Dear Dr. Forsythe: I have a three-year-old Cocker that has chronic problems with her ears. I’ve been cleaning them for a long time and using every medication possible, but they have never been completely well. It seems like just when her ears start to show some improvement, I get busy and don’t have time to clean and dry and medicate them enough to stay ahead of the problem. Now I think it is finally time to get a culture done. Do you think this could help?
Cocker crazy
Dear Cocker crazy: By all means, you need to have a culture and sensitivity done, but make sure there are no antibiotics or steroids placed into the ears or given systemically for three weeks prior to getting the culture. I realize this may result in a little “set back” but it will probably be the only way to know what germs are really growing in those ears. Cockers are notorious for yeast and bacterial growth in that warm, moist, dark environment that favors the colonization of little critters. It is also not unusual for cocker spaniels to have tiny narrow ear canals that get smaller and smaller as time goes on. This makes it very difficult for air to circulate down there and even harder for medication to get in and fight any infection. Some of these poor little spaniels eventually need a surgery to open up and expose their vertical ear canals so that the medication can go right in. Oftentimes, after having this procedure, they feel 100 percent better and act like new little pets. At any rate, knowing which “bug” is growing in there will give you a lot of knowledge about how to combat this very irritating problem for your pet. Good luck to you!
Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I have several dogs, and people have asked me what the limit is for the number of pets you can have (legally) in Sonoma. Do you know if there is a limit to the number of dogs and cat’s people are allowed to have in our area?
Lisa
(afraid of your answer)
Dear Lisa: There is no need to fear! Within the city limits of Sonoma, the maximum number of pets allowed per household is three dogs and four cats. More than three dogs are considered a nuisance, and over four cats are considered a potential health concern. Outside the city limits, you can have four dogs and four cats or up to eight mammals (i.e. a total of eight cats if you like). You didn’t tell me how many pets you have, but if you are like my sister from Georgia, I’ll tell you how she got around living in a beautiful fancy community with homeowners regulations that included no more than five dogs allowed per large, manicured home.
She simply walked her pugs in shifts. At the time she had eight beautiful apricot fawn pugs of various ages and sexes. The neighbors in her suburban Atlanta neighborhood smiled and waved as she lovingly walked five of her flat-faced beauties around the neighborhood in Peachtree City. An hour later, she’d hinge up the remaining three pugs and off they’d go for their walk. Once again neighbors delighted in “that lovely pug owner” whose only obsession seemed to be a compulsive need to parade her dogs up and down the tree lined streets of the neighborhood repeatedly. Nary a word was mentioned until she acquired her first black pug, then people finally put two and to together and “the jig was up”. The moral of the story? Stay within acceptable number of pets permitted, unless you are a crazy pug person like my sister Vallarie. And even then, please stick with one similar color, so the neighbors don’t get too suspicious and call in the pug squad. Oh, and by the way, Vallarie finally got tired of all those restrictions in Peachtree City and moved out into a big old house in the country, where she and her 11 pugs of black and fawn varieties are all well and happy—and come and go as they darn well please.
Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe: My white kitty cat has very pink ears on the tips, and I am worried about her, since the ears are getting worse every year. Why do white kitties get this? I have been thinking that she is getting sunburned, but it has not ever gone away. Is this something I should be worried about or should I just keep her inside from now on? Thanks for your thoughts. I never miss your column.
Cat mom
Dear Cat mom: Although you didn’t tell me how old your kitty is, usually when white cats get pink discoloration on their ears that gets progressively brighter, this is a precancerous lesion caused from exposure to the sun. Although it is caused by the sun, it isn’t really “sunburn” but a progressive and potentially serious condition. You should have your veterinarian check this condition carefully, paying attention to kitty’s ears and nose. This is one condition that is slowly progressive and the skin eventually develops carcinoma after many years. Estee Lauder makes a great sunscreen without scents that works well on cat’s ears if she refuses to stop sunbathing, but please have your veterinarian monitor the condition and let you know if any additional treatments become necessary. This is one instance where some veterinarians may even recommend an ear crop to remove the offending tissue if it becomes very irritated, but the good news is that this is a localized problem rather than one that travels and spreads all around the body. Good luck.
Dr. F.
