Common dog ear problems
92Floppy ears are more prone to ear problems
Products helpful for ear infections
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Causes, symptoms, treatments of common ear disorders
Not many canine ailments cause as much distress and frustration as ear infections. At the animal hospital I worked at, we had owners literally implore front desk receptionists for a same day appointment just to give relief to their suffering dogs. This does not come as a surpise since according to VPI pet insurance, ear problems are the second most common reasons dogs are seen by vets.
A dog suffering from ear disease is not a pretty sight. It can actually drive an owner nuts just watching them trying to get relief. Some dogs may turn aggressive if their ears are touched.
Below are some common signs suggesting ear disease in dogs:
*INSISTENT HEAD SHAKING
*HEAD KEPT TILTED
*RUBBING EARS ON FURNITURE, FLOOR, PAWS ETC
*SENSITIVITY TO TOUCH
*HEAD SCRATCHING
*HOT, RED EARS
*ODOR FROM EARS
*SCRATHES ON EARS
*SWOLLEN EARS
*DISCHARGE FROM EARS
*LOSS OF BALANCE
*ULCERS THAT DO NOT HEAL
*LOSS OF HEARING
*PRESENCE OF FLIES
There are several factors causing ear disease in dogs. The most annoying are those producing the itching, pawing and scratching. Below are listed some of the most common conditions causing ear disease in dogs:
AURAL HEMATOMA
An aural hematoma is not a primary condition but it often results as a consequence from excessive head shaking and scratching. While the dog shakes it's head and scratches insistently, over time, the small blood vessels will bleed inside the ear and cause notorious swelling causing the ear flap to fill up with blood. Ears will swell up like balloons or marsh-mellows and upon touching them they may feel squishy and odd. What is even worse is that should an aural hematoma go untreated, a dog's ears may never go back to normal leaving the ears with very unsightly scarring and even permanent deformities.
OTITIS
The classical ear infection indeed, otitis can be external and internal. Other than the classical head shaking and pawing, ear infections can be pretty painful and may progress to the the middle ear even leading to deafness should it go untreated. Fortunately, a course of antibiotics is all it takes to give the dog comfort in most cases.
EAR MITES
While not really a disease, ear mites have the potentially of causing disease. These parasites live in the ear and can be detected thanks to the offensive odor emanated from an affected ear and thanks to the coffee ground discharge left behind. A course of Tresaderm may be prescribed to get rid of these annoying parasites that may cause otitis.
YEAST INFECTIONS
These may follow antibiotic treatments and typically cause a rancid odor, brown discharge, and very inflamed ears. Anti-fungal treatments will be necessary treatment wise. In mild cases the below home remedy of water and vinegar may be helpful.
FLY BITE DERMATITIS
Flies may insistently bite the dog's ears especially in those dog breeds characterized by erect ears. The ears of these dogs will appear with crusty brown-black edges. The dermatitis that develops can be prevented by keeping the door indoors or applying effective insect repellents.
ALLERGIES
Itching and pawing at the ears may be due to allergies. Allergies may be caused by just about anything, foods, dusts, pollens, chemicals etc. Finding the triggering allergen may be challenging, yet not impossible. If food allergies are suspected a trial diet may help pin point the offending food. Anti-histamines can bring relief and in worse cases corticosteroids and steroid shots may be necessary.
SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
This form of cancer is worth mentioning due the increase of damaging ultra violet rays. White dogs are particularly vulnerable and the ears are often a targeted area due to their exposure to the sun rays and their thin skin. Your vet should prescribe sunscreen suitable for dogs to protect ears, muzzle and nose. Do not use human sun screen as some may be toxic for pets.
LABIRINTITIS
This condition affects the inner ear, an area also responsible for a dog's balance. It can occur when otitis progresses to the inner ear. In such cases dogs develop dizziness, in-coordination, head tilt, nystgamus and circling. Medications can be prescribed to give relief from the dizziness. The underlying cause needs addressed.
PREVENTION TIPS
Preventing ear disease in dogs takes some care. Should you bathe a dog, remember to insert cotton balls to prevent moisture from turning the ear into the ideal host for bacteria or mites. Floppy eared dogs need special care, make sure the ears are kept clean and dry and inspect routinely for fox tails, grass seeds or other foreign matter. If your dog is prone to ear infections and gets hair routinely plucked by the groomer consider that the hair near the ear once plucked causes serum to ooze out from the hair follicles creating the ideal environment for bacterial growth. Mats near the ear canal should be removed since they trap moisture inside
*RECIPE FOR INFLAMMED EARS*
A good home remedy for inflamed ears consists of an equal mix of water and apple cider vinegar. This mixture ahould be applied inside the ear until the the exceeding amount flows out. Let the mixture stay in ear for about 5 minutes. Then carefully wipe out with a cotton ball. Repeat for about 10 days. If ears appear red and hot it is best to have your dog seen by vet as your pet may need antibiotics.
Practice good ear cleaning as a general rule and keep it as a routine. Report any abnormalities to your vet promptly, and last but not least, make sure your dog has good listening skills, otherwise you will wonder if he is suddenly suffering from hear loss or if his obedience training needs some polishing...
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Well, if there is infection, a round of antibiotics may be needed. What the vinegar does is it kills bacteria and yeast making the area inhospitable, but if the infection has already set in, I am not sure if it will work. The apple cider vinegar recipe is really more to be uses as a preventative than a cure. It can help inflammed ears but I guess before infection sets in.
The licking ears would not be a problem itself, however, the fact that the ears stay humid, makes it a good ground for bacteria to set in. This is why groomers place cotton balls in a dog's ears when giving a bath, wet ears are not very good..
However, for future reference, according to http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/pet-ca
"For an infected ear, use 5 ml of the 50:50 vinegar water solution per 20 lbs (9 kg) of body weight, applying the solution with a syringe obtained from your local pharmacy. Gently rub in the solution then wipe the inside of the ear with a soft cotton ball. This should be done daily for 5 days.
The vinegar helps to control the growth of unfriendly bacteria and other microorganisms that are a common cause of ear infections, and as a result, this will help keep your pets from scratching their ears."
Best wishes!
Thanks for your review of common dog ear infections.Looks like my dog had otitus and I got goods results with the natural remedies like the petsalive EarDr
Happy to hear you were able to take care of it with natural remedies!
We use over the counter sometimes with our yellow lab, but other times it gets so bad we go to the vet for a prescription. Poor dog ears :(
Great hub you've got here Alexadry, keep it up!
My lab has an ear infection that I can seem to find any information on. His ears have a bad smell and there is alot of dark brown stuff iside but its not dry, its kind of wet and gooey and when I clean his ears there seems to be some blood inside as well. Ive been trying to look it up, and I need to wait until the next time I get paid to take him to the vet. I would appreciate any info you have so I know if its serious so I can take him to the vet right away if I need to.
It sounds like either ear mites with infection or a yeast infection.
Here is a hub about yeast infection
http://hubpages.com/hub/Home-Remedies-for-Dog-Ear-
Your best bet is to take your dog to the vet since often a culture is needed to identify the correct cause and initiate the right treatment.
An over the counter ear infection product;
Here is a great website with info and a product that work for both ear mites and ear infections at the same time. It works great I used it on my cats and my dog! Ear mites for my cats and a re-curring ear infection my dog has GOOD LUCK try it it works =-)
I just posted and didnt tell you what it was lol anyways its called Dr.Dogs Ear Oil. you can click on my name above and it will take you there
Hi - This goes back to the lacylove - my chocolate has just developed the same thing - she was put on thyroid meds about 3 months ago - would this have anything to do with it or do you suppose ear mites? My dogs are swimmers both pond and pool - i regularly check thier ears and know if they have water in them - (excessive head shaking) a little of the store bought stuff usually dries it right up - so when my chocolate is not shaking her head and i just checked her not to long ago anyway to see if they need to be cleaned - so i was shocked to see this growth and smell. she will go to the vet on monday - I am thankful it's not causing too much discomfort (she hasn't said)do you still think yeast from levothryroxine or mites? thank you!
what to do to relieve inside a dogs ear it is swollen and red. it is a cocker spandel.
You can try zymox without hydrocortisone and see if it helps out, here is a helpful hub:
thanks this is very useful info :) my dauchsund probably has one of three things in here :( poor baby he walks around with his head tilted all the time and he is constantly shaking it... he is swollen from his eye to his ear...
I/we need some advice. I am trying to get my baby to the vet, but I work like 55-60 hours a week so it has been hard. He is a GSD mix, and has something going on with his ears, I think. He is constantly shaking his head, rubbing his ears on anything and everything, and scratching at them. At the same time, his back legs kind of tremble or shake when he does this. I keep his ears clean, and noticed tonight they are slightly red. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated until I can get him to the doctor. Thanks!
This hub may be helpful. If the ear is red you are better off with zymox without hydrocrotisone, best wishes!
I need some advice if anyone can help me, you don't know how much I would appreciate it..I have a miniature blue Merle Australian shepherd. She's about 1 year old & about 4 months ago she started getting red irritated ears. We took her to the vet, they gave her a shot & said she had allergies, change her food. So we did & it seemed to get a TAD better. Not very much, but a little. Since the past month, her ears have gotten super inflamed & are bright red & bumpy ish. There's an odor but it's not like overpoweringly unbearable. & they sometimes minimally secrete a thin clear pus-like fluid. She shakes her head constantly & when she scratches she yelps. It breaks my heart b/c the vets I've taken her to act like they have no clue what to do. Please someone tell me what this might be & what to do! I'm desperate...
You can try Zymox as it has some great reviews and it is over the counter. If the ears are inflamed and there are wounds it is best to use Zymox otic without Hydrocortisone, but the hydrocortisone can help for itchiness. Here is a hub about it:
First, Alexadry, thanks so much for being here to answer some of our questions. Second, here's mine...
In the last 36 hours my Chihuahua has been shaking his head a lot and his right ear is now a bit crooked. I notice it more when we are walking. He did have a shot this week in his rump at the vet (booster of some sort) and she told me he may be sore. He was sore on his rump for one day but got over it and now the ear thing. Are they related?
When I feel around his ear he does not seem to be in pain and there is no smell, discoleration, swelling or anything. He's just holding it crooked.
Any thoughts? Thanks so much.
RYAN.
Ryan, I do not think the vaccine and ear issues are related. If he has been shaking his head a lot there is something bothering the ear, and this is why he is keeping it crooked. Dogs often keep ears crooked when they are itchy. If you tickle slightly behind the ear, you will notice he will keep the ear crooked and likely try to scratch it. The ear crooked is often positioned that way so it is easier to scratch with the leg. It could be an ear infection or general itchiness. best wishes.
My dog has just been diagnosed with low tyroid. he was gaining weight, and had hot spots on his bottom. he has been on meds for a month feeling better and happy but now his ear is all red and hot. He once had ear infection a few years back. I have antibotic gel can I use that and the 50/50 vinegar solution?
If the ear is red and hot the vinegar will likely burn. A good over the counter ear product for dogs may be zymox, you can read about it here:
I have a Siberian Husky and she has an ear hematoma. It started out pretty small but its now 5 days and her whole ear is now swollen and even her head around the ear is becoming swollen. I called the vet and they said that i have nothing to worry about but im afraid that she may either go deaf or her ear may stay permenatly floopy which is cute but its not my maya. Should i go against the vets advice and just get surgery done?
Melissa, I have noticed that some vets are more conservative while others have more a ''call to action'' attitude. The ear may eventually heal on its own but it may keep unsightly scars. It may be worth it to ask the opinion of another vet. Here is a hub about aural hematomas;
Hi,
My dog was scratching her ears and rubbing it on the furniture so I started treating her with Zymox. Her ears are moist throughout the day but she isn't scratching it, is the moisture from the Zymox?
If the ears changed just after applying the product, it could be simply the product especially if you are using the cream version which is more oily. If you look at zymox reviews on amazon you will see some owners claim ''works but leaves oily residue'' No more scratching is very good news! Best wishes!
My lab mix has darkish brown residue insider her ears and their swollen inside and one of her ear flaps is ballooned out. We have taken her to different vets, but nothing seems to relieve her symptoms. If we don't clean her ears every single day their right back to where we started. The cleaner says its acidic, should we use something else.
Did they rule out ear mites? treatment for ear mites is different. If the problem persists the underlying cause needs further investigating. Any history of food allergies? if the flap is ballooned she may need to have it taken care of. This is called aural hematoma, you can read more about it here;
Our blue tick hound has really rough ear edges where the fur is falling off in little tufts when touch or gently scraped. She doesn't appear to be in pain or react when we touch them but she's never had this before and we're wondering what it could be?
is your dog exposed to flies? sometimes flies cause unsightly scabs on the tips of the ears. other causes may be mites, ringworm or a rare condition known as ear margin vasculitis. See your vet for a proper diagnosis, best wishes!
Thanks for your prompt response!
You're welcome! Hoping for a speedy recovery, best wishes!
@ K Lee: I have a black and Tan coonhound with the same issue. This is Ear Margin Vasculitis. Seemingly caused by an auto-immune problem but hard ti pin down. I am starting treatment with Prednisone and topical anti-seborhetic gell to help slwo the progress. Prevelant in Dachsunds but can strike any breed.
my dog have a problam in his ear
What's the problem with the ear?
My chocolate lab is a swimming fool. First time I have ever seen a dog swim laps. The more she churns up the water the more she swims. I noticed tonight that after she had been swimming for a bit that her ears were hot. Now that she has been out of the pool, her ears feel normal again. Is this from execration? And I also wonder how long she can swim without totally exhausting herself. I intervene and make her rest on the steps but as soon as I let go of her, off she goes again. Any help would be appreciated.
Dan Adams 3 years ago
Alexadry, thanks for the great article. I have two chocolate labs and one of them always seems to have an ear infection. The other one is always licking her ears and trying to clean them out. Could this be part of the problem? I am going to try your remedy to see if that works.