It’s been awhile since I shared photos or an update on my beloved labradoodle Indio. Indio turned 1 earlier this year in March and we are quickly making our to the big 2, I can’t believe it! He, along with mom and dad, has been struggle-inggg this summer with the humidity hear in Pittsburgh so he has preferred his curls kept short 😉 He has been going through a couple of health struggles that mom has been researching and trying to figure out how to address for months!

Health Update

Indio is a labradoodle, a dog breed that can have very hairy ears! Unfortunately, he is one that has extremely hair ears and because of that he gets a lot of ear infections. Indio is the first dog that I’ve had the responsibility of raising on my own and I am still learning a lot as a dog mom, so I didn’t even know that this was a concern with dogs let alone labradoodles! Once he was about a 1 1/2, I started noticing his ears were starting to smell and he was shaking his head a lot + itching his ears. I started cleaning his ears with an ear cleaning solution but that made the problem worse over a few months. I finally took him to the vet where they confirmed he had an ear infection and they “flushed” his ears to clean them. Unfortunately, they didn’t send me home with medicine for his ears so the problem reappeared over the next few months and I had to take him back to the vet. That’s when they informed me labradoodles can have this hair ear/ear infection problem and to take him to a groomer to get the hair in his ears removed.

I tried taking him to PetSmart/PetCo a few times to have his ears cleaned and the hair removed but to no success because they didn’t have enough hands on deck to do it properly and Indio is a bit naught at the groomers lol! I’m still planning on at some point taking him to a proper groomer at some point to get the hair removed but in the meantime I found a few products that have been helping. Luckily Schyler has several doctors + vets on his side of the family and his sister recommended I find an over the counter ear flush solution. After doing a little research, I ordered this one on Amazon. It’s the Pawstruck Anti-Fungal Ear & Skin Flush, a water based Aloe-infused ear flush, gentle but tough on ear infections. Guaranteed to knock out bacteria, yeast, & fungus so you can kiss ear infections goodbye! That sounded like exactly what we needed. I’ve been using it over the past couple weeks and so far it hasn’t irritated his ears like the other solutions have and I’m seeing a major improvement! I’ll do another update in a few months.

I’ve also added this probiotic from Pet Naturals Of Vermont to his diet and started brushing his teeth with this peanut butter flavored toothpaste. He LOVES it! I recently decided to start giving him a probiotic since he’s prone to ear infections because I thought it could only help. This probiotic is made in the US and includes prebiotics to help support a gut environment. A daily probiotic can also promote a healthy coat, digestive regularity, and general immune system support.

Loves

Treats!! Any kind of treats, really, but especially is Greenies which help keep his breath smelling fresh + cleans his teeth!

He loves going to the park, playing with sticks, and running around. He is incredibly fast!! I try to take him to the park at least a couple times a week.

Indio is a big cuddler (when HE wants to be lol) and loves attention.

He loves rough housing with Schyler! Mom plays fetch with him which he loves too, especially with his plushies.

Bed time is one of his favorites too, he always jumps up on the bed for some cuddles before we go to sleep. Luckily he sleeps on the floor after!

Dislikes

Indio doesn’t like the rain! Unfortunately, it rains a lot in Pittsburgh so I have to drag him through the walks lol.

He has never liked laying on his back, not even for pets! Recently, that’s started to change, I guess because he trusts us with his belly now lol. I can never get any cute shots of him like that though 🙁

Indio is very skiddish so he doesn’t like sudden movements which can be tough not to do in our 1,000 ish sf apartment. He also loves to walk right where he knows he’s going to get stepped on/bumped into so I think he does it for the dramatics lol!

He is still not a huge fan of baths, although he’s gotten better! It helps that he get’s a treat after lol. It’s a little tough because he’s so big, so to bathe him I give him a shower in my tub and I can see how it’s a little scary for him.

He hates getting his ears cleaned although he’s prone to ear infections so it’s a struggle right now! Hopefully this new solution will help. But I’ve been training him with treats to get through cleaning. he likes getting his teeth brushed though on another note!

XOXO