Ask a conventional veterinarian what to do about your pet’s ear infection, and you’ll likely learn about antibiotics and other drugs directed specifically at the ear. Naturopathic healing, on the other hand, views ear infections as evidence of an underlying problem and treats them as such. “Ear conditions are rarely an acute infection,” explains all-natural veterinarian Cynthia Lankenau, DVM, from Colden, New York. “Rather they are usually a sign that the body is trying to detoxify a deeper chronic disease, which is why ear conditions tend to reoccur when you treat them in isolation.”

The liver and gallbladder meridians commonly detoxify through the ear, Lankenau explains. Thus chronic ear infections may signal the presence of some common liver or gallbladder irritants: poor-quality food, food allergies, vaccinosis (vaccine-induced chronic disease), or exposure to environmental toxins like commercial weed killers or chemical-laden household cleaners. If you notice symptoms of infection—such as an offensive odor, a yellowish discharge, head shaking, ear scratching—tend to the irritants. Then take the following steps, which Lankenau recommends to make your pet more comfortable while allowing the discharge to continue.

• Gently clean the ear using a flush of tepid green tea, a mild topical astringent that draws out excessive moisture, reducing inflammation and pain. Place 10 drops in the outer ear canal, massage, and let your pet shake out the excess.

• With your veterinarian’s OK, give your pet herbs such as eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) and rowanberry (Sorbus aucuparia), which reduce inflammation and mucus production. Chinese herbs such as coptis (Huang lian) and skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) reduce damp heat, which Traditional Chinese Medicine associates with ear conditions. Use tinctures or tablets, depending on the animal’s preference, with dosages ranging from a human dose for large dogs (100-plus pounds) down to one-sixteenth of a human dose for a small cat. Check with a holistic veterinarian for appropriate amounts for your pet.

• Consider combining acupuncture with Chinese herbs; acupuncture moves stagnant qi and herbs move blood and phlegm. Together they can be quite powerful.

• Homeopathy, also a strong healer, tends to each animal’s unique constitution. Early treatment with homeopathy often proves difficult because the veterinarian can’t pinpoint the best remedy until the animal’s various symptoms become clear. But many homeopathic remedies, notably Graphities and Pulsatilla, treat ear conditions successfully.

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