Recently, one of my dogs contracted a yeast infection in his right ear. He decided to jump into a pool with water full of algae. Yeast infections are an ugly business. In addition, traditional vet treatment is expensive. Prepare yourself to deal with this and the consequences of the traditional treatment for quite some time. It can cost hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of dollars.
Luckily, some natural alternatives work well and cost little. What I did to heal the yeast infection in my dog’s ear took about two weeks. It cleared it up completely. I achieved this by curing the underlying root cause and not just treating the symptoms. Once the ears looked healthy, I had the vet check him out. She confirmed that the yeast infection was gone.
The Treatment
To kill a yeast infection, get raw, organic apple cider vinegar and make a solution of one part apple cider vinegar and three parts water. This is delivered into the pet’s ears, which is easier said than done. The best way I found is to do this with a syringe (no needles). I put my solution in a dropper bottle and dropped five drops into a small shot glass. From there, I loaded the syringe.
The Application
Next, I sat beside my boy and petted him, slowly getting the syringe deep enough into his ear to deposit it all in at once. It’s important to massage your dog’s ear (from the outside) right afterward. That way, the solution runs down into the ear canal. Your dog will start shaking his head and ears to get the liquid out when you let him go. So, make sure to massage the ear for at least 20 seconds. You want enough of the solution to reach its target and stay in the ear before he shakes his head.
The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
There are many other benefits to using apple cider vinegar. It is known to reduce common infections, prevent muscle fatigue after exercise, increase resistance to illness, and protect against food poisoning. Apple cider vinegar is rich in vitamins and goodness found in fresh apples. Most notably, potassium, which helps to balance acid levels in the stomach. Most important for dog ear infections is the yeast’s inability to grow in apple cider vinegar. Or anywhere near it, for that matter. Dog ear infection treatment with apple cider vinegar can be very effective. One warning, it can sting the dog’s ears, especially in case of a more severe infection. In that case, you, unfortunately, may need antibiotics to start the healing process. Once the ear infection is healing, you can use apple cider vinegar to keep your dog’s ears clean and, more importantly—yeast-free!