External ear disease in the dog a concise guide for dog owners.
I am often asked about dogs with ear problems. If your dog is shaking its head and there is a smell from the ears and discharge and redness then this is likely to mean ear disease deep down in your dog’s actual ear canals. The general name for this is Otitis Externa and the possible causes of it in the dog would be the following :
1. Bacterial infection
2. Fungal infection
3. Ear mites
4. Foreign objects in the ear canal
5. Polyps and tumours in the ear canal.
6. Allergic ear / skin disease.
As a first approach what us vets do is have a good look deep down the ear canal with our otoscope and then decide which is the most likely of the above conditions and prescribe some meds such as antibiotics usually in the form of drops. Usually we are lucky and hit the target the first time, then if no joy we try a second time with a different drop.
If the first line approach fails the disease may become chronic and my personal approach then would then be :
I would send samples from the infected ear to an outside laboratory and have culture and sensitivity carried out. The objective here is to identify the precise cause of the ear disease and which drug will cure it best. I would then apply the selected drug into the ear canals for a two week period. The treatment is usually in the form of drops as injectable antibiotics and oral antibiotics often do not penetrate at all well into the ear canal of the dog. Be aware that some ear treatments fail because the client does not put the applicator as far down the ear canal as they should, so get your vet to demonstrate just to be on the safe side. The infection is normally deep in the ear canal not at the surface you see.
I am so sorry I cannot suggest any home remedies here there is nothing much an owner can do on their own, the problem is you have to identify the precise cause before you treat the condition as all the treatments are different.
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS
Not found what you were looking for? Search again using the search box below.
Or have a live consult with an online vet right now!
This article was brought to you by David Ainworth. If you have found it to be interesting or of value please share it with your social media using the buttons below.
