Treating canine ear infection

Treating dog ear infections is a multi-step process. The canal of the infected ear must first be thoroughly cleaned before anything else can be done. This can include swabbing the canal, removing hair and other debris and may even require flushing the canal out in order to remove excess waste and pus.

Since ear infections are quite painful to your pet, it’s usually best to let your vet take care of this as part of an office call.

Once the ear is as clean as possible, your vet will examine it to determine just how severe the infection is and decide the best way to proceed with treatment. In most cases, pet medication will be administered directly into the ear to treat the inner irritation that is causing so much discomfort. This treatment will be followed with either an antibiotic injection or a course of oral antibiotics that you can give your pet at home.

In severe cases, surgery may be required to open the canal for cleaning and treatment because scar tissue can make the area unreachable.

Unfortunately, no matter how diligent an owner is about ear cleanings and medication, some dogs are prone to relapses and medication seems to have no effect. Cases like this are referred to as “chronic” and there are two common options for treatment. Your vet may choose to take a culture of the fluid in your pet’s ears in order to diagnose and treat the exact organism causing the infection.

Surgical removal of the affected ear canal may become necessary to eliminate the source of the infection if treatment with medications doesn’t work. Ear mites can easily take up residence in your dog’s ears and the symptoms of an infestation can be similar to those of an ear infection. In cases like this, your vet will still thoroughly clean out your dog’s ears and then treat them with mite medication to kill the current population. Be prepared to continue the treatment at home for seven to ten days to make sure there are no recurrences.

As always, the best way to head off ear infections and mite infestations is to pay attention to the condition of your pet’s ears. When you’re familiar with the way your dog’s ears look when they’re healthy, you’ll find it easier to notice unfavorable changes early on.

Weekly ear cleanings will help keep the canals free from debris and increase the amount of air flow to make the area less hospitable for opportunistic organisms.

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Published on April 14, 2009 under Dogs And Family
Tags: A, advice, b, best dogs pain relief, best pain killers for dogs, best pain relief for dogs, best pet pain medication, best pet pain medications, best pet pain medicine, d, Dogs And Family, e, H, home & family, p, pet, pets_and_animals

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