Learn More About Ear Infections - Canine Otitis Externa
Ear infection is a common problem in both dogs and cats .
In fact many pets suffer from mild or chronic infections that may not be noticed by an owner until a veterinarian examines the ear .
Otitis Externa is simply the inflammation of the external ear canal .
Causes of Ear Inflammation :
Several factors that may lead to ear infections understanding that the anatomy of the ear canal especially in certain breeds of dogs with large floppy ears actually creates the perfect environment for bacteria and yeast getting water in the ear or a foreign body can also be predisposing factors .
Ear infections and inflammation and dogs and cats can be due to :
1- Allergies and those can be environmental allergies or food allergies.
One of the most common causes of ear infections in pets is an allergy this may be an allergy to something in your pets food or something in the environment.
I recommend that you ask your veterinarian what tests need to be performed to determine the cause of the infection the earlier the problem is identified the more effective our treatment will be and the less likely that the problem will become chronic
2- Parasites like ear mites in dogs and in cats mainly
3- Hormonal imbalances like hypothyroidism.
4- Autoimmune diseases .
5- sometimes certain tumors or polyps that are leading to inflammation and infection in the ear canal.
6- Daily environmental things that they do like swimming ,water can get into the ear canal and cause inflammation .Hair growth in the canal can do it also sometimes we also find that if we're cleaning too much then that can cause inflammation.
7- To some breeds are predisposed to ear infections especially the floppy eared breeds like Cocker Spaniels ,some Retrievers also some breeds can have narrowed ear canals as : Rynkls Shar Pei and Chow and those narrowing and the floppy ears lead to that inflammation and infection can can build up and cause worsening.
Clinical signs of Otitis Externa inflammation :
1 - Reddening of the ear canal .
2- Pus, wax or debris and even odor coming from the ear .
3- Head shaking ,scratching ,rubbing and even abnormal behavior .
4- We may also notice hearing loss .
Diagnosis of Otitis Externa inflammation:
1- Physical exam : looking for the redness and wax over birth in the ear .
2- We may also do a swab where we take sample from the ear and put it on a slide and look in the microscope and look for organisms such as yeast and bacteria along with mites ,if those if we think that's present.
3- Additionally we may take a culture from the ear and send that to the lab and they'll culture that bacteria and see what antibiotic it's susceptible to so we know that treatment that we're giving them is correct .
Treatment of Otitis Externa :
- Treatment of Otitis Externa could be either medical or surgical treatment .
1- Medical treatment may include :
If the ears are bad enough and surgery may be indicated.
If you notice any of these clinical signs that you may think that your dog has ear infection seeing a veterinarian as soon as possible is important for treatment not only to relieve the pain and infection in the ear but to also prevent any future complications with ear infections.
In fact many pets suffer from mild or chronic infections that may not be noticed by an owner until a veterinarian examines the ear .
Otitis Externa is simply the inflammation of the external ear canal .
Causes of Ear Inflammation :
Several factors that may lead to ear infections understanding that the anatomy of the ear canal especially in certain breeds of dogs with large floppy ears actually creates the perfect environment for bacteria and yeast getting water in the ear or a foreign body can also be predisposing factors .
Ear infections and inflammation and dogs and cats can be due to :
1- Allergies and those can be environmental allergies or food allergies.
One of the most common causes of ear infections in pets is an allergy this may be an allergy to something in your pets food or something in the environment.
I recommend that you ask your veterinarian what tests need to be performed to determine the cause of the infection the earlier the problem is identified the more effective our treatment will be and the less likely that the problem will become chronic
2- Parasites like ear mites in dogs and in cats mainly
3- Hormonal imbalances like hypothyroidism.
4- Autoimmune diseases .
5- sometimes certain tumors or polyps that are leading to inflammation and infection in the ear canal.
6- Daily environmental things that they do like swimming ,water can get into the ear canal and cause inflammation .Hair growth in the canal can do it also sometimes we also find that if we're cleaning too much then that can cause inflammation.
7- To some breeds are predisposed to ear infections especially the floppy eared breeds like Cocker Spaniels ,some Retrievers also some breeds can have narrowed ear canals as : Rynkls Shar Pei and Chow and those narrowing and the floppy ears lead to that inflammation and infection can can build up and cause worsening.
Clinical signs of Otitis Externa inflammation :
1 - Reddening of the ear canal .
2- Pus, wax or debris and even odor coming from the ear .
3- Head shaking ,scratching ,rubbing and even abnormal behavior .
4- We may also notice hearing loss .
Diagnosis of Otitis Externa inflammation:
1- Physical exam : looking for the redness and wax over birth in the ear .
2- We may also do a swab where we take sample from the ear and put it on a slide and look in the microscope and look for organisms such as yeast and bacteria along with mites ,if those if we think that's present.
3- Additionally we may take a culture from the ear and send that to the lab and they'll culture that bacteria and see what antibiotic it's susceptible to so we know that treatment that we're giving them is correct .
Treatment of Otitis Externa :
- Treatment of Otitis Externa could be either medical or surgical treatment .
1- Medical treatment may include :
- Flushing and cleaning the ears.
- Topical antibiotic or antifungal treatment along with anti-inflammatory and corticosteroids to decrease that inflammation .
If the ears are bad enough and surgery may be indicated.
If you notice any of these clinical signs that you may think that your dog has ear infection seeing a veterinarian as soon as possible is important for treatment not only to relieve the pain and infection in the ear but to also prevent any future complications with ear infections.
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