Did you know that around 20% of dogs suffer from ear disease? If your dog is one of them, our LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care Spray could be the game-changer you’ve been searching for. This naturally sourced, vet-approved solution is designed to help keep your dog’s ears clean, healthy, and free from infection.
Why Choose LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care Spray?
In this news post, we explain how LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care Spray offers a gentle yet effective way to:
- Prevent Bacterial Infections: Actively helps to keep your dog’s ears clean and comfortable and stop infections before they start.
- Support Healing: Vets have used our spray to manage recurrent ear infections naturally, safely, and effectively when other treatments failed.
This post includes three probiotic success stories – one veterinary case study and two owner testimonials – for Ben, Pongo, and Mylo. All three struggled with chronic ear infections. Their owners say, “The spray has helped him and he is so much happier,” and, “We can’t recommend this product enough.”
This post focuses on dog ear care but LUCAA+ Ear Spray is equally suitable for cats, rabbits, horses, and other animals needing ear support. Please get in touch if you have any questions: enquiries@pure-ingenious.com.
Important Note: Always check with your vet if your pet has signs of an ear infection, or if unsure.
A Brief Overview of Dog Ear Infections
Ear infections are a common problem for many dogs and can become recurrent and chronic. Most are caused by harmful bacteria, but yeast and ear mites also cause ear issues.
Causes of Dog Ear Infections
Dogs are more prone to ear infections than humans. This is because they have an ‘L’ shaped ear canal that can hold moisture. Moisture creates an ideal environment for bacteria and yeast growth.
Most infections occur in the outer ear canal (otitis externa). However, they can also affect the middle (otitis media) and inner ear canal (otitis interna).
Potential Risk Factors
Dogs with floppy ears such as spaniels, beagles and basset hounds are particularly prone to ear infections.
Other factors increase the risk too:
Local factors
- Moisture.
- Wax build-up.
- A foreign body in the ear or an injury.
- Cleaning with products that cause microbiome disruption.
Underlying medical conditions
- Around 50% of dogs with allergic skin disease also develop ear infections*.
- Autoimmune and endocrine disorders.
- Food sensitivities (often linked to yeast).
Recent activities
- Bath water getting into the ears.
- Swimming in dirty water such as a lake.
- Grooming, trimming or plucking ear hair.
*Bonus Tip: If your dog has seasonal or environmental allergies, try our Probiotic Dog Skin Allergy Pack for extra care.
Symptoms of Dog Ear Infection
If your dog is experiencing any of the following symptoms, they may have an ear infection:
- Persistent head shaking or whining
- Scratching or pawing at their ears
- Redness, swelling, or pain in the ear
- Scabs, discharge, or excessive wax build-up
Left untreated, ear infections can lead to serious complications like poor balance, facial paralysis, or even deafness. Some pets even need surgery to deep clean the ears and remove diseased tissue. This surgery, called total ear canal ablation, involves removing the entire ear canal. Although this can stop the infection, the price is often high: it will cause permanent hearing loss in the affected ear.
Ref: Ear Disease in Dogs – The Veterinary Expert| Pet Health
Probiotic, Natural Dog Ear Cleaner – Prevention is Better than Cure
Don’t Let Ear Infections Control Your Dog’s Life
Ear infections are more than just a nuisance – they can significantly impact your dog’s quality of life. Probiotic ear care helps you to take a proactive approach to your dog’s ear health and prevent issues before they escalate.
This non-invasive, probiotic, natural dog ear cleaner spray keeps ears comfortable and reduces the risk of bacterial infections. It can also help to reduce the length and severity of flare-ups and the need for antibiotics and serious operations.
Natural Ear Cleaner Improves Inner Ear Hygiene & Prevents Infections
Routine cleaning with LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care restores and maintains a healthy ear.
- Balances the ear microbiome.
- Helps to prevent ear infections.
- Reduces itching and inflammation.
- Safely and thoroughly cleans the inner ear.
- Natural ingredients.
- Vet approved, advanced probiotic formula.
- PETA certified – vegan and cruelty-free
Instructions
- Wash your hands. Spray directly into the ear. If your dog does not like the spray, apply to the inner ear using a clean cloth or lint-free gauze or cotton pad wrapped around your finger (use a separate pad for each ear).
- Apply between twice daily and twice weekly depending on the ear condition.
Note: Do not use alongside other topical ear medications or cleaners as this can reduce the effectiveness of the probiotics. Visit the product page or contact us for more information.
How Probiotic, Natural Ear Cleaner Works
Our ear cleaner harnesses the power of probiotics – beneficial bacteria from plants – to naturally and safely support your dog’s ear health. Here’s the two main ways that it works:
- Inhibits harmful bacteria: The ‘good’ bacteria (probiotics) outcompete harmful bacteria, reducing the risk of infections.
- Supports a healthy ear microbiome: Restoring balance to the community of microorganisms within the ear improves ear comfort and hygiene and helps prevent issues before they start. For more information, read our post on the role of surface microbiomes: Microbiome in a Bottle
Wider benefit – protects antibiotic effectiveness: Probiotics help prevent bacterial infections without contributing to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a growing concern where bacteria evolve to resist once-effective treatments. Probiotic ear spray cares for your dog and helps preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics, which are a crucial medical resource. To find out more, read our AMR news post: Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance with Probiotic Pet Care and Cleaning.
Danielle Masterson (09-Nov-2021) shows how probiotics reduce the risk of ear infections in children too: Probiotics for ear infections? Researchers demonstrate microbiota linked to ear health.
‘Ear infections are typically treated with antibiotics, which could compromise the gut microbiome and reduce the ability of immune cells to kill bacteria. Now, fresh research indicates there could be a promising new approach to this relatively common childhood problem’.
* This is just for interest, LUCAA+ Ear Care is sold for pets not children!
Additional Benefits of LUCAA+ Probiotic Ear Care Spray
Itchy ears caused by ear mites
LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care Spray isn’t specifically for ear mites, but helps to relieve the itching and inflammation they cause. The probiotics help to soothe discomfort by consuming the bio-allergen trigger – the ear mite’s faeces – as a natural food source.
Yeasty ears
LUCAA+ Ear Care can certainly help with yeast, but this is not it’s main purpose so it can take a little time. Yeast infections often occur when the natural balance of microorganisms (the microbiome) in the ear is disrupted by factors such as moisture, allergies, or antibiotics that kill off both harmful and beneficial bacteria. Probiotic ear spray helps restore this balance by repopulating the ear with beneficial bacteria. This stabilises the inner ear environment, making it healthier and harder for opportunistic yeast to take hold and thrive.
Yeast overgrowth has many different causes, including diet and environmental factors such as cleaning chemical use. We always recommend looking at the wider picture as it is often an “every little bit helps” situation. For best results, seek out reliable nutritional advice and look for a natural way to remove the established yeast.
Whichever antifungal method or product you use, it is important to follow on immediately (with no time gap) with LUCAA+ Probiotic Ear Care. This will help prevent the issue of repeating ear infections that can happen with products that wipe out the microbiome in the ear. Killing off the good bacteria as well as the unwanted yeasts etc. can leave the ear undefended against new pathogens. Probiotic ear spray helps to prevent this cycle.
Ear Infection Case Study and Testimonials
Here are the stories of how LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care helped three much loved dogs:
Bens Story – a Vet’s Case Study
Topical probiotics helped Ben, an eight-year old Newfoundland, when antibiotics stopped working.
The Problem
Ben presented with inflamed ears and clinical evidence of an infection in his left ear. This infection was effectively treated with an antibiotic (Florfenicol) ear preparation. Three weeks later he developed symptoms of another infection in his left ear.
Three different pathogenic bacteria were isolated from this ear: Escherichia coli, Staph. Pseudintermedius and Beta Haemolytic Streptococcus. An antibiogram showed that each of these bacteria were resistant to several antibiotics commonly used for ear infections.
The Solution
Ben was admitted for sedation and full assessment of his ears. His ear canals were swollen, and both contained a thick, yellow, smelly discharge. Ben’s ears were thoroughly cleaned and treated with a combination of antimicrobial products (Marbofloxacin and an antimicrobial peptide. The peptide helps to kill bacteria by damaging their cell walls. He was also treated with anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the pain and discomfort of his severe ear infection.
Ten days later his ears looked much better although his left ear was still a little inflamed. A further swab revealed a profuse growth of Staph. pseudintermedius again and a moderate growth of Alpha Haemolytic Streptococcus. Both bacteria were resistant to Marbofloxacin.
Ben’s vet (Richard Doyle of Wylie Vets), decided at this stage to trial Provilan’s LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care preparation. The spray was applied to both ears twice daily.
Eight days later, a reassessment showed that Ben’s right ear appeared normal. His left ear was improving but was still slightly waxy and inflamed. New swabs did not culture any pathogenic bacteria.
The Outcome
Ben ears were cleaned with LUCAA+ Probiotic Ear Care twice weekly for one more month, before stopping the treatment. Four months later, he has not suffered any further ear infections.
Ben’s vet, Dr. Richard Doyle, Veterinary Surgeon at Wylie Vets in Essex says: “The treatment of multi-resistant ear infections presents veterinary surgeons with a challenging problem. Bacteria that commonly infect the ears of dogs are becoming more and more resistant to the available antibiotics. Ear infections cause pain and discomfort for dogs and can affect hearing and balance in the long term.
The use of probiotic ear products presents a new approach to this problem. It uses commensal (friendly) bacteria to eliminate pathogenic bacteria by competitively inhibiting them without the need for traditional antibiotic treatment.”
Pongo’s Story
5 Star Review: LUCAA+ Probiotic Ear Care Spray prevented Pongo losing his ear canal and his hearing.
“My Dalmatian Pongo has suffered from recurring nasty ear infections since a puppy. He has had surgery many times to have his ears deep cleaned and treated. The infections get so bad it affects his eardrum. My vet eventually transferred us to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) to investigate and be treated.
The RVC found seven different types of bacteria and infection in his ear. They suggested that the only way to prevent this reoccurring problem would be to remove the whole inside of his ear. We decided this wouldn’t be a good option as Pongo is a very nervous dog and if he was deaf it would potentially make his behaviours worse if someone accidentally scared him.
We went back to our local vets with Pongo to get some more medication. He suggested trying LUCAA+ Probiotic Pet Ear Spray as it would be interesting to see if it works or helps at all.
We started using the spray to treat his ears and his ears cleared of all infections! We now spray his ears twice a week to keep on top of it but Pongo hasn’t had an infection for 6 months. The spray has helped him and he is so much happier.” Gabrielle MacKenzie
Mylo’s Story
5 Star Review: LUCAA+ Probiotic Ear Care stopped Mylo’s recurrent ear infections.
“Our dog, Mylo, suffered from multiple ear infections as a puppy. From 8 weeks to 5 months we took him to the vet many times due to the constant discomfort he was in – we were given antibiotics and cleaning solutions but the infections kept returning.
After having an operation under general to clean out his ears, he got another infection. When we went back to the vets LUCAA+ Probiotic Pet Ear Care was suggested. It worked wonders; Mylo’s ears cleared up.
Since then, a few sprays a week have kept all infection at bay. Being a Doodle he has very hairy inner ears which means he is prone to infection, however the probiotics have completely alleviated this issue.
We can’t recommend this product enough”. Lucy Uwins
Vet’s Letter of Recommendation
Of course, Mylo, Pongo and Ben may still be having antibiotics and surgeries without their vet’s recommendation. Richard Doyle (director of Wylie Veterinary Centre in Essex) says:
“My name is Richard Doyle and I am a director at The Wylie Veterinary Centre in Upminster, Essex. We are a RCVS-accredited Small Animal Veterinary Hospital. We have been successfully treating and/or preventing superficial bacterial infections in our patients using the LUCAA+ range of probiotic animal care products (wound, eye, ear, allergy sprays).
Typically, conditions we treat include surface pyoderma including pyo-traumatic pyoderma (hot spots), superficial bite wounds, otitis externa, bacterial conjunctivitis, lick granulomas, intertrigo (skin fold pyoderma) and atopic dermatitis. These products contain three commensal bacillus species which competitively inhibit pathogenic bacteria without the need for antibiotics and without the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance. These commensal species also digest organic material, so we also use the Allergy Spray as an adjunct to more conventional treatments for atopy to limit antigen exposure.
Whilst, in our experience, these products certainly have a place in treating such infections, they need to be used with caution in situations where there is more deep-seated infections or conditions such as furunculosis, deep tissue infections, septicaemia, otitis media/interna, corneal ulceration or glaucoma.
The purpose of this letter is to highlight the benefits of using such products in superficial infections but also to alert you to circumstances in which the use of these products is not appropriate when used as sole agents without qualified advice. If you have any further queries or questions, please contact Ingenious Probiotics.”
Next Steps
Keep Your Dog’s Ears Healthy and Happy with LUCAA+ Ear Care
LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care is a safe, and effective way to maintain your dog’s ear health. It helps with chronic ear infections, itching from ear mites, and preventing future issues. Our spray supports a healthy microbiome and helps to stop harmful bacteria from growing.
A probiotic approach helps your dog to feel better and stay healthy. It also helps preserve antibiotic effectiveness so they remain a viable treatment when needed.
Questions? Contact us for more information: Call +44 1268 544530 or email enquiries@pure-ingenious.com today.
Important Note: LUCAA+ Pet Probiotic Ear Care helps your dog’s ears become healthier and stay healthier. Please use sensible caution and always consult your vet if your dog is unwell, has signs of infection or if in any doubt. It is important to act quickly if an ear infection does occur. In this case, we always recommend asking your vet. If your dog is prescribed antibiotics, our recommendation is to always finish the course.
NB: Photos are of Mylo, the Newfoundland and Dalmatian photos are stock photos.
