Hi Carol I can't speak form personal experience but one of my friend's Berners used to suffer mercilessly from chronic ear problems. For years on end. Like you, she exhausted the whole "antibiotic-drops- ear salves- etc-" range and although all these things helped for a little while, nothing really cured the problem. UNTIL she heard of a product called " THORNIT" , which is a powder ( some kind of natural herbal remedy). She absolutely swears by it and everyone else I know who has tried it thinks it's nothing short of miraculous either. Now and then, my friend's Berner's ear still get a bit itchy/gunky and after a couple of doses with this powder the ears look( and smell) just fine.
here is a link http://www.championpets.co.uk/ears.htm which might explain the product better. Or, alternatively, you could do a search on www.dogpile.com under the search term " Thornit" and you'll find lots of info. I have no connection whatsoever with this product, but I have seen first hand how helpful it is. If you can't get it in the USA, I could always send you some! All the best Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK