Ear infection is one of the leading health concerns for dogs. According to Pet Education.com, an estimated 20 percent of dogs suffer from inflammation of the outer ear canal. Signs that your dog may have an ear infection include a foul odor coming from his ears, discharge inside the ears, constant scratching or rubbing of ears against the carpet or furniture, shaking of the head, and changes in behavior such as irritability or depression.
Ear infections may be caused by any number of reasons including allergies, ear mites, fleas, parasites, yeast, bacteria, foreign bodies, and hormonal abnormalities such as hypothyroidism.
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Diagnosis
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Ear infections can range from mild to severe. Normally, a trip to the vet is necessary to determine what exactly the cause of the infection is. The veterinarian looks into the dog's ear using an otoscope to check if there is an inflammation, the condition of the ear drum, and if there are any tumors, foreign bodies, or other obvious causes for the problem. Samples of the ear are collected and examined under a microscope for mites, yeast or bacteria. Depending on the results of this preliminary examination, additional diagnostic tests may be required. These may include a culture and sensitivity test of the discharge, blood testing, and radiographs or imaging procedures.
Bacteria and Yeast Inection Treatments
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Treatment is dependent on the cause of the infection and if there are any secondary conditions as well.
Bacterial and yeast infections normally require specific drugs: antibiotics for bacterial infections and antifungals for yeast infections. Antibiotics are usually topical, but if the infection is severe, oral antibiotics are sometimes prescribed. Glucocorticoids are often combined with the antifungal and antibacterial preparations to bring down the inflammation within the ear canal of the infected ear. Some vets prescribe steroids such as prednisone as well.
Allergies and Mites Treatment
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Ear infections due to allergies are normally treated by regularly cleaning the ear with a cleaning solution. Antihistamines and fatty acid supplements are administered, either topically, orally or in injected form. Sometimes corticosteroids are also prescribed. Because allergies can be caused by any number of irritants such as food, pollen, dust mites or fleas, allergy testing is recommended to determine what the irritant is. If the cause is found to be food, a hypo-allergenic diet is prescribed. Since an allergy alters the environment within the ear and often results in secondary infection, it is necessary to treat not just the ear infection but also the allergy as well. Immunotherapy is often recommended to cure the underlying problem.
Treating infections caused by ear mites are the easiest to treat. First, the ear is cleaned and the ear wax and other accumulated crud removed. Then an ear medication designed to kill mites is applied. The treatment has to be repeated over several weeks to ensure that no mite eggs remain.
Ear problems caused by hereditary conditions, hormone abnormality, tumors and the like have to be dealt with systemically, depending on the condition.
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