The complexities of a dog’s body should never be underestimated. Often times, a dog might be carrying some sort of disease without us knowing about it. One of the diseases that are very common to find in dogs, which is often undetected, are ear infections.
Did you know that around 20 percent of dogs carry some sort of ear infection? One key reason might be because the shape of a dog’s ear canal is different to humans. A dog’s ear canal is more vertical than our ear canal, as it forms an L-shape that can hold more fluids than humans. This has the potential to hold more moisture, and that makes dogs more likely to get ear infections.
A lot of dogs do not show symptoms of an ear infection. However, ear infections generally might cause huge discomfort for dogs, thus making them act differently from usual. Some of the differences in their behaviour might include constant head shaking and scratching the affected ear, which is caused by the pain and itchiness of the infected ear.
Other ways we can detect when a dog has ear infections are from how it looks and smells. Like infections in humans, infections in a dog’s ear might give it a pungent odour. Your dog’s ear might also look different when it is infected, as it might be more red than usual due to swelling of the ear canal. It might also be much more dry than usual, and that might even cause it to harden.
There are many factors that can cause ear infections in dogs. The most common infections are usually caused by bacteria, yeast, or a combination of the two. For puppies, an additional source of infection might be from mites. Bacteria and yeast can grow in dogs because of the aforementioned additional moisture in a dog’s ear, and moisture is a prime growing environment for bacteria and yeast.
Allergies can also be a reason behind ear infections. Around half the dogs that have allergic skin diseases tend to have ear allergies. Statistics also point out that 80 percent of dogs with food sensitivities tend to have ear allergies.
Dogs that are active tend to also encounter some problems with their ear. Their daily activities may expose their ears to foreign objects, which can cause injury to the ear canal.
A big mistake a lot of dog owners make is trying to treat ear infections by themselves at home without consulting a veterinarian. In numerous occasions, treating these infections without professional help can make the infection worsen and thus make it harder to cure. The variety of possible diseases linked to ear infections makes it really important to get professional help as soon as you can detect problems in your dog’s ear.
Treating these diseases quickly are key to stop the spreading of the infection deeper into your dog’s ear. These require complex procedures such as using ear cleansers, topical medication, antibiotics, or even surgery in the most extreme cases. Some of these tools are not readily available and need to applied carefully. Therefore, getting a veterinarian to look at ear infections are a must!
When you take your dogs to the veterinarian to get its ear checked, the doctors will want to know all the possible reasons that may cause the infection and the symptoms you’ve spotted. This includes the duration of the symptom, information on your dog’s diet, medical conditions/allergies, or any medication it has been taking, and also its recent activities (grooming, swimming, outdoor activities, baths, etc.).
Don’t ever be shy to take your dog to the veterinarian. When it comes to our beloved pets, it is definitely better to be safe than sorry to ensure their well-being.