TREATMENT OF EAR INFECTION IN DOGS
An ear infection is an irritating and painful overgrowth of bacteria or yeasts inside the ear. Most ear infections develop due to an underlying problem such as a skin allergy, ear mites, growths, excessive ear cleaning or wax.
Most ear infections only affect the outer ear canal, but left untreated, an infection can spread deeper down into the middle or inner ear.
Types of dog ear infections
Ear infections can occur in different portions of your pup’s ear. An ear infection in the outer ear canal (which is most common) is called otitis externa. Treating external ear infections isn’t too difficult — but if you don’t treat the infection at all, it can spread to the middle ear, which is called the otitis media.
Otitis interna is an infection even further into the ear that often causes changes in balance along with discomfort and pain for your pup. If the infection develops deeper in the ear, it can impact your dog’s eardrum.
Causes of Ear Infections
There are several causes of ear infections in dogs. Understanding the factors contributing to the infection will help you prevent future pain and discomfort for your dog.
- Ear mites: Ear mites are tiny, incredibly itchy parasites that can live in a dog’s ear canal. An ear mite infestation may lead to ear infections due to the environment in the canal created by the parasite. The symptoms of ear mites are almost identical to those of an ear infection, even if the mites haven’t caused a secondary infection. If you suspect your dog has either condition, pay a visit to your vet right away.
- Allergies: Dogs that have allergies may be particularly susceptible to ear infections. Food allergies and environmental allergies, especially skin irritants like pollen or dust, can cause secondary, recurring ear infections.
- Water in the ear: Moisture in a dog’s ear creates an ideal environment for bacteria and yeast to grow. If the moisture itself doesn’t cause an ear infection, the bacteria in the water can.
- Excessive hair in and around the ear opening: Hair around a dog’s ear can transport moisture or bacteria that can cause ear infections. Hair can also carry parasites and irritants that can enter and infect the ear canal.
- Growths in the ear or covering the ear opening: Ear tumors or growths, benign or not, can lead to ear infections. Polyps can form in clogged wax-producing glands and cover the ear opening, impeding proper bacterial and yeast regulation and causing infection.
Basset hounds, Chinese Shar-Peis, Labradoodles, beagles, and golden retrievers are especially susceptible to ear infections because their ear flaps reduce airflow to the outer ear canal.
Symptoms
Symptoms of an ear infection include:
- Shaking head
- Odor from ears
- Scratching ears
- Head tilt
- Holding ear down
- Blood on the ear
- Ear hematoma
- Rubbing head on the ground
- Ear discharge
- Abnormal eye movement
- Loss of balance
- Inflamed ear
- Hair loss on the ear
- Hearing loss
- Reluctance to have ears touched
Middle and inner ear infections also often cause:
- A head tilt to one side
- Loss of balance
- Vomiting
- Partial deafness.
Diagnosis
Ear infections can resolve quickly or become chronic, depending on the underlying cause. To diagnose an ear infection, your veterinarian will take a thorough history and perform a complete physical exam of your pet. They will also perform a careful examination of the ears, using an otoscope to look down the ear canal. Depending on what your veterinarian finds, other tests or procedures may be performed for an accurate diagnosis.
Some additional tests your veterinarian may recommend include:
- Cytology, which identifies if yeast, bacteria, or other microorganisms are present
- A culture to determine which type of bacteria is present
- Blood tests to rule out hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, or other underlying problems
Treatment
Your vet may want to look at a discharge sample from the infected ear to find the cause, and then recommend some of the following:
- Eardrops. Medicated eardrops containing antibiotics, antifungals (to kill yeasts) and anti-inflammatories help to clear swelling and pain. Make sure you finish the whole course of drops (even if your dog’s ears seem better after a couple of days).
- Ear cleaning. It’s important to keep the inside of your dog’s ears clean while they heal. Your vet will advise you how to do this and which product to use. Never use cotton buds.
- Anti-inflammatory pain relief. If your dog is in a lot of pain, your vet may prescribe anti-inflammatory pain relief as well as eardrops.
- Antibiotic tablets. If your dog has a very severe infection, they may need antibiotic tablets as well as eardrops. However, eardrops are usually sufficient.
- Treating the underlying cause. Most ear infections are caused by an underlying condition for example allergic skin disease. It’s just as important to treat the underlying cause as it is to treat the infection itself because untreated, the infection will keep coming back.
Aural Hematoma
When a dog with uncomfortable ears shakes and scratches vigorously, a blood vessel in the earflap may rupture. This leads to bleeding into the tissues of the pinna (ear flap). The usual recommendation is to have the blood clots removed and the ear bandaged and cleaned under anesthesia. If the hematoma is not so big as to occlude the ear canal (thus preventing medication of the ear canal), the option to forgo surgery exists; but without surgery, the ear may scar down into an abnormal appearance.
Ear infections are common and can be challenging. Fortunately, most cases are simple and easily cleared up. Be sure to recheck the ears as your veterinarian recommends as premature discontinuance of treatment can lead to a continuing infection.
Prevention
Here are some suggestions you can follow to help your dog avoid ear infections or a relapse into infection:
- Keeping your dog’s ears clean can help prevent infection.
- Avoid moisture in your dog’s ears
- Treat an ear problem as soon as it’s discovered
- Understand how and where to put medication
- Do follow-up checks, as recommended by your veterinarian
- Complete all medication regimes, even if the ear looks better before the completion of treatment
DR AMIT BHARDWAJ,PUNE
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