Your dog’s ears are delicate organs which are essential to their health. Dogs use their ears to detect sounds from up to a quarter of a mile away. They use them to hunt, to suss out danger, and of course, to hear you call them. An ear infection is not always dangerous for your dog, but if unnoticed or untreated, it can cause much bigger problems.
So how can you tell if your dog has an ear infection? Unlike a person, your dog can’t simply tell you what’s going on in their body. That is why regularly checking over their ears, eyes, mouth, paws and keeping an eye on changes in their behaviour is essential. Here are a few key symptoms of a dog ear infection.
Symptoms of a Dog Ear Infection
Shaking or tilting his head
If your dog is often shaking, tilting or throwing his head around, he might have an ear infection. The tilting and shaking motion is a natural response to feeling like something is stuck in their ear or pain in their ears.
Scratching at his ear
All dogs scratch their ears relatively often; this is normal behaviour. However, if your dog is doing this a lot more than usual to an obsessive degree, an ear infection is a possible reason why.
Bad smell
Like any infection, your dog’s ear might smell bad if they have an infection inside their ear. Even if you can’t see anything wrong, the infection could be inside the ear canal.
Oozing or weeping discharge from the ear
Of course, if your dog has pus, or clear discharge coming out of his ear or ears, you should see a vet immediately; this is a clear sign of infection.
Imbalance
If your dog suddenly begins to lose balance, it can be quite startling. This may be caused by an infection which is getting in the way of your dog’s inner ears’ ability to balance him.
Treatment for Dog Ear Infections.
If you suspect your dog has an ear infection, you should take him to see a certified vet. They will use specialist equipment to examine the inside part of your dog’s ear which you can’t see normally. If your dog does have an infection, here are some possible treatment options your vet will offer.
Ear drops
In mild cases, your vet might prescribe ear drops which you should drop into his ear each day for a few days.
Home remedies
Additionally, a home remedy in mild cases might be an option. Always run any ear infection home remedies by your vet before you begin administering them.
Antibiotics
If the ear infection is not caught early enough, your vet might prescribe antibiotics to be administered orally to your dog. You should mix it in with their food; dogs do not like taking pills if not covered in delicious grub!
Overall, an ear infection can be painful and potentially serious if left untreated. Always be better safe than sorry.
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