This is my dog Pepper.
Kind of an older picture; we don't have meat rabbits anymore...
As you can probably tell, she is mostly poodle. (And about a quarter pomeranian...)
If you know anything about poodles, you know their hair grows and grows. It doesn't shed, so you need to stay on top of their grooming. They have hair inside their ears, and if you don't keep this hair trimmed or plucked, they can get ear infections from not enough air circulation!
Now, I am normally pretty good at keeping her groomed, but once in a while, it gets away from me.
She has had three or four ear infections over the course of her life. (She's about 6 now, I think...)
I am not one to run to the vet over every little thing, and ear infections are EASY PEASY to treat! Here is what I use. Tried and true. I use this on my dog, and I use this on my people too!
Here's what you do:
- Get a small container I like to use a ceramic coffee cup since they tolerate heat well and are easy to carry around.
- Warm up the oil of your choice. (I have used coconut, olive, and avocado oils. Any food-safe oil will do.)
- Crush a couple cloves of garlic and drop into your cup.
- Pour the very warm oil over the garlic.
- Allow to steep and cool.
That's it.
The longer the garlic steeps, the stronger it is. You can use it as soon as it has cooled off enough to be comfortable. You can strain out the garlic when ready, or leave it in for a stronger, more effective remedy. I leave it in.
For dogs and other animals, you just take a dropper and squirt some of the oil down into the ear. Massage the ear really well, making sure the oil penetrates deeply. Take a washcloth and wipe out the excess. Yes, she will smell garlicky, but that, in my opinion, is better than spending lots of cash on antibiotics and a vet visit. (Better for the dog as well! Antibiotics will wreck your natural good bacteria population!)
For the human family, I just have them lie down on the couch with the affected ear up. I drip 3-4 drops of the oil into the ear, and have them lay there for 10 minutes. Then they can either get up and wipe out their ear, or roll over so we can do the other side.
They find relief immediately, and the infection is usually gone in one to two days.
Repeat treatment as often as needed. I usually do this two to three times a day, more often if they are complaining of a lot of pain.
