total ear canal ablation - any advice vet people/owners

[Mexican cuties]

hi our 10 year old Chihuahua nali has had constant righ ear issues, along with his allergies, his right ear is pretty much closed, a month ago he was sedated and his ears rinsed again, but again today he is shaking his head, and off to the vets shortly. our vet did mention the teca, is the recovery period long, are there many risks and has any one already had this done to their pet. its got to be better than him going through this nearly every 3 weeks, the steroids we get given just upset his stomach.

any feedback very very gratefuly received thank you

[Jasandjules]

Kibble fed?

[bexVN]

It is a painful condition for them as well. Poor little chap

It isn't an op I have seen often but generally they have always been a success when I have.

I remember a Yorkie who had been going to another vets who had just given her dog steroids this had gone on for years because his elderly owner had thought this was the only treatment, a friend of hers recommended her to my old vets. Her little dogs ear was a mess due to inappropriate care over the years. He did not have allergies or skin issues that could have been a trigger though. We performed the surgery on it. The owner was amazed at the change in him. Like a young dog again. She then felt guilty that she hadn't sought another opinion sooner

Have you tried hypoallergenic diets? Though tbh it has probably gone too far for diet to sort it but if you haven't it may be worth trying first.

You do want a good surgical vet though preferably one that has done them before. They can have complications usually infection related, even with complications that can slow the healing they usually resolve eventually. It is a procedure that can be done at a vets but if your vets seem reluctant then a referral to a soft tissue surgeon could be sought.

[Mexican cuties]

thanks bex, that's really helpful, yes he is on hypo allerg diet, he came up allergic to dust and house mites, so doing as much as we can on-going to manage that.

seems like our best option, we will discuss that with our vet we have used for years just to make sure we are all confident, regarding the procedure and the aftercare, last time they sedated him for a clean, they said his ear was pretty much close, hence no air getting in, and the infection, inflammation coming back again and again.

just wondered how many days should we take off after the op to make sure we are at home looking after him - it cant be any worse for him than what it has been, will let you know how we get on thank you

[bexVN]

I didn't get round to it last night but I wanted to share a link on the procedure and the details of when to do it, when not to do it, why, the procedure itself, risks etc etc

This referral vets are one of the top in the country and this is an excellent article they have done about the procedure. Have a good read and get comfortable and familiar about the op. It is a big procedure so it is important to feel it is the right thing to do.

https://www.willows.uk.net/specialist-services/pet...

[Mexican cuties]

bex that's brilliant, thank you so much, this will make sure we understand what we are looking to possibly do. thank you again