Is Ear Medicine Effective?

Q: Hello Doctor, We just bought our morkie (2 lbs, 10 weeks) on Tuesday night. From yesterday afternoon, he has been scratching his ear side a lot. We had been to The vet for a first visit and consultation. They checked and took a swab of the ear and found infection of the ear. They cleaned the ears, and we came home and applied medicine last night. But still the puppy still seems to be scratching his ear side a lot. How would we know if the medicine is working ? And Considering this, should the breeder be notified that the puppy had ear infection ? A.S.

A: Even when we know the cause of an ear infection and have the right medicine it can take 3-5 days before the irritation subsides. Also, if you have an ointment based ear medicine your puppy feels the presence of the medicine and that can cause him to scratch. It might help if I knew the type of organism (bacteria, yeast or both) found on the swab and what medicine you have. Keep me posted, thanks.