Treating Dog Ear Infections

Ear infections are common in dogs. There are three types of ear infections in dogs: inner ear, middle ear, and outer ear infections.

Ear infections can occur as a result of a bacterial infection, fungi, food allergies, after getting water in the ear during a bath, and improper hygiene. The symptoms of an ear infection are easy to spot: redness around and inside the ear, inflammation and foul-smelling wax discharge. The dog that has an ear infection will constantly shake his head and scratch his ear. The more difficult types of ear infection to treat are the inner and middle-ear infections. In these cases, you usually need to take your dog to the veterinarian to be prescribed antibiotics or ear drops.

The outer ear infection can be treated at home by cleansing and drying the ear with a solution that can be bought at your local pet store. You can even use natural products like tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil which are great for treating the outer ear infection commonly known as a “hot spot”. Tea tree oil has antiseptic, antifungal and antibacterial properties and will speed up the healing process by slowly drying out the infected area. Eucalyptus oil has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and analgesic qualities. Both of these oils also tend to have strong fragrances so it may take a while for your dog to get used to them. Apply one of these oils 2 to 3 times a day for 3-4 days using a cotton ball (do not use Q-tips or cotton swabs as this may cause even more harm) and you should start seeing an improvement. If there is no improvement, take your dog to the veterinarian immediately.

Dogs with long floppy ears (e.g. Cocker Spaniel and Basset Hound) tend to get ear infections more easily because of their ears either touching the ground or getting in contact with food and water/moisture. They can have small hairs growing in their ears that need to be removed since they attract moisture and prevent air circulation even more. If not groomed properly by a professional groomer, it could lead to an infection. Also, the air circulation can be restricted in the ears of such dogs which can cause a fungal infection. Such dogs should be groomed regularly and their ears should be cleaned and inspected on a weekly basis. Take the time to check your dog’s ears and prevent any problems in the future which can cause discomfort to your dog.