Dog ear problems
Ears are made up of the pinna, which is the part of the ear we can see, which leads to the ear drum. With floppy eared breeds of dog ear problems are quite common but they can occur in any dog. So the owner must always check the state of the ears when grooming their pet. With just a visual check you can make sure they are clean and not showing any signs of inflamation. Owners need to know some of the possible ear problems, so they can follow the right course of action.
The first indication of any problem will usually be exhibited by the dog in shaking of the head or holding the head on one side. More careful checking is needed at that stage. See if there is anything that has got into the ears. Running in fields during summer may result in seeds of various sorts entering the ear and damage to the ear drum could occur. If the dog has been around grass and continues to shake his head get the vet to check further inside the ear before any long term damage is done to the ear drum.
Ears can feel hot to the touch or your dog might be scratching his ear. If there is no obvious visible signs it might be an allergy or some form of infection. The floppy ear can present ideal conditions for the development of bacteria. Check the smell of the ear, a clear odour is present in such infections. The vet will be able to examine much further into the dog’s inner ear and identify the source of the infection and offer suitable treatment. The treatment is likely to be antibiotics and some ear drops.
If you see other problems with the skin, again it could be an allergy or it might be some sort of parasite. Again the ears might suffer from the same parasite. So if you dog suffers a tick bite, from fleas or mites a swelling may have resulted. If you know any of these have biten your dog, check the ears they might have been affected. If the dog has received a blow to the head in some way an ear injury can result with swelling and brusing. This can be much more serious, dependent on the seriousness of the trauma to the dog, and a more urgent visit to the vet will be needed.
Hormonal changes in your dog can also result in ear problems. Look out for things like a dull coat, changes in behaviour, some hair loss caused by scratching around the ears making it look red and uncomfortable for the dog. There may be other rarer causes of ear problem caused by hereditary malfunction and some cancer conditions.
The ears are wonderful instruments for your dog and care and attention is needed from the owner. So when grooming your dog keep your eyes and nose alert, for your dog’s sake.
