dog ear infection treatment advice

Dog ear infections require close cooperation with your vet to treat successfully.

Handouts like this one help you understand the problem and the steps needed to fix it.  If not diagnosed early and treated correctly, dog ear infections often recur.

Dog ear vet

Read more about dog ear infection treatment

When your dog has sore, itchy ears.

272 MARCH 2004 Veterinary Medicine

Your veterinarian has just informed you that

your dog has otitis, or inflammation of the ear.

There are three stages of otitis. In the beginning,

the external ear canal is affected, and you may

notice that your dog is shaking its head or pawing at

its ear. Your dog might also have an ear discharge,

with or without odor. In the next stage, the disease

spreads to the middle ear, which includes the

eardrum. In the final stage, otitis spreads to the inner

ear, which houses your dog’s balance system.

In the more severe stages, dogs are reluctant to

open their mouths or chew and have a pronounced

head tilt, balance problems, and drooping lips or eyelids.

Luckily, most cases of otitis are caught during the

first stage, and, at this stage, the chances for getting

your dog’s ears back in tip-top shape are good.

How did the otitis develop?

Many things cause dogs’ ears to become

inflamed, including ear mites, a bacterial

or yeast infection, a foreign object or mass

within the ear, allergies, or medical conditions

that allow infection to develop within the

ear. Some breeds are more likely to develop

problems because of their ear structure. It

can take time and a variety of diagnostic

tests for your veterinarian to determine the

underlying cause. But this cause must be

identified, or the problem can worsen

and spread farther into the ear,

causing your dog intense pain and,

possibly, necessitating surgery to drain the

infected material and remove the affected tissues.

Even if bacterial or yeast infections aren’t the primary

cause, they often develop in affected ears. Your veterinarian

will likely prescribe medication to treat these

infections and show you how to administer it. Keep in

mind that frequent follow-up visits will be necessary to

monitor response to therapy.

Cleaning your dog’s ears

An important part of treating your dog’s otitis involves

frequent ear cleanings, which you can do at home.

Make sure you clean your dog’s ears either outdoors

or in an area such as a tiled bathroom where nothing

can be stained by debris from the ear canal. Use a

two-stage cleaning technique. First, flood the ear

canal with cleaning solution prescribed by your veterinarian.

Make sure you fill the canal—don’t just use

a few drops. Allow the solution to remain in contact

with the canal for at least 60 seconds, and gently massage

the entire canal during this time. Dry the canal

with a cotton ball. Use only real cotton balls, which

are less irritating than synthetic ones are. Never clean

your dog’s ears with a cotton swab. The

swab pushes debris farther into the ear

canal and puts the eardrum under pressure,

possibly causing it to rupture. The

second stage is a repeat of the first.

Again allow the solution to contact

the canal for a full 60 seconds or

more and massage the ear. Then

step back and let your dog shake

its head.

The frequency of cleaning

varies based on how severely

your dog’s ears are affected, but,

in general, perform this cleaning

process twice a day for the first one

or two weeks, once a day for the

next one or two weeks, and then

once or twice a week thereafter.

Communicate with your veterinarian

Follow your veterinarian’s instructions for cleaning

your dog’s ears and administering medications. Be

sure to bring your dog in for each recheck appointment

your veterinarian schedules, even after the

inflammation has subsided. Otitis often recurs in dogs,

and the medication that cleared it up the first time

may not work the next time because a different type

of infection may have developed. So be sure to see

your veterinarian if signs do recur. ■