Dog ear infections

You might have heard about ear infections in humans but do you know that it is also a major issue & cause for dog ear infections. Although, you might keep your pet clean but still there are some areas, where infection occurs like, in the regions around ear. To ensure that your pet does not suffer from such issues and infections please, read on.

Infection in and around ear of dogs is mainly caused due to bacteria or yeast. In medical terms it is known as Otitis Externa. A sign of this infection might be a vigorous shaking of head by your pet, in order to let the fluid out. The ear then, becomes inflamed and quite often (not always), emits a foul odor. Sometimes it is accompanied by a yellow-colored discharge.

One of the most common of all the dog ear infections is “ear mite”. These infections are more prevalent among puppies. It might be introduced to the older dogs from infected puppies. Ear mites often leads to secondary infection. Infact, by the time you get in touch and consult a vet, the ear mite may have disappeared but that secondary infection might still remain.

There are several types of bacteria and a few variant of fungus which are responsible for most of the ear infections amongst the dogs. Without knowing the kind of infection present, it is difficult for a vet to advice any suitable drugs. Sometimes, there might also be a tumor or a foreign body which is causing the infection. One thing that is important to note here is that your pet`s ear drum should be intact. If the eardrum is damaged then your dog might experience loss in hearing. The medication has to be administered accordingly so, as not to inflict any damage to the sensitive parts of your pet`s ear.

A prolonged dog ear infection makes the life miserable for your pet. It experiences frequent bouts of itching, pain, severe headaches. If the infection becomes serious then, your pet might not even allow a vet to touch its ear then, it has to be given sedatives, so that a complete examination of its ear can be done.

Dog Ear Infection Symptoms

Since, the symptoms are similar for most types of ear infection, many dog-owner think they could just get any common drug for their pet to deal with its ear infection. However, I would advise against doing any such thing. Each infection is a bit different from the other and might well be caused by either, bacteria or yeast (fungus), or some other kind of organisms. Each of those require different method as well as drug for proper treatment. So, for the sake of your own pet, please do not do any such thing.

Types of Dog Ear Infections

A small number of dogs might have more than one type of infection. This makes the treatment a tad more complex. In that case your vet would advise you a multiple or a broad spectrum medication for your dog. Even smaller number of dogs face recurrent issues of ear infection. This might be due to an underlying problem or low “thyroid” function. In that case your pet would need to be thoroughly diagnosed.

Hopefully, after a proper treatment as suggested by the veterinarian, your pet would not have any more recurrent ear infections.