Dog Ear Infection: Causes, Signs And Treatments
The ear is made up of 3 parts. Usually it is the outer ear that gets infected (90% of cases). In this article I give you the sign to look out for if you think you are facing a case of dog ear infection.
It is quite common that dog get their outer ear infected. for the reason that their ears are
designed in a particular way that favors infections from pathogens. The fact is the design of the dog ear makes it uneasy for particles such as water and debris to easily drain outside of the ear.
So, what are the signs you need to pay a close look at to be sure you are dealing with a case of Dog Ear Infection?
- Your dog keeps shaking his head constantly and excessively
- Do you see a yellow to brown fluid coming out of your dog’s ears?
- Do you smell anything that makes you think of yeast coming out of your dog’s ear?
- Usually there is redness and swelling on the ear, look out for that.
What are the causes of dog ear infection?
Usually allergic dogs are more likely to develop “dog ear infection”.
As mentioned earlier, because of the way dog ears are designed the water going inside cannot properly drain out, causing the “dog ear infection”. With that in mind, if your dog enjoy swimming, he is likely to develop “dog ear infection”. That doesn’t mean that your dog should not be given a chance to play around water. You should just make sure you clean and dry his ears anytime he finish playing around water.
So the question becomes: How do you clean your dog’s ear?
It is quite difficult to prevent dog ear infection for the simple reason that you cannot keep on watching on your dog every 24 hours. The most important thing is when you notice any dog ear infection, you should know how to clean the ear before using medication on it.
- first you can just put some few drops of ear cleanser on your dog infected ear.
- The next thing to do is to gently massage the ear in order to loosen the debris that are still stuck in there
- Finally you can just use a cotton ball to gently wipe the dirt out of the infected ear.
After cleaning the ear, you can now move to medication
Apply medication as indicated on the label of the medicine you bought. The medicine should be prescribed by a veterinarian. There different types of medications out there depending on the type of infection. In the case of yeast infection, usually anti-fungal drugs are prescribed. If the infection is rather caused by bacteria, the Doctor will usually prescribe antibiotics.
Usually medication for dog ear infection are usually applied directly onto the ear. There are case where oral treatment is suggested depending on the case. Sometimes it is also necessary to clip the hair around the ear to allow more air to flow through. In case your dog’s ear does not get better the vet may suggest surgery.
All dogs stand a risk of developing dog ear infection. That said certain breeds are more prone to develop it in relation to others. Usually the ones with large ear that flap over the outer canal and those with smaller ear canal stand and higher risk of infection. It is important that a dog owner pays particular attention to his/her dog’s ears. Ears should be periodically cleaned.
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