How many of you have noticed your pups constantly shaking their head, flapping their ears, or scratching and digging in their ears? And how about the stink? No, it’s not normal dog smell! It’s more like a cheesy Dorito smell… at least that’s what I’m hearing from my clients when they are trying to describe it to me! Lol!
Ear infections are pretty common in dogs, and I would say that I don’t go a week without treating one, two, or even three of them!
So what’s the deal? Why does my dog have an ear infection? And how did this happen?
Owners of first timers with ear infections usually have no idea why and how this has happened and that is because the causes of ear infections are many! Things like breed and shape of the ears, excessive moisture in the ear canals from bathing/grooming or swimming, allergies, endocrine disorders, wax build up, autoimmune disorders, foreign bodies, excessive cleaning, etc. are all possible causes.
One of the common characteristics noted with dogs that are more prone to ear infections is the shape of their ears. If your pup has floppy ears chances are they will be more prone to ear infections compared to the pups with the upright ears.
Ask any veterinarian what breed comes to mind when they think of ear infections, and you will likely hear – Cocker Spaniel! Just look at those ears!
Labs, Golden Retrievers, Basset Hounds, and Shih Tzus are also among the frequent offenders, but many others can be found on this list.
The signs of an ear infection can be pretty obvious but there are some pups that know how to hide it well.
I’m gonna go over signs/symptoms, testing, treatments, and some final tidbits to summarize ear infections in this very condensed post.
What are the classic signs of an ear infection?
- Head shaking
- Ear scratching
- Dragging head/ear on the floor/rug
- Red and sore looking ears
- Stinky ears
- Brown visible gunk inside the ear
If you note any of these symptoms your pup should definitely get checked out by your vet.
Why are these pups developing infections in their ears?
Well, sometimes that is the million dollar question! As mentioned earlier, ear infections can be the result of many different causes.
Some pups will get an ear infection and it is one and done. Other pups are not so lucky and will be much more frustrating to treat and resolve.
The simple ear infections are usually the result of too much moisture being left in the ear canal. This can happen after a bath, grooming, swimming, or even excessive cleaning with the wrong ear cleaning products.
You see, we all have a small, normal amount of yeast and bacteria in our ears; however, when something disrupts this normal flora and there is an overgrowth of these organisms the result is an infection.
The more complicated ear infections which seem to never go away will have different underlying causes. These will require a different approach to management. These are going to be the pups with allergies, endocrine abnormalities, foreign bodies, or even small growths in the ear canal that make it nearly impossible to clear the infection.
Once we know we have an ear infection how do we figure out how to get rid of it?
The only way to know what type of infection we are dealing with and how to effectively treat it is with some testing.
The first step is going to be a full examination of the ear canals. This is done with an otoscope, medical equipment used to look into the ear canal and visualize the ear drum. This part of the exam allows us to evaluate for inflammation, gunk and debris, and the integrity of the ear drum. This is all very important information that is taken into account when deciding on the treatment plan.
But we need more than just a visual exam to determine the appropriate treatment!
Some owners hate spending the money for the appropriate testing, but without it we are just shooting in the dark with treatments.
Why can’t we just treat with any one of the medications that are available?
Well, if we start using antibiotic treatments blindly we are just setting ourselves up for antibiotic resistance. In other words, we are causing a bigger problem and potentially creating super bugs that will no longer respond to broad spectrum antibiotics when we need to use them.
Also, if we find that the ear drum is ruptured there are certain treatments that are contraindicated to use in these ears.
What testing options are recommended?
Your vet will likely start with recommending an ear cytology and may also add an ear culture.
This image is the actual ear cytology from the pup’s ear in the last photo.
This test result not only tells me that my patient has a yeast infection, but also how bad it is. I also do not have to guess if I have to treat for bacteria in the ear. I can confidently put together an appropriate treatment plan to resolve this infection without playing the guessing game.
Side note: This pup was actually recently groomed and was not showing symptoms that were obvious to the owner. His ear infection was an incidental finding on his annual exam. And guess what? He’s a Shih Tzu!
If this test would have shown bacteria the treatment recommendation would likely have been different.
One thing to keep in mind with bacterial ear infections is that we cannot tell exactly what type of bacteria is present without submitting for an ear culture. This would be the next testing recommendation, especially if the infection did not resolve with the initial treatment plan.
Ear cultures tell us a few different things:
- The exact species of bacteria that is growing in the ear
- If there are more than one species of bacteria growing in the ear
- Which antibiotics the bacteria is sensitive to, meaning which ones will kill the bacteria and clear the infection
- Which antibiotics the bacteria is resistant to, meaning they will have no effect on the bacteria and will not clear the infection
How do we treat ear infections after we have confirmed it?
All ear infections will require some type of ear cleaning. How we clean the ears, the type of cleaner used, and how often we recommend cleaning may differ from patient to patient.
A plan with ear cleaning and the appropriate ear medications will be the mainstay of any ear infection treatment.
Most vet clinics offer ear cleaning demonstrations or have videos available online. Many also offer to do the initial ear cleaning in clinic, but at an extra cost. Trust me when I say, it is worth it! Especially if your pup is very uncooperative. I think it is safe to say we probably do a better job at ear cleaning in clinic. And by we I mean my amazing registered veterinary technicians! Getting the first ear cleaning and treatment in clinic starts the healing process. Usually by the time they are due for their next treatment things have settled, and your pup will be more comfortable and tolerant of their next treatment.
Simple ear infections will resolve within 1-2 weeks. If we are struggling with the same ear infection or repeat ear infections for weeks or months on end there is likely something else going on that we need to figure out.
This is where underlying allergies, endocrine conditions, autoimmune disorders, foreign bodies, etc need to be ruled out.
Your vet will have the next steps and recommendations if this is your pup’s fate, and trust me they will be as frustrated as you when there is lack of response to initial treatments.
Patience and testing to rule out underlying causes will be key for these guys! Trust the process and your vet!
I’ll end this post with just some additional tidbits that I like to share with my clients usually within the first few visits with their new puppy.
- Start playing with your puppy’s ears from the second you get them! This will normalize ear touching and make them less likely to overreact when you are having to clean or treat their ears.
- If your pup does have floppy ears make sure you are keeping them dry, cleaning them after any water activities, and consider maintenance cleaning every couple weeks.
- There is such thing as too much cleaning! Don’t over do it!
- If your puppy has hairy ear canals only pluck them if they are having issues. Plucking can lead to irritation and inflammation and also result in an ear infection.
If you have any additional questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or send me a message in the Get In Touch section!
