Ear Infection in Dogs: What You Need to Know

By S G July 13, 2022 Dog Diseases, Dog Health, Supplements for Dogs 0 Comments

It’s a good idea for pet owners to learn the symptoms of ear infection in dogs. It is a common condition that affects up to one in every five dogs and, if left untreated, may lead to scarring that narrows the ear canal.

A dog ear infection might potentially cause deafness in extreme situations. However, there is good news: many diseases are readily cured and, in many cases, avoidable.

Here is a guide to recognizing the symptoms of canine ear infections so you can get your dog treated as soon as possible. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Types of Dog Ear Infections
Symptoms of Dog Ear Infections
What Causes Ear Infections in Dogs?
Are Dog Ear Infections Contagious?
Precise Diagnosis Needed for a Dog’s Ear Infection
How Are Dog Ear Infections Treated?
- Topical
- Oral
- Surgical
What if Your Dog Has Chronic Ear Infections?
Can You Prevent Ear Infections in Dogs?
The Takeaway
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Types of Dog Ear Infections

The eardrum follows the ear canal, followed by the middle and inner ear deep inside the skull. Otitis is an ear irritation. It is classified into three categories depending on the location of the infection in a dog’s ear:

Otitis externa: inflammation of the ear canal.
Otitis media: inflammation of the middle ear.
Otitis interna: inflammation of the inner ear.

Otitis externa is the most prevalent of these three diseases because it affects the most exposed area of the ear. Ear infections may be either acute (with a sudden start) or chronic (reoccurring). An infection in one or both ears is also possible in dogs.

Symptoms of Dog Ear Infections

Some dogs exhibit no indications of ear infection other than a build-up of wax and discharge in the ear canal. However, ear infections can cause severe pain, and infected dogs may exhibit symptoms such as:

Head shaking.
Dark discharge.
Scratching at the affected ear.
Redness and swelling of the ear canal.
Odor.
Itchiness.
Pain.
Crusting or scabs in the ears.

What Causes Ear Infections in Dogs?

Ear infections in dogs and puppies may be caused by various factors. Often, an underlying issue stops the usual protective barrier of a dog’s ear from functioning correctly. When the ear environment becomes wet or irritated, bacteria and yeast may easily overgrow and cause inflammation.

Here are some of the most dominant reasons for a dog’s ear infection.

Allergies

Determine whether there is a sensation before attempting to identify and isolate the likely cause of persistent ear infections in your dog. For example, seasonal allergies or allergic dermatitis may cause your dog’s ear infections in the spring and autumn.

Suppose your dog’s chronic ear infections do not follow a pattern and persist all year. In that case, you should look into food allergies or environmental allergies (dust, spores, etc.) as the main reason.

The dog’s age at the time of the first ear infection is also highly beneficial. Compared to seasonal allergies, pups with ear infections are more likely to have food allergies.

Seasonal or environmental allergies are likely to cause the first ear infection in young dogs (1 – 3 years of age). Your veterinarian should undertake a thorough physical check for older dogs to discover any possible masses or growths in the ear canal and any indications of system disorders.

Foreign Material

Any foreign object presented in the ear canal might cause an ear infection. These cause persistent irritation in the ear canals, resulting in yeast and bacterium overgrowth.

Parasitic Causes

Ear mites and Demodex mites may cause ear infections in young pups and should be checked if they have persistent, chronic ear infections. Especially if your dogs’ ears are really itching.

Ear Canal Masses and Polyps

Tumors or growths inside the ear canal may develop as your dog matures. These lumps are usually harmless but may cause prolonged irritation and inflammation, leading to infections. Your veterinarian will be able to see the whole ear canal with an otoscope, revealing any growths that are present.

Cleaning the Ears Often and Removing Hair from the Ear Canal

Cleaning your dog’s ears or plucking hair from their ears often increases the chance of an ear infection. Hair removal from the ear canal causes irritation, which leads to an ear infection.

Frequent, vigorous cleaning will disturb the pH and typical environment inside the ear canals, leading to yeast and bacteria overgrowth and persistent ear infections.

Immune System Suppression

If your dog’s immune system cannot combat infections, they are in danger of recurring ear infections. Some disorders, like hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease, may weaken a dog’s immune system, allowing yeast and bacteria to thrive in the ear canals and contribute to recurrent ear infections. As a result, we can see the development of a bacterial ear infection in dogs.

Increased Environmental Temperature and Humidity

When the temperature of the ears rises, there is an increase in metabolic activity throughout the body, resulting in an overgrowth of yeast and bacteria, which may lead to persistent infections.

Humidity will also cause enlargement of the ear canals, lowering the quantity of oxygen entering and promoting yeast development.

Resistant Bacteria

Certain bacteria, such as Pseudomonas spp., are resistant to standard ear medicines and may cause persistent ear infections in dogs. Pseudomonas infections cause significant inflammation and discomfort in the ears of dogs. Pseudomonas infections are often treated with ear cleaners and antibiotics.

Are Dog Ear Infections Contagious?

Most dog ear infections are not contagious, but sometimes depending on the reason, they might become. However, if ear mites are the culprit, these parasites are highly infectious.

When it comes to ear mites, all dogs in the household must be treated simultaneously. Ear mites are common in puppies and kittens and may go undetected at first when adopting a new pet.

However, numerous home pets will scratch and shake quickly after you bring your new pet home. An infected ear may sometimes be cultured for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or another dangerous infection.

When engaging with a pet that has an ear infection, it is best to wash your hands thoroughly and restrict other pets from licking the infected pet’s ears. Good handwashing is also suggested after cleaning or medicating the ear to reduce any topical absorption of the medicine.

Precise Diagnosis Needed for a Dog’s Ear Infection

If your dog exhibits frequent symptoms of an ear infection, you should take him or her to the doctor as soon as possible. Not only is prompt treatment required for your dog’s comfort, but it is also vital to prevent infection from spreading to the middle and inner ear.

That is also known as a middle and inner ear infection in dogs. These conditions should not be treated at home.

Prepare to provide your veterinarian a thorough history of the disorder. This is particularly crucial if you are experiencing your first illness or visiting a new veterinarian. Your veterinarian will want to understand the following information:

The persistence of any symptoms, such as discomfort, swelling, discharge and odor.
If your dog has allergies or other medical issues.
If your dog takes medicine.
What has your dog been eating.
How often do you clean your dog’s ears, and what items do you use.
If you’ve cut or plucked your dog’s ears.
Baths, grooming and swimming as examples of recent activities.
If your dog had ever had ear infections: when they happened and how they were treated.

Your veterinarian will undertake a physical examination of your dog after acquiring a history. In extreme circumstances, your veterinarian may propose seizing your dog to allow for a deeper ear canal check. Your veterinarian will examine both ears, which may include:

Visual examination for evidence of redness, swelling and discharge.
An otoscope is used to assess the ear canal and eardrum.
Palpation of the ear to determine pain level.
Microscopic study of materials obtained via ear swabbing.
The culture of ear samples.
In severe or chronic ear infection in dogs, biopsies or X-rays may be required.

How Are Dog Ear Infections Treated?

To determine the best therapy for your dog, your veterinarian will likely need to analyze the ear debris or do ear scans. Your veterinarian may perform the following tests:

Cytology uses particular dyes to color minute bacterial cells or fungi on a waste swab. The specific reason may be determined by looking at them under a microscope.
Culture / sensitivity testing involves using a particular medium / broth to grow and identify the bacterium causing the illness. It also determines which drugs are efficient in eradicating the disease.
Endocrine disorder as an underlying issue may need blood tests.
Skull X-rays, CT scans or MRIs may be required to determine the degree of severe ear infection in dogs or inner ear problems.

Once the specifics of your dog’s ear infection are determined, therapy will most likely entail a combination of topical, oral and surgical treatments.

Topical

A cleaner in conjunction with an ointment or eardrop is often utilized. This drug usually has to be injected deep into the ear canal. An oti-pack is sometimes used. This drug is in a lanolin base that releases slowly and does not need daily washing or drop application.

Oral

Depending on the stage of development of the infection, an oral antibiotic, antifungal, or steroid medicine may be prescribed. That is to aid in the healing of the ear from the inside out.

Surgical

Medical therapies may no longer be effective in-ears that have suffered from severe chronic illness. The purpose of these ear surgeries is to open the canal or, in some instances, to totally remove all diseased tissue.

What if Your Dog Has Chronic Ear Infections?

Chronic ear infections may be time-consuming and aggravating for the dog, the owner and the veterinarian.

According to scientists, some breeds of dogs are more prone to repeated ear infections. This might be because of heredity, ear shape or ear confirmation. Proliferative ear tissue may build up over time, making treatment more difficult.

Chronic infections are frequent in Cocker Spaniels and Springer Spaniels owing to their long, floppy ears and ceruminous glands (ear sweat glands that produce earwax).
Shar-Peis have narrow ear canals that allow material to be trapped and hidden.
Allergies and underlying sensitivities in Labrador and Golden Retrievers may contribute to chronic or recurring ear infections.
Excess hair in the ear canal is typical in Schnauzers and Poodles. These conditions are more popular as a poodle ear infection.

Chronic dog ear infections need continued collaboration with your veterinarian to be treated. Your veterinarian must conduct tests to choose the proper medicine. Chronic conditions may need ear infection dog therapy for 6 to 8 weeks.

Following therapy, testing must determine that the infection has been completely eradicated. Suppose we cease medicating too soon or do not address underlying issues. In that case, the illness might reoccur, sometimes becoming resistant to numerous treatments.

Can You Prevent Ear Infections in Dogs?

Prevention, like with most illnesses, is always preferable. Excess moisture is a major cause of ear infections, so thoroughly dry your dog’s ears after washing and swimming.

If your dog has a history of chronic or recurring ear infections, diagnosing and treating any underlying causes, like allergies, may help avoid future conditions.

Ear infections may also be avoided by cleaning your dog’s ears at home. First, put a cleaning solution for dog ears into the canal. After that, massage the vertical ear canal from the outside.

Wipe the canal clean with absorbent gauze. Do not use paper towels or cotton since they may leave fibers behind, which may induce discomfort. Cotton swabs may also be used to clean your dog’s pinnae (the external ear flaps). Still, they should not be used in the ear canal since they may push material further into the canal.

The Takeaway

Ear infections are a common and frequently recurrent problem in many dogs. Nonetheless, with the help of your veterinarian, you can keep your dog’s ears clean and healthy.

Even though there are several underlying causes of otitis, most instances respond promptly to therapy, mainly if the underlying cause is treated. Depending on the etiology, treatment options may include anti-allergy medicine, parasite treatment, and surgical excision of lumps or polyps.

In case your dog exhibits signs of a severe ear infection, such as loss of balance or strange eye movements, that may indicate a pet emergency. In such cases, you are well advised to exert caution regarding your dog’s health.

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