Taking Care of Your Dog’s Ears

The Ears Have It –

Our dogs depend upon us for all of their care. Some thingsare hard to forget. Your dog is not going to let you forget to feed him! Ifyour dog’s breath gets too bad you may think about brushing his teeth. And whenyou hear a clickety-clack on your floor you may be reminded to trim his nails.Hopefully you do these things regularly. But when it comes to your dog’s ears he can develop a seriousproblem before you ever realize there’s something amiss.

‘Ear’s the facts

There are several obvious signs of ear disease:

* A bad odorcoming from your dog’s ear(s)

* Scratching orrubbing the ears or head

* Discharge fromthe ears

* Redness orswelling of the ear flap or inside the ear canal

* Shaking the heador holding it to one side

* Painful ears

* Changes that gowith these signs, such as depression or irritability

I hear you!

Unfortunately, ear disease, or otitis externa, is all toocommon in dogs. Veterinarians see if very frequently. It can occur for a numberof reasons.

* Your dog mayhave food allergies

* Your dog mayhave ear mites (tiny, almost microscopic pests)

* Your dog canhave a bacterial or yeast infection

* Your dog canhave something stuck in his ear, such as grass seed

* Your dog mayhave experienced trauma to his ear — this can occur when he scratches and rubshis head too much

* Hypothyroidismcan result in ear infections

There are other reasons why your dog can develop earproblems. Flop-eared dogs are said to be more inclined to ear infections thanprick-eared dogs. This is because their flop ears cut off some of the air flowto the ear canal that keeps the ears dry. When ears are moist and dark they aremore likely to encourage the growth of bacterial and yeast infections.

Can you hear me now?

Ear infections and otherear problems can make your dog miserable. Regular cleaning is the single bestthing you can do to prevent your dog from developing ear problems.

Cleaning your dog’s ears isn’t difficult. You should cleanyour dog’s healthy ears about once a week. You can obtain a good ear cleanerfrom your vet or from a source that sells good dog products. Ear cleaners should notsting your dog’s ears so check the ingredients. You should fill your dog’s earswith the cleaner and massage the base of the ear for 20-30 seconds. Thismassage helps loosen the wax and debris inside the ear. You can wipe the earout with a cotton ball. You may need to do this a couple of times until thecotton ball comes out clean.

Your dog’s ears will remain cleaner and less likely tobecome infected if you keep the hair inside the ears clipped. This will allowmore air to reach the inside of the ear and keep the ear canal drier.

If your dog has ear infections because of allergies you cantry changing his food but you may have to identify what your dog is allergic tofirst. If you suspect that your dog is having ear problems because ofhypothyroidism you should see a vet and let him diagnose the problem. The earproblems will clear up when your dog’s hypothyroidism is properly treated.

If your dog is experiencing ear disease you should see yourvet. Neglecting ear problems can lead to permanent loss of hearing.

Regular ear cleaning will prevent most ear problems. This istruly a case where an ounce (or less!) or prevention is worth a pound of cure.