Dog ear infection is one of the most common infections seen in dogs. The infection usually occurs in the external ear canal, and it is called otitis externa.

What Are The Signs Of Dog Ear Infection?

Surprisingly, some dogs do not display any obvious sign, except for an odor in the ear.

More often, a dog suffering from a ear infection can have a itchy or painful ear. The dog shows its discomfort by scratching its ears; rubbing the ears on the floor, on objects or furniture; or by shaking its head.

The dog may whine in discomfort. Or growl in protest, when you try to touch the ears.

The infected ear becomes red and inflamed and has a foul odor. And there may be swelling of the ear flap and ear canal. The ear may also have a black or yellowish discharge.

If the infection occurs in the middle ear, it could impair your dog’s sense of balance, causing disorientation, and you may find the dog walking in circles.

What Causes Dog Ear Infection?

Here are some factors that cause ear infections in dogs:

Yeast and Bacteria
Yeast and bacteria are micro organisms that reside in the ear canal. A healthy dog ear is immune to these micro organisms. However, if the ear canal becomes moist or is blocked by a build up of ear wax, the yeast and bacteria will quickly multiply, resulting in a ear infection.

Parasites
Ear mites are parasites that can infect a dog’s ear. A tell tale sign of the presence of ear mites is black debris that look like grounded coffee in the dog’s ear canal. Other parasites that may also invade a dog’s ear canal are fleas, ticks and mange.

Ear mites are most commonly found in puppies, kittens and cats, than in an adult dog. However, ear mites can be transmitted from one pet to another by direct contact. An adult dog can still be infested if it interacts with another pet who carries ear mites.

Foreign Bodies
Sometimes, foreign objects(such as plant seeds, foxtail) accidentally end up in the external ear canals of dogs. If the foreign object remains in the ear canal, it can irritate the ear and cause inflammation.

If the foreign object travels deeper into the ear canal, it can damage the ear drum and result in more serious damage.

Allergies
One of the most common cause of dog ear infection is allergies. A dog can have an allergic reaction to its food or the environment(such as molds, yeast and pollens that it breathes in). It also can develop an allergy to substances it comes in contact with(such as medication).

These underlying allergies if not treated, will cause the dog to have recurring ear infections. The ear infections usually relapse after the ear medication is discontinued.

What Are The Treatments For Dog Ear Infection?

A dog with a infected, smelly and itchy ear feels miserable. Bring the dog to the veterinarian to find out the cause of the ear problem.

Do not apply medication to your dog’s ear without knowing what causes the ear infection.

The vet will use an otoscope(an instrument that provides magnification and light) to examine the ear carnal. This examination determines if there are foreign objects in the ear canal and whether the ear drum is intact.

The vet will also take a sample of the material in the ear canal, examine it under the microscope to determine the type of micro organisms that cause the infection. This is called cytology.

The results from the otoscope examination and cytology determine the appropriate treatment and medication.

If a foreign body is lodged deep in the ear canal, the dog may have to be sedated inorder to remove the offensive particle.

A dog with a heavy build up of ear debris may also need to be sedated for ear cleansing.

Ear medications are prescribed based on the type of infection. Your dog might need a ear cleaner, ear drops and sometimes, oral medication.

Antibiotics are prescribed for bacteria infection whilst a broad-spectrum medication can help treat multiple infections.

Are There Holistic Treatments For Dog Ear Infection?

A holistic vet may recommend natural remedies you can use at home to help heal and prevent a dog ear infection.

One guide which I think pet guardians would love to have is, the Veterinary Secrets Revealed.

You learn how to clean your dog’s ears, treat the infection, and lessen the inflammation in the ears using natural home remedies.

You get to know the herbs and supplements that help promotes a healthy immune system, and reduces the risk of recurring infections.

You also learn about the underlying diseases associated with chronic ear infections. And how to use effective and natural remedies to treat these diseases.

Find out the nautral remedies a holistic vet uses for dog ear infection and other dog illnesses.

Get the information to heal your pet.

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Winter months. Snow is falling in some parts of the world.

Have some fun with your dog out in the snow.

Here are 2 helpful articles about pet care tip for wintry months.

Chilly Dogs? Try These Tricks To Keep Your Pooch Warm - The Detriot News.

Jack Frost Nips at Pets’ Heels, Vets Say - ZooToo.

Cold, and more often, wetness causes frostbite in pets. Pay extra attention to their ears, paws, nose, and tail.  The extremities are prone to the cold and wetness makes them vulnerable to frostbites.

Have a safe frolick in winter wonderland.

I wish you and every animal, happiness and abundance good health.

Technorati Tags: dog ears, frostbite, pet care, winter

Keeping your pet’s ears healthy would reduce the risk of a dog ear infection.

If you are a big fan of the TV show, Vets In Practice, like me, you would remember Dr. Joe Inglis.

He’s a veterinarian in England. Watching him treat big and small animals, and helping them back to health was a real joy.

Here’s a video of Dr Inglis, Keep Your Dog Healthy Nose To Tail.

He will show you how to check and clean your dog’s ears.

Another reason to watch the video is Jack, the Springer Spaniel X Border Collie. Let him charm you.

Technorati Tags: care tip, Dog Ear Infection, dog's ears, Dr Joe Inglis

In the article, Dog With Allergies Has Odor, Dr Kimmey explained the relationship between dogs having allergies and how it affects the skin and ears.

The typical symptoms of allergic reactions are itching, redness and skin infections.

Some dogs also have an odor. This is likely due to a mild infection caused by yeast or bacteria.

Since the ear canal is an extension of the skin, what affects the skin may affect the ears.

This is the reason why dogs with allergies often have chronic ear infections.

The way to go is to educate yourself about dog allergies and seek the appropriate treatments.

When you take care of the allergies, the dog ear infection is less likely to recurr.

Read the full article here.

Technorati Tags: dog allergies, Dog Ear Infection

Someone asked me why I recommend the ebook, Veterinary Secrets Revealed?

Afterall, visitors to my website are looking for information about dog ear infection. And possibly, to find a ear care product for their dog.

I undersand, and my reader made a valid point. Veterinary Secrets Revealed is not the ear drops that can fix a ear infection. Instead, this easy to follow, pet health ebook explains many common dog health problems, one of which is, dog ear infection.

If your pet has a dog ear infection, this is how Veterinary Secrets Revealed would help:

1) The author is a veterinarian
Dr Andrew Jones is the owner, and one of the practicing vets in Nelson Animal Hospital, in Canada. He uses both conventional vet medicine and natural remedies in his practice.

But, Dr Jones knows that many dog health problems can be treated with simple home remedies that are safe, effective and natural.

He wrote the book for pet guardians who want alternative pet health care. Especially for people who wants to know how to heal their pets at home. The natural remedies he recommends in the book, are the same ones he uses for his own animal patients.

2) Start with examine and diagnose
Learn how to examine your dog and diagnose the symptoms. This know-how is a pre-requisite prior to giving treatment.

Dr Jones walks you through these steps, and provides the guidelines to let you know, what is normal and what needs attention in your pet.

3) Natural remedies and alternative solutions
Dr Jones gives several natural remedy options for every health condition. You can choose the ones that work best for you and your dog.

The holistic treatments include healing with food, vitamins, herbs, acupressure, massage or homeopathic medicine.

These natural remedies are often items you already have in your kitchen, or you can easily buy them from the pet health store or pharmacy.

For eg. In dog ear infection, you learn to clean, treat, and soothe the inflamed ears using natural remedies. He also recommends treatment with supplements in the required dose per body weight.

I know some dogs have side effects from prescribed ear medications. In such cases, natural remedies may be an alternative solution. Check with your vet.

4) Chronic dog ear infection
You feel terrible every time you see your dog go through one ear infection after another. The pain and the itchiness is often distressing to your dog.

Most chronic ear infection is caused by an underlying disease. Eg Allergies or hypothyriod disease.

These diseases are covered in detail in the book. Dr Jones describes the symptoms, the causes, and gives you the solutions to many common dog health issues.

This helps you to see the big piture, so that you can treat both the symptoms(eg the inflamed ears) and also the underlying health conditions that caused the ear problem.

For eg. There is a recipe specially for dogs with food allergy. Feeding your dog right will eliminate his allergies, and thus, the ear infection.

5) Cut your vet bills
We all know vet visits are expensive. But I need to be totally honest, this ebook isn’t a substitute for vet treatment. The information in the ebook allows you to better assess your pet health condition, and help you to heal your dog at home whenever possible.

But there are often times when you need to consult your veterinarian. Such as in an emergency, serious or prolonged illness, or when you do not know the cause of a health problem.

When you refer to the Veterinary Secrets Revealed, you will gain the knowledge to take better care of your dog. And this will save you costly vet expenses in the long run.

For eg. Dr Jones talks about the side effects of over vaccination in the article, “The Truth About Pet Vaccinations”.

Do you know that giving your dog “annual booster shots” might in fact increase its risk of getting immune related diseases. One such disease is skin allergies which often leads to ear problems.

Summary
The Veterinary Secrets Revealed is a holistic pet health care ebook. You can find solutions to dog ear infection and many common dog health problems.

You will like this ebook if:

• You want to understand the symptoms, causes and solutions to your dog health problems.
• You want natural, safe and effective remedies.
• You want to help your dog heal at home.
• You want a holistic solution to your dog health problems. Not treatment just to suppress a symptom.
• You want your dog to live a long life, healthy and active.

And if you happen to have a cat in your family, you will find that Veterinary Secrets Revealed covered common cat illnesses as well.

This is an alternative pet health ebook for both dog and cat guardians who wants to heal their pets at home.

Take action today to heal your pet at home. Give your pet a chance at alternative health care and see the difference.

Find out more about Veterinary Secrets Revealed.

Technorati Tags: Dog Ear Infection, Dr Andrew Jones, Veterinary Secrets Revealed, Veterinary Secrets Revealed review

I read this story about Buster, a black terrier with a dog ear infection in the Express And Star. I wasn’t sure I wanted to share this story at first … And this is why.

Buster, a 14-year old terrier lived with his family in Black Country, UK. The two brothers who were Buster’s guardians failed to give him proper care.

Buster had been ill and had ear infections. But nothing had been done to help the distress dog.

RSPCA officials first visited Buster and the family in 2003, advised them that the dog needed to see a vet, and gave them a money voucher to pay for the treatment. The brothers didn’t take any action, and continue to neglect the dog.

Thirteen months later, the RSPCA official went back to the family after a tip off from a member of the public. But it was too late this time.

Buster was found in a terrible condition. The RSPCA official drove the dog to a nearby vet, but Buster died on the way there. He had heart failure due to blood poisoning, a result of the dog ear infection.

This story has a sad ending … that’s the reason why I didn’t want to write about it initially. The neglect was cruel and caused unnecessry pain and suffering to a dog.

However, a thought cross my mind. What if there is someone out there now, who has a dog with a ear infection … and this person is delaying proper treatment for the dog due to some reasons? No, not mindless neglect, but maybe a financial problem.

If this is you, I ask you to make a sound judgement. I know a lot of pet guardians who will do all they can for a sick pet. I also understand that some of you care deeply for your pet, but are just unable to afford the vet visit, especially when it happens once too often.

But you can still help your dog to heal. Learn and read all you can on the subject. Reseach the library and the internet for authentic information.

You can learn to examine your dog’s ears and look out for symptoms of dog ear infection. If it’s a mild ear infection, you can use natural remedies at home to treat the dog ear infection. Go to the vet if the condition did not improve, or if there are signs of aggravation.

Certain vet clinics have installment repayment plan for clients on request. The Humane Society and some private animal shelters may also be able to provide the vet treatment at a subsidized rate.

Ask around, and you will almost certainly get the assistance you require.

A dog ear infection starts off mild with a itch, but can become a painful experience for your dog if left untreated. Take good care of your fur buddy.

Read more here - Buster.

P.S. The “pointy ear” Black Scottish Terrier in the photo is not Buster.

Technorati Tags: black terrier, 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.

Technorati Tags: bacteria, bacterial infection, Dog Ear Infection

He had surgery to treat a chronic dog ear infection caused by pseudomonas, a flesh-eating bacterium.

In his case, the infected ear did not respond to medication. The entire ear canal has to be removed to stop the pain and infection.

Read about Nuno’s plight here.

Technorati Tags: bacterial infection, bloodhound-mastiff, Dog Ear Infection, pseudomonas

This silent video shows a magnified view of ear mites and mites eggs found in a sample of cat ear wax.

These same ear mites can also infest your dog.

Ear mites are highly contagious and is passed from pet to pet through direct contact.

Keep these parasites away to prevent dog ear infection.

Embedded Video

Technorati Tags: Dog Ear Infection, ear mites, mites eggs