Ear infections are very common in dogs. In fact, I would put ear infections in the top 5 list of reasons why dogs see a veterinarian. Below is a breakdown about ear infections which will include clinical signs, causes, diagnosis, and treatment. There is also a VetCast (our version of a PodCast) which you can listen to at the bottom of this page!

Clinical Signs/Symptoms
The most common symptoms of ear infections are rubbing/scratching at the ear(s), head shaking, redness and/or sores on the ears, pain, missing hair on or around the ears, and sometimes hearing loss.

Causes
Most ear infections are caused by several different things. The most common underlying problem, is allergic skin disease. The ear canal is composed of skin all the way down to the ear drum (tympanum). Since the ear canal is moist and predisposed to growing microorganisms, skin problems tend to occur here first. Ear conformation, or how the ear is shaped is also a very important predisposing factor. Breeds such as cocker spaniels tend to have problems because of their long ear canals. Changes to the ear canal caused by microbes can help to perpetuate the problem.

Diagnosis
The first step in diagnosing an ear problem is for a veterinarian to examine the ear itself and make and assessment of what is going on inside. Many times, we are able to look inside the ear with an otoscope (magnifier with a cone) to see inside the ear canal. Sometimes, due to pain, our patients won’t allow us to look inside or need sedation/anesthesia for us to get a good look inside. An ear swab and cytologic examination (via microscope) is informative to allow us to know what kind of microflora (bacteria, yeast, etc.) is growing inside the ear canal. Sometimes, especially with ongoing problems that aren’t resolving, we will perform a culture to definitively diagnose the type of bacteria growing in the ear.

Treatment
The treatment for ear infections really vary depending on the severity of the infection. A comprehensive treatment list would be beyond the scope of this article, however, certain things are fairly common. Corticosteroids are almost always indicated for ear infections to help decrease the inflammation inside the ear. Antibiotic and antifungal medications and pre-treatments may be prescribed. Occasionally dogs have to be sedated or anesthetized to have their ears flushed. Rarely, an ear infection has gone on too long and surgery to remove parts of the ear or the inside of the ear itself.