puppy question.. ear problem/allergies

One of our 5 month old chihuahua puppies became really itchy, constantly scratching, especially her ear (but all over really). It's not fleas or ticks. We could not see dirt (mites) or discharge from her ears but she was shaking her head A LOT.

We took her to vet, who noticed immediately that her skin was really pink all over (how did we miss that?)

Anyhow, vet says that she has an allergy (possibly to grass pollen) and developed a subsequent ear infection. Vet says vigorous head shaking has damaged her ear drum. Which is now completely gone in left ear. She has meds, antihistamines and antibiotics and we are giving as directed. Vet says inner ear is exposed and danger of permanent damage to nerves/ loss of hearing.

Questions:  will ear drum re-grow? How long might that take? Since her symptoms coincided with beginning of going out for walks and the grass pollen season, should we stop walking puppy (exposing her to allergen)? If we give her allergy meds during next pollen season, will we prevent this in future? If ear drum does not regrow, should we always avoid ears exposure to water etc?

I have spent ages looking on net for answers but found nothing helpful for this case and I am new to owning dogs so do not know this stuff.

Can anyone offer advice or their dog's experience with this or similar?

Thanks for reading!

I think those are questions for the vet. 

Agreed. But we didn't think to ask in that visit and we're not going back for 2 weeks.

Kinda would like to know now, without the vet fee.

PMed you. 

Your vet has a telephone number and MOST of them will be more than happy to answer these sorts of questions after the appointment.  It is common for people to think of questiosn after the fact.  I would strongly recommned that you speak to your vet who actually did se eyour dog and knows what conversation he had with you, rather than just casting about on the internet where you may not get well informed answers.

If your vet is NOT willing to answer these questiosn, then its time to find a new one.

Hi

I'm a Small animal vet, specialized in dermatology and internal medicine, your dog's problem may become chronic or be a one time event, the ear drum  will probably heal and you will not notice a difference in your dog's activities or attitude, but a chronic ear infection or skin allergy  will mean hard work for you during your dogs life, You might be able to avoid it with preventative medication but some times the infection will happen even with treatment, for now lets hope its a one time event!

good luck and don't worie so much its a manageble problem

I'm a pharmacist so i'm always looking for medical results lol so when my pitty starts this, i get him groomed and ask them to pay special attention to his ears, then we got a drop that's similar to Tri-otic for humans, but in a week it's all gone.

my dog did this, she was allergic to the food we gave her.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer. I still feel new at this "puppy momma" role, and even little things make me worried.

I will call vet Monday, I know she will have the answers. We will be taking them both back on Friday anyhow, as they are both set to be spayed that day. If I think of any further questions by then, I guess I can ask at that time.