Dog ear diseases: Best info for dog owners
A dog with big ears is very cute, but dogs with big ears also have their troubles. Normally, a dog’s ears should be dry and odorless, but many dog owners often find that their dog’s ears have symptoms such as redness, swelling, and odor. This may be because Dog ear diseases.
The ears, like the eyes, are vulnerable links to attacks by germs and parasites. The ears often secrete oil, which, if not cleaned in time, may combine with dust, moisture, etc. to form earwax, causing inflammation.
Every dog is at risk for ear infections, but dogs with large ears and long hair are particularly likely to be at risk.
Common ear diseases in dogs and their treatments are as follows:
1. Ear hematoma :
Ear hematoma refers to the swelling caused by rupture of blood vessels in the ear due to rubbing the ear, excessive shaking of the head, impact, scratching, etc., and the accumulation of blood between the auricle skin and ear cartilage .
A hematoma appears as a large blood bag that is usually obvious and easy to see with the naked eye. The swelling can range from the size of a pea to covering most of the ear flap.
symptom:
1. The ear has an obvious bulge, is soft to the touch, and contains wavy fluid.
2. Touching a dog’s ears will cause it to feel pain and resist.
3. The dog keeps shaking its head and scratching its ears.
4. In severe cases, the entire ear swells.
Generally speaking, when encountering this kind of situation, taking the patient to the hospital for a fluid draw test can confirm the diagnosis. More importantly, it is necessary to find out the actual cause of the ear hematoma, whether it is trauma, parasites or inflammation.
Common methods:
1. Extraction:
No anesthesia is required, and the blood in the tumor is directly drawn out with a syringe. However, it is prone to recurrence and infection.
2. Drainage tube:
A small incision is made at the site of the hematoma, and a drainage tube is inserted to squeeze out the blood or drain it naturally. However, this is not conducive to healing and is prone to infection.
3. Surgery
The surgery requires general anesthesia, so it should be used with caution in older dogs or those with other high-risk medical conditions.
During the operation, a longitudinal incision is made in the middle of the hematoma. After the blood is drained, no sutures are made. Instead, sutures are made on both sides of the incision to compress the auricle and seal the cavity.
After surgery, roll up the ear and wrap it tightly . This step is very effective in preventing recurrence . The stitches can be removed after about three weeks.
2. Ear mites :
Ear mites are a parasitic disease that dogs are prone to. They are contagious and spread quickly. Male mites are about 0.3 mm long, while female mites are slightly larger, about 0.5 mm, and are round in shape. They lay eggs, grow, and reproduce in the dog’s ears.
Ear mites are very stubborn and usually secrete a special chemical toxic substance in the ear canal, which stimulates nerve endings and causes dogs to scratch their skin. It can also cause otitis media , otitis interna and even encephalitis.
symptom:
1. The dog shakes its head and ears and scratches itself.
2. There is a strong sour smell in the ears.
3. Tear marks become heavier and brown in color.
4. Ear hair falls out, and there is black secretion, pus, or even large pieces of brown earwax in the ear canal.
Treatment method:
First, take your dog to the veterinary hospital for a checkup to determine the extent of ear mite infection. The doctor will recommend whether an injection is needed.
After returning home, the owner prepared special ear cleaning solution and medicine, and was ready to clean the dog’s ears for several months.
The steps are as follows:
1. Pour special ear cleaning solution into the ear canal, and gently pinch and rub the ear canal for 30 to 60 seconds.
Do not use cotton swabs to scrub repeatedly as this will aggravate the condition. Simply pour ear wash solution into the ear and massage the ear base.
2. The dog shakes out the ear wash.
3. Roll the cotton into a small ball and wipe it gently to clean the ear canal and remove earwax.
4. Apply healing ointment or lotion.
If you insist on using ear cleaning medicine for a long time without any improvement, you can consider going to the hospital for injection of medicine to treat ear mites. Generally, it is injected once every 1 to 2 weeks, and 4 consecutive injections can cure it.
During the treatment period, wash and dry the dog’s bed, blankets, mats, and toys to prevent reinfection.
3. Bacterial and fungal infections
Fungal infections are generally superficial infections of the skin’s stratum corneum and hair follicles caused by Malassezia , and can occasionally cause systemic infections.
Common bacterial infections include Proteus , Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , etc., which need to be sterilized.
symptom:
1. There is a large amount of yellow-green or dark-brown secretions in the ear that block the ear canal, and there are infected black spots in the ear cavity.
2. The ear canal becomes red, swollen, narrow, unclear, and has a bad odor.
3. Your dog scratches his ears more often
Treatment method:
1. Under the guidance of a doctor, choose better triazole antifungal drugs for oral or topical use, such as itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, etc.
2. Use antibacterial drugs to clean the ear canal. The steps are similar to those for cleaning ear mites.
3. Appropriate supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, etc.
4. Pay attention to the hygiene of the environment and disinfect the living environment. Disinfection should be appropriate and be careful not to hurt the dog’s skin.
4. Otitis media:
Otitis media in dogs mostly occurs in puppies, often because the owners are careless and the dogs suffer from coughs, colds, and pharyngitis. Bacteria take advantage of the opportunity to infect the middle ear and cause inflammation.
symptom:
1. The dog’s hearing is impaired and the ear canal is painful.
2. There is fluid leakage in the ear.
3. There is a noticeable odor in the ear canal.
Treatment:
1. Use a hot towel or water bag for hot compress, which has a certain therapeutic effect.
2. For puppies, avoid lying on their backs to feed to prevent choking on milk which may cause otitis media.
3. The dog should rest more during illness, avoid strenuous exercise, and ensure adequate sleep.
4. Under the guidance of a doctor, use ear wash water in conjunction with systemic medication, injection or oral antibiotics once a day.
5. Give your dog more vitamins and strengthen nutrition during this stage.
5. Otitis interna:
The Otitis interna refers to the nervous system inside the eardrum that is connected to the brain. Otitis interna is often caused by untreated otitis media, or by infection after trauma.
symptom:
1. The dog squints, shakes its head, loses balance and walks unsteadily.
2. Dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
3. The dog has hearing loss, obvious ear pain, purulent infection in the ear, etc.
4. Severe cases may cause fever and physical examination may reveal changes in cerebrospinal fluid, indicating that the infection is spreading to the brain.
Otitis interna is a relatively serious ear infection and must be treated by a doctor in a professional hospital.
The basic measure to prevent and care for dog ears is to keep them clean and dry.
Ear infections, treatment, and recovery are slow and painful for dogs and time-consuming for owners.
To avoid ear infections in dogs, you should pay more attention to them in daily life and prevent them from the source.
The details are as follows:
1. Keep the ears dry. Especially avoid water entering the dog’s ears when bathing.
2. Blow dry your hair after bathing to prevent fungal growth.
3. Keep dog supplies clean: wash and dry dog beds, mats, etc. frequently to keep the environment clean.
4. Shave the hair inside the ears regularly and clean the ears with ear wash.
5. Deworm regularly and use external anthelmintics to prevent ear mites.
6. Keep your dog on a leash when going out to prevent ear damage caused by fighting or scratching.
7. Dogs with large ears that cover the auricle, such as Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Basset Hound, etc., need more careful ear care.
