Ear problems are one of the more common issues that we see. Ear infections are painful, can cause chronic changes to the ear canal, and can be costly and difficult to treat. Unfortunately, they frequently recur, which causes significant frustration. Believe me, I understand. But here is some helpful advise….don’t just treat the infection, treat the cause.
Ear infections recur due to insufficient treatment (wrong medication, missed doses, and/or not thoroughly cleaned.) With proper follow ups, this should not be an issue. What I am concerned about is getting at the cause.
1) Allergies are by far the biggest cause of infections. Allergies increase wax production, cause irritation in the skin, and reduce immune cell function. All of these things allow the yeast and bacteria that live in the ear to rapidly reproduce, since the ear is warm, dark, and moist-a perfect incubator. These yeast and bacteria create irritation on their own which makes things much worse quickly. Overall, more dogs have allergies than don’t. Mixed breeds tend to have less issues. Environmental allergies are responsible for about 80% of cases vs 20% food allergy, although some breeds have more food allergies than others.
2) Anatomical predisposition can be a huge issue. Some dogs have narrow canals. Others have heavy floppy ears. Some naturally produce excessive amounts of wax. Generally we see infections when we combine anatomical factors and allergies.
3) Water is not the ear’s friend. Like anatomy, water in the ears doesn’t cause issues, but when combined with anatomy and allergies, we have recipe for disaster. This is why dogs tend to get infections after grooming or swimming.
4) Other irritants can be an issue. These include ear mites, incorrect ear wash, and other dogs licking at the ears. They require treatment of the cause as well.
So when we see your pet for an ear infection (head shaking/ scratching/ odor) we will be looking at what’s growing in your pet’s ears. We will be performing a thorough cleaning. We will send home medication, with instructions. We will also be sending home an ear wash. And we will re-check in about a week.
The goal of the re-check is to assess if the infection is gone. We will see if we can help minimize the stress of medications and cleaning. If infection is not resolved, we will discuss other options. If infection is resolved, then we will continue the cleaning, at least weekly and after bathing…for life. It’s a small expenditure of time and effort, which can greatly reduce risk of relapse.
And if relapse occurs, then we look towards those pesky allergies (which can be a lot of stress too). But know that in the end, in most cases, we can prevent or at least dramatically reduce ear infections in your pet. We want your pet to hear well and live in aural (ear) comfort.