We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

Ear problems can afflict any dog and cause unbearable pain. As they can’t explain their discomfort, indications like occasional shaking of head, ear scratching, groaning and walking with head tilted at an angle are good enough to alert the owner that something is wrong with his pet’s ears.

If your dog has an ear infection his ears would smell pungent and you would also notice some discharge in the ear canal that may be brown, yellow or red in color. This infection is generally caused by an insect called mite. They creep around the ear causing irritation. The ears of your doggy react to these insects by secreting a wax like substance which is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, fungus and yeast. This further accentuates the problem.

Some people try to treat it at home with help of a doctor, but it’s always better if you take him to a vet and allow the doctor to examine his ears. The vet would basically look out for mites, bacteria or yeast. Sometimes, foreign bodies present in the ear canal also cause excruciating pain. Under these circumstances your pet may need antibiotics or other medications.

However, for the accurate examination of his ears, the vet resorts to anesthesia. He takes a sample of the discharge and either examines it himself or sends the swab to a laboratory for a culture and sensitivity test. The result of the investigation enables him to chart the course for treatment.

Sometimes infections in the ears keep recurring due to narrowing of the ear canal, tumorous overgrowths, natural deformity or skin infection. If his ears remain perpetually moist, infections will never resolve. So, the vet takes recourse to a surgery in which he removes the skin overlying the outer portion of the ear canal. This allows for proper air circulation thus resolving the infection completely.

However, there is another surgery called ear ablation in which the entire cartilage of the ear canal and the hole going down to the eardrum are done way with. Although it resolves the infection for good, the dog becomes deaf in that ear.

So, you should always consult a doctor if you suspect ear problems in your pet.