Lorrie Shaw / Contributor

As a pet owner myself and caregiver to many other animals, I have run across a lot of standard injuries, illnesses and infections with them. Typically, most can be dealt with with ease. In our family and in many others as well, chronic maladies can pose a lot of frustration for both pets and humans alike.

One thorny issue that I hear frequently is with regard to chronic ear problems. Difficulties occur more commonly in dogs with pendulous ears (those that hang, rather than stand upright), but any dog or cat can experience irritation or infection. Infection or imbalance in the ear can be due to fungal overgrowth, microbial infection or the inside of the ears can be just plain inflammed. 

Symptoms include shaking of the head, scratching of the ears and at times, odor. An initial diagnosis should always be made by your veterinarian if your pet is experiencing these symptoms. Many of us pet parents are all too familiar with our pets' specific symptoms and standard protocol includes ear medications prescribed by the vet for usually 10-12 days, and they do work well.

Many times, there is simply an imbalance, and no infection. Antibiotics are useless in this case.

In some situations, especially when allergies are the culprit behind the ear problems or for drug resistant infection, there is an alternative that is vet recommended and that a couple of my clients as well as myself have had success with. Zymox Otic is a unique product that contains three enzymes: lactoperxodase, lactoferrin and lysozyme. 

Zymox is effective against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, viral activity and fungi. It is especially helpful for the maintenance of the ears during allergy season, since there is no risk of resistance. Zymox Otic is available with or without hydrocortisone.

The company that produces Zymox, Pet King Brands - also produces Zymox products to address recurring skin infections, as well as oral care products that include a water additive for good oral health, without brushing. Oral health is so very important for the overall health of your pet. It supports a healthy heart and also helps your pets have good dentition well into their later years. 

This, in turn, enables them to eat solid food that contains proper amounts of fiber - additionally encouraging a healthy digestive tract and anal glands that work sufficiently and nutrients to support overall health. Good dentition is primarily an issue that is especially pressing for cats, as their teeth are more pointy (carnassial) and not as suitable for chewing, unlike dogs. (The water additive is great in the case of cats, as brushing is typically quite difficult for owners to manage.)

What I like best about this approach that it is a holistic angle. I encourage you research the products to edify yourself and then dialogue with your vet to see if Zymox and Biotene might be right for your pet. In many cases your veterinarian will carry all of these products.