Infections Inside The Ear
Antibiotics are not usually offered because infections inside the ear often clear up on their own and antibiotics make little difference to symptoms, including pain.
Antibiotics might be prescribed if:
- an ear infection does not start to get better after 3 days
- you or your child has any fluid coming out of the ear
- you or your child has an illness that means there’s a risk of complications, such as cystic fibrosis
They may also be prescribed if your child is less than 2 years old and has an infection in both ears.
When Should You See A Doctor For An Ear Infection
You dont want to sit with ear pain for long. If youve tried at-home remedies, youre not getting relief, or your symptoms have gotten worse, Dr. Kozin says its time to talk to your doctor immediately. Youll also definitely want to see someone if you have drainage from your ear, hearing loss, ringing in your ears, or dizziness, he says.
Key Points To Remember
- This topic is only appropriate for children 6 months and older.
- Most ear infections clear up on their own. Antibiotics do not help with ear pain immediately. You can treat pain at home with pain relievers and by putting a warm face cloth or heating pad on your child’s ear. Do not allow a child to go to bed with a heating pad. He or she could get burned. Use a heating pad only if your child is old enough to tell you if it’s getting too hot.
- If your child is age 6 months or older and has a mild earache, you can wait for up to 48 hours to see if the infection gets better on its own. Talk to your doctor if your child’s pain doesn’t get better with an over-the-counter pain reliever or if other symptoms last for more than 48 hours.
- Doctors may prescribe antibiotics if a child:footnote 1
- Is very ill from the infection. For example, your child may be dehydrated.
- Has other health problems, such as cleft palate or repeat infections that could put him or her at risk for serious problems from an ear infection.
- Has cochlear implants.
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How To Treat An Ear Infection At Home
Ear infections can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or rarely yeast. There are three areas in the ear where ear infections can occur in adults and children.
Which parts of the ear can become infected?
Honey Effective Remedy For Bacterial Infection
You may have heard about the benefits of honey for health and beauty but may not know about its antibacterial functions. The benefits of organic honey are various so that you can discover them gradually. In fact, honey can not only treat respiratory and skin infection but also cool the affected areas simultaneously. You can drink organic honey along with a glass of warm water to soothe and reduce the sore, irritated throat caused by a cough. If you have open wound, scratches or cuts on the skin, the good way to prevent any bad bacteria from entering through the wound is applying honey on the affected areas as the initial treatment.
It would be a pity if you do not click at Honey For Skin to get many skin care recipes with honey.
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Minimize Pharmaceuticals And Other Chemicals
Dogs who live a more natural lifestyle are less likely to develop ear infections. Try to minimize exposure to chemicals in your dogs environment, indoors and outside.
Vaccines, antibiotics and other medications, and chemical pest preventives all harm your dogs gut health and disrupt her immune system. Make sure you only give the vaccines your dog really needs to protect her. Use natural alternatives to antibiotics and other medications when you can, and use natural pest prevention to keep the bugs off your dog.
You can also reduce toxins by minimizing chemicals at home and in your yard. Choose natural shampoos to bathe your dog, avoid toxic cleaning products in your home, including your own body cosmetics and other products with artificial fragrances.
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How Can I Get Rid Of My Dogs Ear Infection Without Going To The Vet
I am sure you are all tired of hearing me talk about my dogs ear infection. But, I have to keep talking about it because I am still trying to find a way for him to get better without going to the vet.
The more research I do, the more frustrated and stressed out I become with this whole situation.
It has been over 2 weeks now since he was first diagnosed and his ears havent gotten any better at all. If anyone has some advice on how they managed their dogs ear infection or if anyone had any ideas that didnt work for them please share in the comments below!
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Home Remedies For Ear Infections
Ear infections are caused by bacteria or viruses in the middle ear. Ear infections occur more often in children than adults. Some causes and contributing factors that lead to ear infections are wax buildup, upper respiratory infections, food allergies, environmental allergies, fetal alcohol syndrome, genetics, nutritional deficiencies and internal injuries. Some common signs that someone is suffering from an ear infection are pain in the ear, tugging at the ear, difficulty sleeping, headache, poor response to sounds, high fever, fluid draining from the ear, vomiting, diarrhea and so on.
The ear is made up of three parts: outer, middle and inner.
An ear infection can occur in any of the three parts. Inner ear infections are the most serious. It is important to treat an ear infection to prevent complications, including damaging or rupturing the ear drum. Untreated ear infections can also lead to chronic recurrence and can even cause deafness! It is important to consult a doctor, but for immediate relief you can try some natural treatments. There are many time-honored, simple and easy home remedies that can help to get rid of the pain and other symptoms of an ear infection.
Here are the top 10 home remedies for an ear infection.
Avoid Antibiotics And Steroids For Your Dogs Ear Infections
Vets will often prescribe antibiotics, steroids, and topical medication. These medicines may help clear up your dogs ears at first but the problem often returns later. Thats because drugs only treat the symptoms you can see. They dont address the underlying condition thats causing the symptoms. And they can have negative side effects.
Antibiotics used for bacterial ear infections disrupt the bacterial balance in your dogs gut, which can lead to more health issues due to bacteria or yeast that grow out of control.
Steroids work by suppressing the immune system and can cause harmful side effects. So avoid them if you can.
Discharge and inflammation in the ears is a sign the bodys trying to remove toxins absorbed through food, medications and her environment. Thats a good thing! Your dogs body is working to heal itself by getting rid of harmful substances. When you close off that exit route by using suppressive drugs, it can drive the disease deeper. Itll come back somewhere else. And that means your dog will get sicker often with a more serious disease.
So, finding the cause of your dogs ear problems is the key to ridding her of them once and for all. Fortunately, there are ways you can do this at home.
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Make Sure You Know Which Ear Youre Treating
Take your cat to the treatment area.
If youve forgotten which ear requires treatment, refer to the directions or call your vet. Often, pet parents describe their pets problem area from their perspective instead of from their pets perspective.
So when the vet or the staff say right or left ear, remember that they are talking about the cats left ear, which is on the right when youre looking at your cat.
Cold Or Warm Compresses
People often use ice packs or warm compresses, like a heating pad or damp washcloth, to relieve pain. The same can be done for ear pain. This method is safe for both children and adults.
Place the ice pack or warm compress over the ear and alternate between warm and cold after 10 minutes. If you prefer either cold or warm, you can use just one compress.
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How Do You Know If Your Dog Has An Ear Infection
Ear infections in dogs are common, but it can be difficult to tell if your dog has an ear infection or just some wax buildup. Many times the only way to know for sure is to take him into the vet and have his ears checked out. Here are some signs that you should look for at home so you can catch an ear infection before it worsens!
Blog post intro paragraph: If you think your dog might have an ear infection, there are several ways of knowing without taking him in to see a veterinarian right away. This article will go through all of those things so that when you do need a professional opinion, theyll be able to give one!
Best Method For Soothing An Earache Quickly
Typically, an earache or ear infection is associated with the common cold or flu. These viral upper respiratory infections can lead to fluid buildup in the ear.
To alleviate any pain, doctors often recommend using a warm compress, which can help to loosen congestion and ease any discomfort.
Creating a warm compress is simple. Just soak a washcloth in warm water, wring out excess water, fold it, and place it on the affected ear for 10 to 15 minutes. But be careful, as an overly hot washcloth could cause a burn.
You can also create a warm compress from a heating pad or warmed gel pack. Wrap a towel around your heating pad, set it to a low setting, and place it on top of the sore ear.
To be safe, you can also use a towel with a warmed gel pack.
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What Else Do You Need To Make Your Decision
Check the facts
- Sorry, that’s not right. Most ear infections clear up on their own.
- You’re right. Most ear infections clear up on their own.
- It may help to go back and read “Get the Facts.” Most ear infections clear up on their own.
- Sorry, that’s not right. Antibiotics do not relieve ear pain immediately. Your child may need to take an over-the-counter medicine for pain.
- That’s right. Antibiotics do not relieve ear pain immediately. Your child may need to take an over-the-counter medicine for pain.
- It may help to go back and read “Get the Facts.” Antibiotics do not relieve ear pain immediately. Your child may need to take an over-the-counter medicine for pain.
- That’s right. Antibiotics can have bothersome side effects, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and an allergic reaction.
- No, that’s not right. Antibiotics can have bothersome side effects, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and an allergic reaction.
- It may help to go back and read “Compare Your Options.” Antibiotics can have bothersome side effects, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and an allergic reaction.
1.How sure do you feel right now about your decision?
3.Use the following space to list questions, concerns, and next steps.
How To Get Rid Of Dog Ear Infections At Home
First, a word about topical treatments. As mentioned earlier, over-cleaning your dogs ears can lead to ear infections. So its best not to put anything in your dogs ears even if she has an ear infection. If that happens, you know its a sign of deeper issues so getting to the root of the problem is key.
But sometimes ear infections are just too uncomfortable for your dog and you need get her comfortable while you work on the root cause.
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Personal Stories From Parents Whose Children Had Ear Infections
These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.
My daughter, Biba, is a wonderfully robust 4-year-old. When she complained of an earache after a cold, we visited our doctor. She told us the ear infection would probably go away on its own, so I decided not to fill the prescription my doctor gave me then. The doctor said to give Biba pain relief medicine for the next few days and if she didn’t improve in 2 days that I should fill the prescription and have Biba take the antibiotics. Biba stayed home from school for 1 day, but she felt better the next. Best of all, she didn’t have to take antibiotics.
Maureen, age 33
My son, Rashad, has had so many ear infections. He really suffers with them. When the doctor said that I could wait to see if it would clear up, I thought that he would probably need antibiotics anyway, so why wait?
Renee, age 35
I am very concerned about bacteria that are not affected by antibiotics. My friend’s child had to take very strong antibiotics to cure his ear infection. When my son, Maury, got an ear infection, I waited to see if he would improve. But he still had an earache after 2 days, so I decided to go ahead and have him take antibiotics.
Briana, age 41
Cecelia, age 22
More Ear Infection Remedies
Top Foods for Ear Infections
- Water: Helps maintain hydration and clear out mucus.
- Wild-caught fish: Omega-3 fats found in wild-caught fish help to reduce inflammation.
- Non-dairy baby formula: If a baby drinks formula, I recommend switching to coconut or goats milk-based formulas which tend to cause fewer allergies. However, breast-feeding is most ideal.
- Fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C: Keeps immune system strong, which helps the bodys ability to ward off infection.
Foods to Avoid
- Potential food allergens: Some common allergens include conventional dairy, gluten, shrimp and peanuts.
- Conventional dairy: Pasteurized-cow dairy products can be mucus-producing and worsen infection.
- Sugar: Reduces immune function and encourages inflammation.
- Processed foods: These foods may contain added chemicals and dyes that young children can be sensitive to.
Supplement Ear Infection Remedies
- Garlic oil ear drops Garlic oil is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
- Zinc Zinc boosts immune function and promotes healing.
- Vitamin C Vitamin C enhances immune function and lowers inflammation.
- Vitamin D3 Vitamin D3 helps support the immune system.
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When To Use A Home Remedy
The best home remedy for an earache depends on the cause. If a cavity is to blame, your earache may not improve until you see a dentist. However, if its an ear infection, using a natural remedy could make the illness bearable as your body fights off the infection.
Many ear infections clear up on their own in about a week or two, with symptoms starting to get better after a few days. Be sure to check with your childs pediatrician if your child has ear pain, especially if they are under 2 years of age.
If your child is running a high fever, or if a fever lasts longer than a day, seek immediate medical care. A high fever for children is defined as:
| Age |
Signs & Symptoms Of Inner Ear Infection
The inner ear infection symptoms are different from that of Otitis externa or Otitis media. You may find yourself having the problem of vomiting, nausea, and dizziness in case of inner ear infection.
But these signs are not present in the middle ear infections. Thus you have to be careful about the specific symptoms of your specific part of your ears. Lets have a look at the symptoms of an inner ear infection.
A person who is suffering from an inner ear infection or otitis interna may tend to show a few symptoms. The common signs and symptoms of inner ear infection basically include:
- Irritation
Inner ear disorders can last longer.
If you are experiencing any or all of the symptoms listed above, this indicates that you have an infection in the inner ear or otitis interna and you are required to seek treatment from a doctor immediately.
Also, please be aware that if treatment is not sought immediately, you may experience complications at later stages.
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