I`ve used the blue ear treatment with fantastic results, heres the link

http://www.karistosharpei.co.uk/Ear%20cleaner.htm

Thanks for that link Christine I will have a good look at that

Thanks Moli At least the scratching has subsided a bit now he has had a steroid injection and some pred tablets to take every day

aww poor benji hope all the scratching stops for him big hugs coming his way

Thanks Stewart - his scratching has ceased a bit now since the injection

Thanks Jen Yes he is sleeping a bit more peacefully now thank goodness - just wish it was permanent

Hi Foxy, sorry to hear about Benji scratching again. In my opinion i would carry on with the prednisolone as i think when you look at the options i would rather have a happy dog that does not scratch. As you know there are side effects related to the prednisolone but i think by the sounds of it they are easliy outweighed by the scratching. The idea of the steroid jab it that it releases into the blood stream and gives almost immediate relief then carries on for x amount of time combating the symptoms. It is not a cure but will in most cases give effective relief and is by far the cheapest medication as i know you are not covered by pet insurance. I personally think the best thing to do from my experience with Bandit would be to forget the injections and give the tablets on the highest dose possible for a week to stop the sratching as a daily dose,then reduce the dose to as little as possible gradually and give on alternate days until you find the right dose that keeps it under control. This is something to discuss with your vet. The only other option i would try but it is a long shot as i know you have changed the diet before is to feed raw. By this i mean no cereals just a diet consisting of bone, meat and veg. To make this easy you could feed raw chicken and tripe mix which is chicken carcass and tripe and add pulped raw veg [including parsley and garlic] This way you are supplying the vitamins and minerals etc from the bone content of the carcass and everything else you need from the tripe and veg. This is only a quick example of feeding as there are lots of options with feedind raw but it is a simple option. You never know it just might be enough to boost the immune system.
I hope this helps a bit but i honestly can't recommend anything else to do that you have not tried so i really think it is a case of a decent diet coupled with low dose prednisolone......Cheers....Ian..

Thanks Ian for your fantastic advice The little monkey is still scratching despite having a steroid injection and one of his prednisolone tablets this morning. He has to take 2 a day for 7 days and then one a day for another week. I don't know why but raw feeding scares the hell out of me - I just wouldn't have a clue how to go about it and what to buy and how much to give him to be honest. I would also be scared of him choking on a bone or something or getting it stuck somewhere Someone has told me that Bichons shouldn't have beef at all although I don't understand why this should be.

Hi Foxy, i know what you mean about the raw feeding, it scared the life out of me until i tried it but i have got to admit its the best thing i ever did regards the dogs health. I know it is all down to personal opinion and what suits one dog may not suit another but it certainly suits our two as you can see from photos i have posted in the photo section.
I have heard some dogs have an intolerence to red meat aswell but you could feed chicken and veg as a starting point. I must admit i prefer to feed the bone minced down [hence the chicken and tripe mix] only because Bandit will vitually inhale a whole carcass.
Regards the steroids i would have thought the dose given would have some effect as a "safe" dose is 1mg per kg bodyweight. I know when Bandit was bad he had 4 tabs per day [20mg = 4 x 5mg tabs] for a week then this was given every other day gradually taking it down to 2 tabs alternate days so he was well below the recommended "safe" dose as he weighed 50kg at the time.
Hopefully the steroids will kick in and he stops scratching soon....Cheers...Ian..

Hi Foxy, the more i think about Benji's problem the more he sounds like Bandit was. I know i have discussed this on several occasions before and i know i have said about the evening primrose oil etc but i have thought of a few more tips that i don't think i have said about.
Benji is suffering from Atopy as you know, so this is caused by different allergens not just food [ if it is food] but airbourne allergens [pollens etc] aswell plus what the other cause could be is house mites .You cannot get away from a lot of these causes but you can do a few things to help. What we found with Bandit is to wash his bedding weekly [ which is vetbed] in a sensitive washing powder called Filetti plus i spray the house every 6 months with Total Hygiene DM 1 spray to try and control the housemites. I don't know if you let Benji on the bed but this is the worst place for house mites as they feed on our dead skin [yuk] . I know Bandit used to be worse if he lay on the bed. Its just a few thoughts i had and you never know they could make a difference......Cheers...Ian..