Recovery And Management Of Ear Infections In Dogs
You can expect at least one follow-up visit to the veterinarian during the recovery process. During this time, it is essential to follow your veterinarians instructions and administer all medications for the prescribed time. Clinical signs often resolve shortly after starting medical therapy, which can tempt owners to stop treating. However, the infection may still be present, and stopping and restarting medications can lead to medication resistance and additional complications.
During your dogs recovery, try to prevent your dog from irritating his ears or getting his ears wet. Doing so slows the healing process and can aggravate the condition or introduce new bacterial or fungal infections. Veterinarians may also recommend additional steps to manage ear infections, like removing the hair from the ear canal.
In cases with recurring infections, treating the underlying cause is especially crucial, and it requires time, additional diagnostic testing, and follow-up visits.
Chronic Ear Infections In Dogs: What You Can Do To Help
Are you looking for a way to help your dog with chronic ear infections? Ear infections in dogs are a common occurrence where most dogs will develop at least one ear infection in their lifetime. Some dogs however develop chronic ear infections where they have multiple bouts throughout the year. This article will discuss the reasons why your dog is having chronic ear infections and how you can manage them. In most dogs, the most common reason for chronic ear infections is allergies but it could also be a result of their ear canal anatomy or tumours and polyps. After reading this article, we hope you have a better understanding of why your dog has chronic ear infections and what you can do to help!
How To Prevent Ear Mites In German Shepherds
The good news is that there are a few things you can do to prevent ear mites
- First, make sure you keep your dogs ears clean. You can do this by using a cotton ball dipped in warm water to wipe the inside of the earflap. Be sure to get the cotton ball all the way into the ear canal. You should also clean your dogs ears after he or she has been swimming or bathing.
- Second, you can use a special ear cleaner made for dogs to help prevent ear mites. Be sure to read the ingredients before using them, and make sure to follow the instructions carefully.
- Third, make sure your dog gets enough exercise. This will help keep them healthy overall and will also help them avoid scratching their ears.
If you think your dog may have ear mites, be sure to take them to the vet for a diagnosis. If the ear infection is severe, your dog may need antibiotics.
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What To Do If Your Dog Is Suffering From Ear Problems
If you think your dog may be suffering from ear problems then the most important first step is to take a trip to your vet.
Ear conditions are very unlikely to clear up on their own and the longer it remains untreated then the harder it is to clear up the problem. Its true that some breeds of dogs – ones with long dangly ears such as Springer Spaniels – are more prone to ear problems than others.
Dogs which spend a lot of time in water may also suffer from regular ear problems, as well as dogs with allergies. If your dog is the kind of breed that is susceptible to ear problems or has long ears make it a part of your grooming routine to check their the ears regularly. Keep the ears clean and if you spot a problem contact your vet to see if they think you further investigation is needed.
If you have any questions or concerns about your pets health, contact your local Calder Vets branch.
What Treatment Is There For Ear Mites
Many spot on flea treatments also prevent and treat ear mites, and – if recommended by your vet – this is by far and away the easiest way to protect your pet from the parasites. One or two applications is usually enough and they are a lot less stressful for your pet and for you than ear drops.
Although spot on treatments are the most popular form of treatment, ear drops are also available. Some of these require at least three weeks of treatment as the medication cannot kill the eggs of the parasites, which take 21 days to develop into adult mites. If using these treatments, its therefore crucial that you use them, as prescribed, for the recommended time period. Other topical treatments only need to be used for 10 to 14 days and are much stronger, so kill the eggs as well as the adult mites and include medication to tackle the infection caused by the parasites.
Always consult your vet on the best and most suitable treatment to use.
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How To Treat Dog Ear Infections Properly
Your veterinarian will likely need to test the ear debris or perform scans of your dogs ear to choose the appropriate treatment. These are some tests that your vet might conduct:
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Cytology uses special stains on the swab of debris to color the microscopic bacterial cells or fungus. Viewing these under the microscope can identify the specific cause.
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Culture/sensitivity testing uses special medium/broth to grow and identify the specific bacteria that are causing the infection. It also tests which antibiotics will be effective in eliminating the infection.
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Blood testing may be needed to check for endocrine disease as an underlying condition.
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Skull x-rays, a CT scan, or an MRI may be needed to assess the extent of severe or inner ear disease.
Once the details of your dogs ear infection are known, therapy will likely consist of multiple elements that may include topical, oral, or surgical therapies.
Are There Other Signs I Should Watch For
Vomiting and nausea may occur during the acute phase of otitis interna. If the facial nerve, which is located in the area of the inner ear, is damaged by an inner ear infection, your dog may develop some of the following symptoms:
- drooling from the side of the mouth
- difficulty eating and dropping food
- inability to blink
- development of dry eye in the unblinking eye or Dry Eye in Dogs)
- drooping of the eyelids, lips, and nostrils on the affected side
- signs of Horners syndrome which include uneven pupil size, called anisocoria, prominent third eyelid, and drooping upper eyelid on the affected side
With long-term facial nerve paralysis the face may actually twist toward the side of the ear infection.
Additional signs include redness in the affected ear and discharge with a foul odor. The outer ear canal may become thickened and hard to the touch from chronic inflammation and the lymph node at the base of the chin on the affected side may become enlarged. Your dog may become reluctant to move at all, preferring to sit or lay in one spot and his head may swing from side to side, even at rest. You may also notice short, rapid, side-to-side movements of the eyeballs called nystagmus.
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Preventing Ear Infections In Dogs
Ear infections in dogs are not always preventable, but owners can take steps to reduce the risk, especially in breeds with a predisposition. Keeping your dogs ears dry and clean helps prevent ear infections, but excessive cleaning can be harmful.
The best thing owners can do to prevent ear infections is to inspect their dogs ears regularly. Look for changes in skin color, condition, and temperature, and sniff your dogs ears to check for odors. While it may seem odd, owners should know what a healthy, clean, dog ear smells like so they can tell when something may be off.
If your dog regularly swims, talk to your veterinarian about additional steps you can take to prevent infections, like using veterinary-approved drying agents or clipping the hair around your dogs ear canal.
How Do I Know If My Dog Has Ear Mites
An ear mite infection will cause your dogs ears to itch, which often results in them shaking their head excessively, or scratching at their ears with their paws. Ear mites can also produce wax and irritation, so your pets ears may well look red and inflamed. Typically, ear mites will also cause a dry black ear discharge. There may also be an unusual odour.
But irritation in a dogs ear is more often than not caused by allergies leading to infections other than ear mites, so its crucial that you get your dog to the vets for a proper diagnosis especially since the parasites are so difficult to detect with the naked eye. Vets will normally confirm a diagnosis of ear mites using an otoscope to look inside the ear. Without visiting the vet, many owners incorrectly assume that their dog has ear mites when they are, in fact, suffering from a bacterial or yeast ear infection this can lead to weeks of inappropriate treatment and the condition worsening.
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Treating Ear Problems In Dogs
To successfully diagnose and treat problems with the ear it is always recommended to bring your dog to a vet. If your dog is found to be suffering from an ear problem, the best course of treatment for the individual case will be prescribed, which may often be a course of antibiotics.
Because there are so many different types of ear problems dogs can get the treatment varies from topical solutions and wipes to antibiotics and surgery. For example: Vets can conduct simple tests to diagnose a bacterial ear infection and prescribe topical solutions and or antibiotics.
Getting rid of foreign bodies in your dogs ear, such as grass seed, can include your vet attempting to flush the ears or removing the items surgically while the dog is either under general anaesthetic or sedated. This will be followed with pain relief and antibiotics.
Keys To Fighting Food
Giving your German Shepherd a fresh food diet is the best way to combat food allergies that cause skin allergies. Commercial dry kibble and wet foods typically dont have the same levels of nutrition found in fresh food because of the heating methods used in the cooking process, commercial foods often lose the essential nutrition that your dog needs to be healthy and allergy-free. Fresh food diets contain essential fatty acids and healthy fats that are often in sources like sunflower oil and fish oil. Critical minerals and vitamins are necessary to reduce inflammatory responses to allergens, and fresh food has those components .
The chart below includes some solutions to the variety of food allergies that German Shepherds may develop:
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Can Ear Mites Cause Ear Infections In German Shepherds
Ear mites can cause symptoms of ear infections, including scratching at the ear, shaking the head, and ear discharge.
Ear mites can create an environment in the ear canal that can lead to a secondary bacterial or yeast infection, but ear mite infections are more common in puppies than in adult dogs.
The Pain Doesnt Go Away
The pain from an ear infection will come on fast, but it doesnt usually last longer than a day or two. But if your pain lingers without improving for several days, you should head over to the doctor.
Depending on the severity of your ear infection, they may or may not prescribe you any antibiotics. If they do, make sure you continue taking your daily amount even if your pain is gone.
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Best Ways To Avoid German Shepherd Ear
To prevent your pet from having an ear infection, you need to notice that you need to keep the ear canal properly clean. This cleaning needs to be carried out at least twice a week to avoid any possible infection. Also, the wax has an influence, but the accumulation of hair can be harmful because it hinders airflow.
The best way to prevent ear infections in your dog is to clean his ears so that bacteria do not accumulate constantly.
Causes Of Ear Infection
Dogs have an L-shaped ear canal. Because of this shape, dogs are more prone to ear infections than are animals with straighter ear canals.
In adult dogs, bacteria and yeast are the usual causes of ear infection. In puppies, ear mites are a common cause, as well.
There are some factors that make ear infection more likely:
- Moisture: Damp ears are a perfect environment for bacteria and yeast to grow.
- Wax buildup: Letting wax build up in your dogs ears can create a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast.
- Excessive cleaning: Cleaning the ear too often or too vigorously can irritate the ear and lead to infection.
- Foreign bodies or injury to the ear canal: Getting something stuck in the ear can create the conditions for yeast or bacteria overgrowth.
- Autoimmune disorders: When the lining of the ear canal swells, it can allow yeast and bacteria to grow out of control, causing infection.
- Endocrine disorders, such as thyroid disease: These illnesses can lower the bodys immune response and allow ear infections to develop.
- Allergies: 50-80% of dogs with allergies also develop ear infections.
- Ear shape: Breeds with floppy ears are more likely to get ear infections because air cant circulate freely inside the ear.
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Your German Shepherd Dog’s Health
We know that because you care so much about your dog, you want to take good care of her. That is why we have summarized the health concerns we will be discussing with you over the life of your Shepherd. By knowing about health concerns specific to German Shepherd Dogs, we can tailor a preventive health plan to watch for and hopefully prevent some predictable risks.
Many diseases and health conditions are genetic, meaning they are related to your pets breed. There is a general consensus among canine genetic researchers and veterinary practitioners that the conditions weve described herein have a significant rate of incidence and/or impact in this breed. That does not mean your dog will have these problems it just means that she is more at risk than other dogs. We will describe the most common issues seen in German Shepherd Dogs to give you an idea of what may come up in her future. Of course, we cant cover every possibility here, so always check with us if you notice any unusual signs or symptoms.
What Causes Ear Infections In Dogs: The Three Ps
Ear disease is merely a symptom that your dogs body is dealing with another problem there is always a reason why an ear infection develops! The challenge is to ferret out what, exactly, is the underlying cause. Start by looking at the three Ps: Primary, Predisposing, and Perpetuating causes. 1. Primary causes lead directly to inflammation of the ear and include:
- Environmental allergies or adverse food reactions these account for a whopping 97 percent of primary causes!
- Parasitic disease such as mites. Mites create a dark discharge, but so does yeast. If your vet doesnt run a cytology, the conditions can be easily confused. In fact, mites are frequently over-diagnosed, and are less of an issue than we might think.
- Foreign bodies such as foxtails or other grass awn.
- Keratinization disorders. These are conditions that affect the skins surface appearance and may involve abnormalities in skin cell production, glandular production, and skin cell breakdown. Seborrhea, for example, produces excess sebum and build-up of skin cells. Though seborrhea is more common in certain breeds , on the whole, primary keratinization defects are uncommon.
- Autoimmune disease, such as pemphigus. A biopsy must be performed to diagnose autoimmune disease.
- Growths or polyps from glandular tumors such as adenoma and carcinoma.
2. Predisposing factors in your dog that make her more susceptible to ear disease include:
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How To Treat Your Dogs Ear Infection
For a concerned pet owner, theres almost nothing more worrying than knowing that your dog may have an ear infection. Unfortunately, ear infections are one of those health concerns that many pet owners have come to recognise, especially if you have a dog with floppy ears who may be prone to them. Fortunately, there are things you can do to recognise an ear infection and to help treat it to keep your pooch as comfortable as possible.
How Do I Administer Ear Medication To My German Shepherd
As mentioned above, the dogs external ear canal is L-shaped, and its recommended to administer the medication into the lower part of the L, or in the horizontal ear canal.
You can apply ear medication using the following steps:
If your veterinarian has prescribed a second medication, apply it in the same way, but wait five to thirty minutes before applying the second or additional medication.
Always follow your veterinarians directions when applying ear medication.
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