Why is My Dog Scratching His Ears?

You are wondering why you dog is scratching it's ears. If the dog just briefly scratches his ears several times per week, it might not be something to worry about. If your dog is constantly scratching his ears you will want to lay the dog on it's back and lift up the ears to see what is going on inside of the dogs ear. If there is a lot of of fluid around the ear (not in the hole where the eardrum is located) you can clean up the excess fluid with a cue tip. Be careful not to clean the inside of the eardrum canal because you can accidentally damage the dogs ear drum. Once you clean up the excess fluid, see how the dog reacts when you let the dog go.

Also check both ears for ticks. Ticks love warm spots and dogs get ticks a lot during the summer months especially if you live in the country or in areas with a lot of long grass. Check all sides of the ears for lumps or wounds. If there are scabs this might be the reason. As wounds heal it will cause the skin to be irritated and itch. Perhaps you have a cat that lives nearby that is scratching at your dog and scratching it's ears causing them to itch once they heal. There are many possibilities.

Your dog might also have a yeast infection or ear infection. You should take your dog to the vet and see what the vet has to say. Sometimes when dogs lick each others ears they can get yeast infections which need to be treated. They can happen as frequently as a couple of times a week or month. Keep the other dog away from your other dogs ears and see if the problem keeps happening. Your vet may prescribe your some type of medication to treat the ear infection or yeast infection inside of your dogs ears. If your dog only scratches one ear, make sure you tell the vet that. Make sure that you know the ear that the dog is scratching. Perhaps your dog might have allergies as well and your vet can prescribe you medication for that also.

Dogs that scratch your ears rarely end up with several hearing problems but they still need to be checked out. First do a visual check yourself and then call the vet and set up an appointment. Try to keep the dog from scratching at his or her ears until you can go to the vet clinic.