Does Your Dog Have Ear Problems?

Does your dog sit and shake his head for no apparent reason? If so, there is a good chance that he is having some sort of ear problem, but to know how to give your pet relief, you need to know the cause of the problem.

The most common signs of ear problems in dogs are head shaking, constant scratching at the ears, redness that you can see on some portion of the ear, odor or discharge coming from the ears. Your dog can have ear problems that originate on the pinnae, the outer ear that you can see, or the external, middle, or inner ear canals. Here are the main causes of outer and inner ear problems of dogs.

The outer ear of a dog is referred to as the Pinna. Diseases that affect only the pinnae are:

Neoplasia - the process of abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells.

Eosinophilic panniculitis - a diseases that involves the inflammation of subcutaneous fatty and muscle tissue.

Breed-related dermatoses - diseases that are specific to each breed

Scabies mange - disease caused by sarcoptic mites. This can often appear to be an allergic reaction.

Demodectic mange - caused by demodex mites. Causes much less itching and self-mutilation than sarcoptic mites.

Fly bite dermatitis - biting flies attack the skin of the pinna or ear flap causing the dog to itch and scratch which results in bumps and scabs.

Ringworm - caused by a contagious fungal infection of the skin. It is not caused by a worm.

Diseases that involve the ear canals are often caused because of allergies that the dog has including food allergies. They can also be caused due to:

Ear mites - tiny, infectious organisms that resemble microscopic ticks. With the naked eye, these can barely be seen but appear as small white dots.

Foreign bodies - the most common foreign body that causes problems are barbed grass seeds. These cause irritation and make the dog extremely uncomfortable.

Mass in the dog's ear - these can be benign or malignant masses. Many times deafness is the only sign that there is a mass in the dog's ear.

Skin disorders - inflammation due to allergies or hormonal imbalances.

Sometimes your dog will have ear canal problems because of predisposing factors such:

Stenotic ears - where the ear canal is particularly narrow or folded which is common in breeds like the Shar-peis.

Excessive Cerumenous glands - the function of these glands is to secrete earwax. They are located in the skin of the ear canals can also cause problems. Labrador Retrievers and some breeds of Spaniels generally have this problem and it leads to extra moisture in the ear canal which is the perfect environment for the growth of germs.

Other causes in ear canal problems could be excessive hair in the ear canal, swimming, damage to the canal due to epithelial migration, or contact sensitivity where they have a bad reaction to medication.

Whether your dog has outer, external, middle, or inner canal ear problems, being able to identify the cause is your first step toward wellness and relief for your dog. In Part II, treatments for the most common causes of dog ear problems will be discussed.