Zymox Ear Cleaner

By isak, May 4, 2009

reprinted from Animal Pet Doctor website

I’m not really sure when Zymox became available on the market, but I recently “discovered” this great product.

What actually happened is that one of the many drug sales reps that come by our clinic every few weeks tried to talk me into trying this great new ear treatment he had.

He made it sound too good to be true and I’ve already tried many, many other highly touted treatments that turned out to be poor or only so-so.

This one supposedly worked enzymatically to digest wax, pus, and other crud in the ear canal leaving it nice and clean.

Well, he got me to try a few bottles, and Lo; they worked well.

We vets see a lot of pets with chronic ear problems. I quickly ordered a couple of dozen bottles and called clients who I knew were constantly fighting ear infections in their dogs. In all but a couple of cases, Zymox worked really well.

Zymox is a bottle of clear looking drops. You place a few drops into the ear canal and massage.

Once a day is adequate but it works faster if you’ll apply 2-4 times daily for the first few days. Once the ear is looking and feeling a lot better, once or twice a day is sufficient. You may be able to quit entirely after 1-3 weeks or you may need to treat periodically to keep things under control.

There are no known side effects except for the possibility of the ear canal being sensitive to the product.

You can combine Zymox treatment with oral antibiotics etc, but you shouldn’t mix Zymox with topical antibiotic ointments or apparently the antibiotic will kill the enzymatic action of the Zymox making it ineffective.

Zymox Otic ® (formerly Zymox-E ® ) contains 3 active enzymes that have been shown to be antibacterial,antifungal and antiviral. Zymox Otic ® is the natural antibiotic free treatment of choice proven to be highly effective against yeast and bacterial infections. Completely safe and harmless if ingested by the animal. The once a day protocol makes it very to use.

Warning: Do not use on punctured eardrums. Do not use on pregnant or lactating females.

Each enzyme has its own unique properties and when combined, pack a powerful antimicrobial punch. The 3 enzymes are derived naturally from milk products so they are 100% safe and gentle. For years, it has been known that milk has a natural ability to kill bacteria, viruses and yeast.

Only recently have the protein and enzyme system responsible been identified and reproduced. The three most effective are Lactoperoxidase, Lysozyme and Lactoferrin. Their antimicrobial activities are briefly listed below:

Lactoperoxidase A known milk peroxidase which when combined together with hydrogen peroxide, thiocyanate and/or iodide produce a potent antibacterial system known as the Lactoperoxidase System. The hypohalous ions produced are either the hypothiocyanate ion or the hypoiodite ion. Both are bactericidal substances. Hypoiodite is also a known fungicidal agent. The antibacterial property of the Lactoperoxidase System is based upon inhabitation of vital bacterial metabolic enzymes brought on by their oxidation by hypothiocyanate or hypoiodite.

Lysozyme An enzyme present in milk and egg whites.
Lysozyme kills bacteria by disrupting the formation of a glycosidic bond between the two components of peptidoglycan, a constituent of the bacterial cell wall. Lysozyme is effective against a number of bacteria including Escherichia coli and Salmonellae.

Lactoferrin An iron binding protein. It is found naturally in cow and human milk, tears, saliva, seminal fluid and in some white blood cells. Lactoferrin is only partially saturated with iron (5 to 30 percent) so it has a high affinity towards iron. Lactoferrin is bacteristatic against a wide range of microorganisms including gram-negative (coliforms) and gram-positive (staphylcoccus) bacteria. Lactoferrin has the potential to inhibit the growth of bacteria and kill them by depriving them of iron, which is vital for bacterial growth.