Diagnosing and Treating Your Dog's Ear Infection

Yep, it's another ear infection, just like the one you treated last month, and the month before that, and maybe even the month before that as well. Why are dogs so prone to ear infections?

The simple answer lies in the shape and length of your dog's ear canal. Unlike the human ear canal, the canine ear canal is shaped like an "L," leaving a moist, dark chamber for plenty of yeast and bacteria to grow in response to skin irritations. The ear canal is also much longer than in humans, leaving more space for your pet to be truly uncomfortable. Multiple untreated ear infections can lead to scarring and narrowing of your dog's ear canal.

WHAT TO DO

If your dog has an ear infection, the first stop should be a visit to the vet. The vet can determine the source of the problem (the most common culprits include hair growing into the ear canal, ear mites, and ear wax), sedate the dog for a complete flush of the ears, and provide any necessary antibiotics.

That should clear up the infection. The next steps, to keep it from reoccurring, are up to you. First, clean your dog's ears weekly according to your vet's instructions. Many owners swear by a vinegar flush, and others have found success with commercial products, but don't use anything you haven't first cleared with the vet.

Second, if you have a dog whose hair tends to grow into the ear canal (poodles, unfortunately, are famous for this), have your dog's ears and face groomed professionally on a regular basis. You can also pluck stray hairs between grooming visits using a pair of tweezers, if your dog will tolerate it.

Even with the very best care, your dog may still get ear infections from time to time. Keep an eye out for the symptoms, which include the dog shaking his head from side to side, scratching and digging at his ears, walking with his head hanging noticeably to one side, bad odor coming from the ears, and/or discharge from the ears. If you see these symptoms, it's time to let a vet take over.

WHAT NOT TO DO

No matter how often doctors try to tell humans not to clean out their ears with Q-tips, they still do it. Unfortunately, they still do it to their dogs, as well. You should keep in mind that trying to clean wax out of your dog's ear with a Q-tip will often just push the wax back further, out of reach. Also, because dogs have such long ear canals, you always run the risk of breaking the Q-tip off in the ear. If that happens, you'll have a miserable dog and a huge vet bill, so stomp on the Q-tip temptation immediately.

Another treatment to avoid is flushing the dog's ears out with alcohol. Some owners point out that this process dries the ear canal and may reduce the risk of infections. However, if there is any injury or infection at all the in the ear canal, the alcohol will sting like fury. Even a gentle dog may bite if he is in severe pain. Instead of using alcohol, talk to your vet about safe ear flushes for dogs.

Nobody wants to see their dog hurt or sick, but with your vet's help and a little diligence you can prevent and treat most canine ear infections.