause a major flare.

Have you ruled out environmental allergens such as household cleaners, washing powder, air fresheners, furniture polish, hairspray, perfume, deodourant etc?

Re the runny tum - it may or may not be related to the ear problem.  I'd fast him for 24 hours and then gradually re-introduce small portions of his usual diet (skip the rice/chicken stage unless there's signs of mucus etc).

For his ears (unless prescribed something already), clean out with some warmed almond oil, drip in, massage well at base  and wipe with tissue until any residue is gone.

If your vet believes it is food related, has he suggested an exclusion trial?

regards, Teri :)

Hi Labmad,

One of my bunch cannot eat turkey at all as it gives him major runs. He is okay with everything else. 

My Lab had sore ears when on Burns,had to change in the end as he was a very unhappy dog.

Thanks for replies guys.

The thing is I've changed his food to burns last March because he has also got, or did have a partial torsion so I wanted his food to be as free from anything that could cause gas etc as possible hence the burns as it contains no alfalfa etc. He has 3 small meals per day.

His bottom end is better - he only had one lot of runniness!  His ears are clean but he is still shaking them.  He has got drops for them tho now.

Do you still think it could be the Burns?  He did eat a whole pack of turkey roll over the week for training (the thin slices).

I hope it's not the burns :rolleyes: he's been doing so well on it.  Good firm poos etc nothing that would indicate an allergy to it but I am concerned that it has just developed over a length of time now.

To be honest I am so scared to change his food again in case it sets his tummy off again.  I just want the very best for my boy as he is my world.

Can you try a different variety of Burns - i.e. changing the protein?  It hopefully would not result in an upset tummy for him and perhaps give you an opportunity to work out if the meat/protein source in the diet is an issue.  Alternatively of course, it could be the rice ....

Diet aside, has your vet ruled out ear mites?

Is he on the chicken Burns?  Poultry can upset some dogs.  If he is, try the lamb one and swap the turkey slices for something else.

Yes he is on the chicken one.  I may change him to the fish one???

I just worry that I am going to upset his system.  His poos are great (as far as poos go!!) only doing 1 maybe 2 a day and nice and firm.  Like I said he has had not other major symptoms pointing to a food allergy apart from the ears.....

I was wondering about mites but the vet didn't mention.  He has got these drops so I think I will finish the course and see what happens.  I am swaying on the side of the turkey roll that hasn't agreed with him because since he had that, he has had this flare up with his ears.

Perhaps after the drops a bit of thornit might help??

Thanks guys for your replies. You're all really helpful.

I would definately try a different flavour of the Burns if he is on chicken.  If you keep to the same manufacture ie Burns you shouldn't have a problem.  One of mine cannot take chicken in a complete diet, but Lamb is fine.  Personally I would give the lamb one a try first. My complete food company recommended it for a sensitive stomach over the fish. (It doesn't smell as bad as the fish one either).

I'm dubious about the lamb one tho as when he has lamb, it goes straight through him!! He's got such a senstive tummy for a lab bless him.

Hi again labmad,

chicken after beef is one of the most commonly found meats which dogs are intolerant to.  Lamb at one time was often recommended as an alternative at is was rarely used in dog foods however as it has become more commonly found across each range, it often no longer has the required "novel" value in a diet, hence many dogs already presenting digestive problems may not tolerate it well.  I personally have found it to be a good base for food with one who has a dicky tum but know of many others with less success.

You may well find that a switch to a diet with a fish base is more suitable for your dog - particularly if a white fish diet :)

HTH, Teri

If he is iffy with lamb, then go with Teri's advice and try the fish one. Try the Burns one first, if you still have no luck, then other manufactures do Hypo Allergic foods especially for sensitive stomachs.  It is trial and error to find one that suits your dog, you will get there in the end :)

Thanks Teri and Sandra.

I just hope that it IS a food allergy now!

Just out of interest what other hypo foods are on the market....just in case!!!

Em

Hi again,

From memory Skinners, Wafcol & Hills all do "sensitive" diets BUT, bear in mind, these foods are only deserving of that description if YOUR PARTICULAR DOG is not intolerant of any of the ingredients ;)

I believe Hills is the only large manufacturer at the moment (could be wrong though) to do a hydrolysed diet  - this is where the proteins are treated and broken down into such tiny molecules that the dog's digestive system doesn't "recognise" the allergen :)

Hopefully you wont have to go to any drastic measures to overcome the problem.

regards, Teri

Royal Canin do a Sensitive, but is chicken based.  The Arden Grange range is all 'Hypo Allergenic'. including Salmon and Lamb.

Doesn't Arden Grange use chicken fat in all of it's varieties, regardless of base protein?  It certainly used to which is why I couldn't use it for mine....  Shame, as otherwise I think it seems a very good food.

I have ordered a small bag of Fish Burns to see if that does anything.  Fingers crossed.

E

I just had a look at the leaflet, yes it does contain chicken fat, I never knew that.:rolleyes:

My sensistive dog seems fine on it though, but strangly enough he can't tolerate chicken based complete foods.  He is ok with a little roast chicken leftovers, so possibly he can't take the larger quantities.  He also has skin problems on certain foods, but is ok on this.

I would try a week without the turkey roll before considering other changes.  Turkey does not suit quite a few dogs.

It does tie in Isabel.  He's been fine up until that really and I read somewhere that turkey skin is no good for dogs and when I checked the packet....guess what it contained!!!

There is nothing wrong with turkey skin or any other part of the turkey for dogs, unless of course that particular individual dog cannot tolerate turkey.

Blanket statements such as these can worry people and are, if you consider it, ridiculous, as what do people think goes into the Turkey variety of some commercial diets?

If you do a google search for toxic substances to dogs, one of them is turkey skin....I swear Tohme, I ain't making it up :-D (tic).

p.s Henry is fine again now :-)

You can find a site to say practically anything is toxic to dogs, just because it is on the net, don't make it so! ;)

Too true :)  Always look for the qualifications of the author, labmad, and even then don't take a blind bit of notice unless the qualification is accredited to a reputable learning establishment and definately not just a mail order college that happens to be in the same town as a reputable one ;)

I don't take too much notice.  I just worry for my boy.

Anyway the main thing is he is fine again so I am keeping him off the turkey as a precaution in case he is allergic.

Thanks for all your help.

There is a good site in Australia-put robert mcdowell in search engine- and you can have a free on line consultation.  Worth a try.  I have had good results from Robert and so has a few of my friends with all sorts of canine health issues.

Good luck

I just wanted to add to this post as the exact same thing has just happened to my nine month old lab.  One of her ears is inflamed, quite gunky and sore looking.  Also she is having very runny poo and has been caught short in the house three times over the last couple of days.  All these symptons appeared immediately after we frontlined her for the first time.  I put the frontline on the back of her beck and I suppose it's possible a drop got to her ear - the redness in their certainly looks like the same kind of effect humans have when they get contact dermatitis.  I took her to the vet who has prescribed ear drops and said to starve her for 24 hours for the runny poo.  I asked if she thought it could be the frontline and she said both symptoms at the same time meant it could be a possibility.  Interestingly my other half got puffy eyes, asthma and feeling sick also the couple of days following frontlining.  This could, of course, be a coincidence, but I thought I'd mention it in case it has any resonance with you.

Sorry to hear about your lab.  I am now convinced it's the turkey with mine as he has been fine since.  He wasn't frontlined either so it was diet related.

Hope your lab gets better soon x