Dog Ear Infection

Your pet is having another dog ear infection? And you start to query. Is it bacterial infection, yeast infection, or ear mites or …? And you want to get the medicine that can help to make your pet feel better.

So, let’s take a closer look at bacterial ear infection. What causes bacterial infection, and what are some of the signs?

It’s not uncommon for pets to have dog ear infection. Healthy human ears and dog ears both have bacteria present, and that’s fine. The problem only arises when the environment inside the ear changes, leading to a weaken ear canal that is unable to fight an infection.

But why would the environment inside the ear change?

There are a number of possible factors. These may sound familiar to you because they are the same factors that cause dog ear infection.

Just remember that a weaken ear canal, due to any of the following factors, usually leads to a secondary bacterial infection of the ears.

Allergies
The most common underlying disease leading to bacterial ear infection are allergies. Allergic reactions are often manifested through the skin. When your dog has allergies, the skin lining the ear canal can be hyper-sensitive and becomes inflamed easily.

An inflamed ear canal looks red, feels warm, and has more moisture inside, than a normal ear. This provides the perfect environment for bacteria to multiply.

Water In The Ear
Some dogs love swimming in the pool or a lake. A lucky few go ocean surfing with their human. Often though, water gets into the ears during a simple bath. Excess moisture in the ear breeds bacteria and yeast.

Excess Ear Wax
Ear wax that get lodged in the ear canal blocked off light and air circulation. Bacterial and yeast multiply quickly in such a warm, dark and moist environment.

Foreign Body
Grass seeds, sand, insects, and any particle that is stuck in the ear will irritate the skin lining the ear. The dog scratches the ear to get rid of the irritation. When the skin is broken due to scratching, it leads to a secondary bacterial infection.

Ear Mites
Ear mites dig tunnels under the skin lining the ear to lay eggs. The sore open skin tissue leads to bacterial infection.

Dog Breeds
Some dogs have long floppy ears(eg Basset Hound, Cocker Spaniel), narrow ear canals(eg Chow Chow, Shar Pei), or hair in the ear canal(Poodle). The ear structure of these breeds predispose them to bacterial and yeast infection due to poor air circulation within the ears.

Signs of bacterial dog ear infection:

• Ear is red, painful and feels warm
• Ear scratching
• Head shaking
• Smelly ears
• Excessive yellowish or brown ear discharge
• Head tilt to one side

There are 2 main groups of bacteria which cause dog ear infection.
Bacteria of the same Gram type are treated with similar types of antibiotics.

Gram Positive Bacteria
They include Staphylococcus intermedius and Streptococcus spp. These are known as Staphs and Streps, with similar bacteria occurring in human infections.

Gram Negative Bacteria
They are Pseudomonas spp and Proteus spp. Gram negative bacteria tend to be more difficult to treat than gram positive bacteria, as they are more resistant to common antibiotics.

Your veterinarian would be able to diagnose the actual cause of the ear infection and recommend treatment options.

Medication should only be instilled into the ear when the ear drum is intact. Otherwise, it could cause further damage to your dog’s ears.

You might have seen your vet using an otoscope to look into your pet’s ear. The vet is in fact, looking for foreign body, ear mites, and checking the ear drum.

Depending on the severity and the type of bacterial infection, the vet may suggest a combination of ear cleaners, medicated ear drops, oral antibiotics or anti-inflammatory.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to anesthetize the dog to properly clean out the ear canal, or to remove a foreign body from the ear, before applying medication.

A bacterial ear infection can become nasty when left untreated or when treatment is discontinued before a complete recovery. Make sure you follow through the full course of antibiotics. And consult your vet immediately if your dog is not responding to treatment.

For preventative ear care, clean your pet’s ears once a week, with a ear cleaner that has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Keeping its ears healthy, clean and dry helps to prevent dog ear infection.

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