Summary:
If your dog or cat is constantly scratching its ears and shaking its head, chances are it’s developed an ear disease. This is one of the commonest complaints vets see in pets and can be caused by a number of problems including ear mites and bacterial/yeast infection. This article looks at the causes of ear disease in cats and dogs and how best to treat it.

Details or Sample:
Treating Ear Problems in Your Pets

If your dog or cat is constantly scratching its ears or vigorously shaking its head, chances are it’s developed an ear disease. Ear disease is one of the commonest problems that vets see in pets. And whether your pet’s ear problem is due to parasites or an allergy, in order to treat an ear disease, the underlying problem must be identified. If the ear is treated for inflammation only the problem won’t be eradicated, and this could lead to it becoming a chronic complaint, and one that’s much more difficult to treat successfully. Therefore, it’s important to establish the cause of your pet’s ear problem if you want to cure it.

Ear Mites

Ear mites are the number one cause of itchy ears in puppies and cats. Ear mites are pin-sized, cream-colored parasites that infect young animals while they are being nursed by their mother around the time their ears open at about 10 days of age. Mites can also be passed from an infected pet to another adult pet. There’s no sign of the disease during the first few months, but then a brown substance similar to coffee grounds appears in the ears. If you discover the ear mites at this stage then massage a permethrin-based lotion into each ear (permethrin is an insecticide used to treat head lice, nits, scabies, and various species of ticks). Ear mite eggs can also be found in your pet’s toes (they collect there when your pet scratches itself) and its tail (a cat will often sleep with its tail under its head), so you need to treat these areas, too.

Bacterial Ear Infection

Infections are another type of ear disease and caused by a number of different types of bacteria and yeast. Infection occurs when the bacteria and yeast work their way into a weakened ear canal. Your pet’s ear canal may be weakened and have lost its ability to fight infection because it has become wet from swimming or bathing, because your pet has allergies, or because you pet’s ear canal is injured from a scratch or insect bite. Any of these factors will result in a weakened ear canal and allow an infection to start. Symptoms of this type of ear disease vary and can include wax constantly filling your pet’s ear. As the infection spreads your pet may shake its head frequently and stand with its head at a tilted angle. In some cases, you may notice blood being shaken out of your pet’s ear and a nasty odor.

A bacterial ear infection should be treated with an appropriate antibiotic solution (a sample may need to be taken to determine which antibiotic will best treat the infection).

Long- and Floppy-Eared Dog Breeds

Long- and floppy-eared dog breeds including Cocker Spaniel and Bassett Hound are more susceptible to ear disease; poor circulation and the presence of hair growth in the canals of the ear, and a build-up of humidity add up to give these dogs a predisposition towards ear disease. Furthermore, any water that stays in the ears after a dog has been bathed or been swimming can also result in an infection.

Keeping the underside of the ear flap and the surrounding area free from hair may help your dog avoid developing an ear disease, as may plucking the hair from within the ear with your fingers. There are a number of ear-cleaning products available which should be massaged into the ear canals of these breeds of dog after they’ve been bathed or been for a swim; or if you have a long- or floppy-eared dog that is prone to ear disease then use an ear-cleaning product once a week.

Other Causes of Ear Disease

Skin allergies in dogs and cats can also result in ear disease as they can spread into the animal’s ears. When your pet’s skin itches, its ears do, too: the cause of the itching has to be determined and treated accordingly.

Excessive hair in the ears of certain breeds of dog can make them predisposed to ear disease. Poodles are particularly predisposed to ear problems because of the hair in and around their ears. Pluck the hair frequently to help your poodle avoid suffering ear problems.

Continual ear problems in cats and dogs can result in an ear canal that becomes narrowed and filled with bacteria and yeast resistant to antibiotics. However, this problem can usually be managed without having to resort to surgery, but if severe infection recurs, surgery to re-direct the ear canal usually solves the problem. If infection has spread to the inner or middle ears, total closure of the ear is the preferred course of action, and although the animal’s hearing is diminished, it can go on to lead a happy life.

Routine Care

To help your pet avoid developing ear problems, check its ears every time you bathe or brush it. A healthy ear is pink in color and should neither smell nor show any signs of substance build-up. Use a cotton ball soaked in an appropriate ear-cleaning solution and rub around the ear to clean out dirt: clean only the part of the ear you can see, do not probe into your pet’s ear with any instrument. Always ensure that you dry your dog’s ears thoroughly after bathing it or after it’s been from a swim. Just a few preventative measures can result in fewer trips to the veterinary surgery for both you and your pet.

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