Dogs' ears are extremely complex and look like L-shaped ear canals, which makes it easier to clean them easily or cause ear infections due to poor ventilation, which can even kill the dog in serious cases! Experts will teach you how to identify the 5 major symptoms of ear infections in dogs and how to prevent them.
Woofers are so loyal and adorable that you can't help but give them a hug, but when you get close to your dog, you can smell a foul odor, and when you look closely, you can't help but see that the source is its ear! Dogs' ears are the most neglected part of the body, and once they are not cleaned properly, they are prone to inflammation.
Why are dogs' ears prone to inflammation?
Dogs' ears are different from human beings in that they have an outer ear, a middle ear, and an inner ear, of which the outer ear consists of an ear shell, a vertical ear canal, and a horizontal ear canal, which appears to be an L-shaped ear canal. The L-shaped ear canals are less well ventilated and easier to clean, and may harbor germs due to humidity and stuffiness, resulting in ear infections.
Which breeds of dogs are more prone to ear infections?
Breeds of dogs that are prone to ear infections 1 - Dogs with droopy ears
Dogs with drooping ears, such as Maltese, Migros, Golden Retrievers and Ancient Shepherds, are more prone to ear infections than stand-up dogs due to the lack of ventilation in their ears.
Breeds of dogs prone to ear infections 2 - Dogs born with abnormal ear canal structure
Dogs with different ear canal structures are also prone to ear infections, such as Shar-Pei dogs with narrow ear canals and English Bulldogs with many ear creases, all of which are prone to ear infections caused by accumulated earwax and difficulty in cleaning.
Breeds of dogs prone to ear infections 3 - Dogs with dense ear hair distribution
Poodles or terriers of all types have a dense distribution of hair in their ears, which can easily cover the ear canal and lead to bacterial growth, which in turn can lead to ear infections.
4 Types and Causes of Ear Infections in Dogs
Because of the L-shaped structure of the dog's ear, it is not easy to clean, so ear infections are quite common. According to the different parts of the dog's ear, there are 4 common types of ear infections in dogs:
Types of dog ear infections 1 - Otitis externa
The outer ear is the most common part of the dog's ear inflammation, common causes for allergic dermatitis, foreign body irritation or parasitic infection. These factors lead to damage to the defense mechanism of the ear canal, which in turn allows bacteria, yeast, mold, etc. to grow and eventually become inflamed.
Dog ear inflammation type 2 - otitis media
If otitis externa is not properly treated, it may further lead to middle ear infections. Dogs with otitis media will not have itchy ears, but may experience fever, pus in the middle ear, ear pain, and if the condition worsens, rupture of the eardrum and nerve paralysis.
Types of Ear Infections in Dogs 3 - Inner Ear Infections
If your dog has dental disease or is a senior dog, it is more likely to suffer from inner ear infections. Dogs with inner ear infections are prone to unbalanced inner ears, which can lead to symptoms such as unstable gait, spinning in place, frequent falls, vomiting, etc. Timely intervention is needed. If the condition worsens, it may lead to meningitis or swelling of the cerebellum, which can be life-threatening and should not be taken lightly.
Dog Ear Infections 4 - Ear Hematoma
Hematoma in the dog's ear is usually accompanied by a disease of the outer or middle ear. Blood accumulates under the skin of the dog's ear, which is swollen and feels watery to the touch, and the dog may feel pain when touching it. In a mild case, the ear will only thicken slightly, but if the hematoma becomes severe, the whole ear shell will swell up and become hot.
5 Common Symptoms of Ear Infections in Dogs?
Normal dog ears are dry and odorless, but when you notice the following symptoms in your dog, it is important to pay attention to whether there is an ear infection.
Common symptoms of ear infections in dogs 1 - Constant head tossing
Dogs with ear infections will feel uncomfortable, so they will try to flap their heads and ears to relieve the discomfort.
Common Symptoms of Ear Infections in Dogs 2 - Ear Scratching
Ear scratching behavior is very common in dogs, but if it's too frequent, you need to be on the lookout for ear infections. When your dog has an ear infection, the itchy, uncomfortable sensation will cause them to keep scratching their ears with their paws. However, it doesn't scratch the itchy area, and the hair around the ear will become thin and bald.
Common Symptoms of Ear Infections in Dogs 3 - Smelly Ears
Often, an inflamed ear will have a foul odor, which may be due to increased ear secretions and accumulation, allowing bacteria, mold, yeast, and other microbes to grow, triggering the odor.
Dog Ear Infection Common Symptoms 4 - Coffee-colored, black discharge
In a normal dog's ear, it is normal for the ear wax to be slightly golden in color. However, if your dog has an ear infection, you can tell by the ear discharge. Coffee-colored discharge may be infected by bacteria or ear mange; if the ear discharge is black, it may be otitis media, otitis externa caused by bleeding in the ear.
Common Symptoms of Ear Infections in Dogs 5 - Reddening of the ear canal and external auricle
Infected ears may not only have secretions, but also reddened ear canals and auricles, and the ears may look slightly swollen.
What should I do if my dog has an ear infection?
When your dog shows any of the above symptoms, it is important to suspect an ear infection. The first step in dealing with an ear infection is to seek medical attention. A veterinarian will determine the cause of your dog's ear infection and then diagnose and treat the cause.
Ear infections in dogs are very difficult to heal on their own, and when they become serious, they can cause the dog so much pain that he can't eat or drink, and they can also lead to tympanic membrane perforation, middle ear and inner ear infections, and even hearing loss. Therefore, if you find that your dog has an ear infection, do not delay, so as not to aggravate the condition and become irreversible consequences.
Experts teach you 4 ways to prevent dog ear infections!
Prevent Dog Ear Inflammation Method 1 - Keep Ears Dry
Ear infections are more common in dogs with drooping ears and long hair, and the common denominator is that the ears tend to get stuffy, and when the ears are moist, they tend to get infected. Therefore, it is very important to keep your dog's ears dry. When your dog's hair gets wet, dry or blow dry your dog as soon as possible, and don't forget about the ears.
Preventing Dog Ear Inflammation 2 - Regular Ear Cleaning
You can clean your dog's ears with a pet-specific ear cleaner. However, it is important to note that you should not use cotton swabs because the ear canals of dogs are L-shaped, and using cotton swabs will not only fail to remove the earwax, but will also easily push the earwax into the deeper part of the ear.
Preventing Dog Ear Inflammation Method 3 - Trimming Ear Hair Properly
Long and messy ear hair will affect your dog's ear ventilation. Therefore, the hair parents can depending on the dog's hair growth, appropriate trimming, pulling out too long or messy hair, not only can keep the hair neat, but also can reduce the dog ear inflammation occurs Oh.
Preventing ear infections in dogs 4 - Improve the living environment
Humid and stuffy environment is one of the causes of ear infections in dogs. It is recommended to open the windows and ventilate the environment where your dog lives, or prepare a dehumidifier to keep the air humidity stable and avoid excessive humidity.
4 Steps to Proper Dog Ear Cleaning
Dogs will expel earwax on their own, so if you don't have any special circumstances, you only need to clean your dog's ears once or twice a week. If you need to deep clean your dog's ears, just follow the steps below.
Dog Ear Cleaning Step 1 - Pour in Ear Cleaner
Prepare a pet-specific ear cleaner, pour it in and allow it to fill the dog's ear canal in order to effectively clean the ears.
Step 2 - Massage your dog's ears
Gently massage the base of your dog's ears in a back and forth motion, allowing the ear cleaner to work its way through the ear canal to fully dissolve the earwax.
Dog Ear Cleaning Step 3 - Cleaning
After the massage, open your dog's ears and let him shake out the cleaning solution naturally, then use toilet paper or cotton balls to clean up the ear secretions.
Dog Ear Cleaning Step 4 - Blow Drying
The last step is to blow dry the ears! You can either use cold air from a hair dryer or natural air drying, and then you're done.
4 Things to Look for in a Dog Ear Cleaner
Ear care for dogs is also a very important thing, the market is full of ear cleaners for pets, what should we pay attention to in the selection? How to choose to rest assured?
Dog ear cleaner selection point 1 - pet-specific
If you're using it on a furry child, make sure you choose something that's specifically for furry children to prevent it from containing substances that are harmful to dogs and cats.
Dog Ear Cleaner 2 - Natural
Because ear cleaner is mainly poured into the dog's ear canal, if it contains chemical substances, it may have a bad effect on the dog's health. Therefore, you should pay attention to whether the ingredients of the ear cleaner are natural or not.
Dog Ear Cleaner 3 - Texture
The key to cleaning your dog's ears is to make sure that the ear cleaner fills the entire ear canal. Therefore, it is important to choose a texture of ear cleaner that your dog can easily shake out in order to minimize the chance of the ear cleaner remaining in the ear canal.
Dog ear cleaner selection point 4 - do not add alcohol
Dogs are sensitive animals, so if the ear cleaner is too irritating, it will repel them and make it difficult for them to accomplish the goal of cleaning their ears. Therefore, it is best to use a mild ear cleaning solution that does not add alcohol in order to complete the work of cleaning your dog's ears smoothly!