My Pibble's Ear Infection

Pibble

Pibble is a very active dog, so it's not often that she sits still long enough to get her picture taken---unless a toy or chewie is involved.  So the other day when she sat down and just shook her head, I knew that something was up.  Then she started to dig at her ears.  All of the classic symptoms of a dog with an ear infection.  Another symptom that didn't show up for a few days was a waxy sort of discharge and scratching at her ear, then stopping and smelling and/or licking the foot she scratched with.  Irritability, loss of balance, and dark discharge are other common symptoms.

Well I'm not terribly fond of prescription meds.  I, personally, tend to have this annoying and often painful habit of developing an allergy to a drug if I'm on it for any length of time.  Which led me to a whole other world of exploration of all of the folk remedies and home cures.  Surprisingly enough, almost all of them that I've tried have worked extremely well.  So why not try a natural approach with Pibble?

First thing I did was make a wash to clean out the ear discharge and the scratches on her ear where Pibble would not stop scratching.  She has fine fur and it was easy for her to scratch herself bloody.  After a bit of research, I settled on one of the common washes that I saw recommended by vets and groomers, a combination of witch hazel and white vinegar.  According to them, you dribble the warm solution into the ear canal and wipe gently.  I tried it, which lead to the second thing......a bath for me and reinforcements to hold her down so I could use a damp washcloth and clean out the discharge.

The second step of the treatment process is to treat the infection.  Just because I use it on myself and I had it on hand, I went with tea tree oil in the ear, although if it didn't work I was ready to do garlic infused coconut oil.  However, much to Boo Boo's disgust (he hates tea tree oil and walks around snorting his displeasure), I did use the tea tree oil and it worked just fine.  I'm not sure that the infection is completely cured, so I'll be doing the wash/treatment routine for at least a week before I stop, but all indications are that Pibble is feeling much much better.

Dog Ear Wash

1 tablespoon of witch hazel--found in most pharmacy sections by the hydrogen peroxide

1 tablespoon of white vinegar---not sure why white was recommended, but since it was and I had it, I went with it.

Combine the two ingredients and warm slightly over a bowl of hot water.  Dribble the concoction into the ear canal and gently massage.  Yeah right.  As soon as the first drop hit her ear, Pibble's head became a whirling dervish.  Afterwards, gently sponge with a cotton ball or soft cloth.  Allow to dry before treating.

Pitbulls = Chewers

Pibble loves to chew.  She goes through cheap toys like a knife through butter.  If it squeaks, she loves it.  Unfortunately, once the toy gets into her back jaws, it's dead.  She love, love, loves to play with her rope.  She'll haul it around like a security blanket.  She bonks the other dogs in the head with it when she wants to play.  When Mommy comes home, the rope comes out like an offering.  She's gone through three ropes.  As long as she has something else to chew on, she leaves them alone.  Otherwise, she chews them to threads.  The other day I was cleaning and found rope threads on the ceiling.  I have no idea how she got them up there.

So, what are good toys for pitbulls?  One might think, "oh a chewer, must get rawhide bones" but the fact is, rawhide doesn't digest very well.  That is not to say that an occasional bone isn't unheard of in my house, but what seems to be the most popular thing for Pibble and Bella, my other chewer, is a beef knuckle or a goat hoof.  The hoof, not the ears, lasts for quite awhile.  And while, yeah the spawn does go around grossing out about the dogs chewing on "toe nails," they are digestible.  It's the same keratin in your own nails, only thicker.  Another idea that was suggested by a hunting pal that I haven't tried yet is deer antler.  He said his dogs love them and they last for weeks.

A lunch rope is another good toy for pitbulls.  It works with their need to chew as well as their lunging/leaping tendencies.  A lunge rope is basically a rope on a springy pole with a glove, leather tie or some other toy on the end that the dog has to jump up to reach.  The more they leap and grab, the more the toy swings and bounces around, giving them a good physical workout, as well as eliminating the need for you to be the one swinging the rope around for hours on end.

Lunge Rope, spring pole, firt tag

Kong toys are great.  You can stuff them with a treat or just peanut butter and the dog can chew all day trying to get the goodies out.  Of course, if you have four dogs like I do, you need to get four Kongs with the appropriate size for the dog.  When Pibble got the puggle's Kong (it was softer rubber), she chewed it to bits in less than an hour.  Kong also makes tennis balls, which are great because they can be hurled and help use up some of the boundless energy that Pibble has.  Bonus!  They squeak!

Kong

Finally, in my experience at least, is Orka.  They make heavy duty plastic toys that last.  Santa Paws brought Pibble an Orka stick toy that squeaks and it STILL is intact.  The other dogs absolutely detest the thing.  Probably because Pibble has a tendency to bonk them on the heads with it and then squeak the hell out of the thing, trying to entice them to play with her favorite toy.

Orka

Now for special occasions I get the dogs stuffed animals.  They are supervised with them because within an hour, they will be eyeless and have no guts left.  They also love to get the apples that fall from the apple tree out back.  And ice cubes....in the summer I freeze dog treats in a bucket of water and they will gnaw on that all day or until it melts, whichever happens first.

Keeping your dog from getting bored is the key to keeping your house intact.  A bored dog is a destructive dog.

Rescue a Pitbull

Pibble is part pitbull, part labrador and all a ball of energy.  She is also a rescue dog.  We adopted her from a wonderful organization, Mended Hearts.  A rescue dog gives a dog a second chance.  They usually need less training than a new puppy and are much less likely to come from a puppy mill.  Rescue dogs tend to have gotten off to a rough start and, in my mind, they are more grateful and loving.  They just seem to have a closer bond to their people than those who were purchased.  I have two rescue dogs who just epitomize the way rescues seem eager to become part of their pack.

Here she is the day she found her forever home---scared and too thin.

Pibble was found wandering the streets of Lafayette as a puppy.  I'm still not sure how she ended up in Indianapolis, but she came from a foster family that had other dogs to teach her how to socialize and she was crate trained.  She was almost completely house broken.  Most rescue dogs are up to date on their shots, spayed or neutered and microchipped.  Pibble was spayed, chipped and completely up to date on her shots.   Yes, I paid to adopt her but then I would have paid to buy a puppy at a store or breeder as well.  AND I would have had to pay for her to be spayed and chipped, and most likely update her shots.  I am so very happy to have her in my life and my little pack is a happy family.

Pibble and Boo Boo are my little "brown dogs and are the best of friends.

INDIANAPOLIS RESOURCES:

F.I.D.O.

Indy Pit Crew

ARPO

Mended Hearts Indy

Southside Animal Shelter

Pitbull Information

a very happy Pibble

First of all, pitbull is just a generic classification like caucasian.  The word "pitbull" has come to encompass several breeds with similiar characteristics, but are primarily from the following breeds:  the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire TerrierStaffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Bulldog or any dog with crosses between one of those.  The pitbull was specifically breed as a working dog by crossing the bulldog with a terrier, and as such, will have traits from both lineages.

Pitbulls are known for their square, stocky head and thick chest.  They have short fur and a tail that tapers to a point, which may or may not be docked.  They are energetic and muscular dogs.  Owning one means spending at least two hours of quality exercise time a day.  And contrary to popular opinion, they do NOT have locking jaws.  In fact, in a study done by Dr. Brady Barr studying the locking pressure of a rottweiler, a german shepard and the Americal Staffordshire Terrier (aka AmStaff or pitbull), the pitbull had the lowest bite pressure of the three dogs.

Pitbull bite force study:  link 1, video of the study

American Bulldogs

There is a lot of misinformation out there.  I recommend everyone to get to know the pitbull and join a pitbull organization.  There are several good groups out there.
Pitbulls on the Web

Pitbull Rescue Central

Dog Breed Info Center

Badrap.org

For the Love of Pits