Does Your Dog Have an Ear Infection?

Ear infections in dogs are common.  A dog with an ear infection may show symptoms like scratching, shaking their head, and running their ears on furniture.

Ear infections in dogs are often caused by allergies or an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast within the ear canal. Your vet will use testing to diagnose the cause of your dog’s ear infection and recommend proper treatment. Treating ear infections requires prescription-only medicated ear drops and ear-cleaning solutions. 

Does Your Dog Have an Ear Infection?
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

Ear infections are a common health condition in dogs.  So, what are the telltale signs of an ear infection in dogs, and what can you do about it?  
 
What are the symptoms of ear infections in dogs?
If your dog has an ear infection, their ears will likely be itchy.  Your dog may also show other signs, including:

• Having a foul smell coming from their ears
• Having blood coming from their ears in severe cases
• Having ear drainage or discharge, which can be black, brown, white, green, or yellow in color
• Having redness or swelling in their ear canals
• Having scaly skin in and around their ears
• Holding one ear slightly lower than the other
• Rubbing their ears on furniture or the floor
• Scratching at their head, neck, and ears with their back feet
• Shaking their head frequently throughout the day
• Yelping out when their ears are touched, which indicates pain

You may notice that when it is time for your dog to rest or sleep, they constantly shake their head or scratch at their ears.  If you are like many dog guardians, that could also mean you lose out on rest.
 
What causes ear infections in dogs?
There are quite a few things that can cause ear infections in dogs. Three common causes of ear infections in dogs are:
Bacteria - various types of bacteria can contribute to ear infections in dogs.  What usually happens is that a dog’s ears become irritated or inflamed due to outside causes, such as allergies.  It then causes the lining of the ears to lose its healthy, protective skin barrier.  Then, the bacteria that naturally live on the surface of your dog’s skin take advantage of the broken skin barrier and multiply like crazy.  It makes your dog’s ears even more inflamed and itchy, and the cycle continues.  
Yeast - another culprit that contributes to ear infections in dogs is yeast.  Yeast ear infections can happen if your dog gets water in their ears, such as during a bath or while swimming, that is not cleaned out well.  
Yeast infections can also occur if your dog is a breed that tends to get moisture buildup within their ears.  It includes bulldogs, dogs with much hair in their ear canals, or certain hound breeds with floppy ears. 
Finally, yeast infections can also occur as a result of allergies.  Often, dogs can have a mixed infection of bacteria and yeast, causing an ear infection.
Allergies - are one of the most notorious and frustrating underlying causes of dog ear infections.  When a dog has an allergy, it usually causes either itchy skin or itchy ears.  Food and environmental are the two most common categories of allergies contributing to ear infections in dogs.
 
Are ear infections contagious in dogs?
Most bacteria that cause ear infections do not spread from one dog to another.  Yeast-related ear infections typically are not contagious either, nor are allergy-related ear infections.  Most ear infections are also unlikely to be spread from dogs to humans.
 
How is an ear infection diagnosed in dogs?
If your dog shows an ear infection, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.  To treat the ear infection with the correct medication, your veterinarian will need to determine what is causing the infection in the first place.  The diagnostic test used to diagnose an ear infection is called an ear swab, also known as ear cytology.  Your veterinarian will use a long cotton-tipped applicator to sample the gunk in your dog’s ears.  They will then smear it on a glass slide and look at it underneath a microscope.  Then, your vet can see what caused the infection.  This can determine the bacteria present and which antibiotic is best to treat it.
 
What can you use to treat a dog’s ear infection?
Treating your dog’s ear infection depends on their infection type.  The ear swab test will diagnose this at your veterinarian’s office.  The ear infection will then be treated with medicated ear drops, most of which you can only get with a prescription from your vet.  Medicated ear drops for dogs are designed to decrease inflammation, manage pain, treat an infection, or a combination of these.  Your vet will recommend the best option.
Depending on how much discharge is in your dog’s ears, your veterinarian may also prescribe an ear cleanser to flush out their ears a few times a week.  The ear cleanser also helps dry out your dog’s ears and reduces the growth of bacteria and yeast.  If your dog is prescribed an ear cleanser, use it to clean out your dog’s ears before putting in the medicated drops.  If you are concerned about being able to safely put ear drops in your dog’s ears at home, let your veterinarian know.  Some newer treatment options only need to be applied once a month.  Your veterinarian will apply a dose to your dog’s ears so you do not have to use ear drops at home.
Note: If your dog has an ear infection that does not respond to treatment, follow up with your veterinarian.  Although rare, an ear infection could be related to cancer in older dogs.  If your dog is older and has an ear infection that does not respond to treatment, your vet will want to do further, more in-depth diagnostic testing.
 
Can a dog’s ear infection go away on its own?
In most cases, dog ear infections do not go away on their own.  If you wait too long to treat an ear infection, getting under control can become much more challenging.  An untreated ear infection can lead to hearing loss, chronic issues, and sometimes the need for expensive surgery.
An untreated outer ear infection can lead to a deeper infection within the middle and inner parts of the ear.  It can cause nerve damage, which can even lead to eye ulcers. It can also cause your dog to develop vestibular disease, which makes them feel off balance, dizzy, nauseous, and have a head tilt.  If an ear infection is left untreated long-term, your dog may develop an aural or ear hematoma.  This is when blood collects in your dog’s ear flap, forming what looks like a lump.  Aural hematomas usually require dogs to have ear surgery or, at the minimum, a drainage procedure. 
 
Can you treat a dog’s ear infection at home without a vet?
If your veterinarian’s office cannot see your dog right away, it is perfectly fine to use an over-the-counter ear cleanser for dogs to try to keep the infection from getting worse.  An over-the-counter cleanser can also clean out your dog’s ears if they discharge too much.
Some examples of safe, over-the-counter ear cleansers are:

• MalAcetic Otic Cleanser
• Vetoquinol Vet Solutions Ear Cleansing Solution
• Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleanser

Do not use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol to clean out your dog’s ears.  It will not help with an ear infection and may make your dog’s ears get worse.  You will still need to take your dog to the veterinarian to find out what is causing the infection and to get the proper medication.  Your veterinarian can also work with you to determine if allergies are a possible underlying cause of your dog’s ear infection.
 
Can you prevent your dog from getting ear infections?
Preventing dog ear infections depends on the underlying cause.  If your dog has allergies, you may be able to decrease their ear infections by identifying the allergen and avoiding it.  To determine what your dog is allergic to, you will typically work with your veterinarian to do food or environmental allergy testing and treatment with allergy shots.
Otherwise, be careful not to allow water in your dog’s ears when bathing them.  If your dog goes for a swim, use an over-the-counter or prescription-only ear cleanser to clean their ears out afterward thoroughly.  Ensure the ear cleanser is nonirritating and has a drying agent. You can also use the ear cleanser to clean out your dog’s ears on a weekly or every-other-week basis, regardless of whether they go for a swim or get a bath.