Itchy dog ears. ear infection? Please help.?

Ear infection in dogs calls for medical attention. While some cases of this disease may heal naturally, veterinarians should be involved in the treatment process. It is essential to treat dog ear infection the moment it starts so as not to worsen your dog's condition. All dog owners have to be well-informed about this disease.

There are three types of ear infection in dogs – the outer ear infection, middle ear infection, and the inner ear infection. It is easy to know if your dog has an outer ear infection. You'll often see the symptoms of this disease, which is usually characterized by inflammation and foul-smelling wax discharge.

Both the middle ear and inner ear are regarded to be more severe than outer ear infection. These types of ear concerns in dogs require the help of a veterinarian because the condition can easily get worse and are often not curable unless special treatment procedures are carried out.

Ear infection is very common to dogs with flopped ears. Cocker spaniels are type of dogs most prone to this disease. And so cocker spaniel owners should go to great lengths to make sure that their pets are properly groomed. Fungal infections are common to cocker spaniels because air fails to circulate freely in their ears. Air circulation is very crucial in maintaining the health of the ears of dogs. In the cases of flop-eared dogs, small follicles of hair grow in their ears. And they further block the air from coming in. These hairs are usually overlooked by pet owners and are only taken cared of when dogs are brought to the grooming centers.

Ear infections in dogs can easily be treated and cured. Oftentimes, antibiotics or ear drops are prescribed. There are also home remedies that can help greatly in the treating this particular dog disease. The right treatment procedure depends on what actually have caused the disease. Some ear infections may even be contagious. So if you have other dogs inside your home, make sure that they don't associate too much with the infected ones.

Regularly check the ears of your dogs to see if it discharges ear wax abnormally. Normal ear wax excreted by the ears is largely odor-free. If you smell stench in your dog's ear, high are the chances that it has got some infection. If that's the case, try to clean your dog's ears gently. Don't use Q-tips or cotton buds in cleaning. Instead, use cotton balls. Dip them in an ear cleaning solution obtained from the vet's clinic.

Don't use over-the-counter remedies unless they are approved by the veterinarian. However, if your dog doesn't have flopped ears, there's no need to clean it regularly, as they can do it themselves. In fact, too much cleaning could damage it. To be sure, talk to a veterinarian.

Your dog either has a yeast or bacterial infection. Cleaning them regularly is a good start but to whip the problem you really need to get meds from the vet. There's no effective home remedies.

Add:

* Clueless is indeed clueless! NEVER put peroxide in a dog's ear! Also, just because you can get a med without a prescription does not make it an appropriate choice. Ear meds (or any other) with steroids (hydrocortisone included) should not be used without a vet's recommendation!

Ear problems are one of the most common ailments dogs are taken to vets for, and can be caused by infection, trauma, parasites and various other reasons. The first sign of a problem is usually excessive wax production or discharge. Keep in mind that in many dogs a little discharge is normal: compare the ears to see if one is producing significantly more that the other. Head shaking and scratching if usually the next sign of a problem, and this is when yeast or bacteria has started to feast on the excess wax. Dogs with floppy, hairy ears and dogs that swim may be predisposed to developing ear infections and ear discharge.

Diagnosis by your vet will usually include an x-ray of the middle ear and a culture of the bacteria found in the discharge to determine the best treatment. At this stage you should take your dog to your vet for a thorough examination and a course of treatment.

Once this particular infection is dealt with, take steps to prevent recurrence. If your dog is a floppy eared dog who is always playing in water either reduce his water time or make certain you clean and dry his ears after every occasion. To clean your dog's ear, take a moist cotton ball and gently rub away visible dirt from the ear lobe. Using a moist Q-Tip, next clean between the protruding cartilage of the ear, being careful not to probe the ear canal. Never put the Q-Tip in so far that you cannot see the tip of it. Alternatively, you can buy a proprietary ear cleaning solution such as Gimborn R-7 Ear Cleaner which you fill the ear with to aid in debris removal.

After this cleansing, it is recommended that you towel dry the ear and apply an ear-drying powder (acts in a similar way to talcum powder) to prevent microorganisms from growing in the affected area. These products also aid in the prevention of odor. Integrate this as part of your normal grooming routine to prevent recurring problems.

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Your dog has Ear Mites, you can buy from any pet store the liquid solution to clean out your dogs ears.

It usually occurs in dogs with floppy ears, since it doesn't allow sunlight into the ear canal to dry out the bacteria growth.

For home remedies, you can do a google search. I's mainly warm water and rubbing alcohol used, some recommend warm water and hydrogen peroxide. But these can all be painful if your dogs ears are red/inflamed and bleeding.

Most likely it is a yeast infection. It is caused primarily when ears are not dried well. You should get an antibiotic from your vet. You can clean the ears with a mixture of equal parts water/vinegar/rubbing alcohol. Use a Qtip and/or cotton ball & thoroughly clean the inside of the ears making sure to dry them when you are done.

Does the "stuff" look like coffee grounds? When you add water to it does it turn a paper towel red or pink as in blood? If so, it is probably mites and you can purchase over the counter products. They are usually in the cat department, but labeled for use in dogs as well. If you can afford it, it would be best to let a vet make a diagnosis in case it is an ear infection that needs antibiotics and will not respond to mite treatment.

http://pethealth.petwellbeing.com/wiki/Dog_Ear_Mit...

I posted this for another person earlier:

Your pup should be seen by a Vet for a good ear cleansing. In the future you can try this medicine that I use from 1800petmeds.com. It's called Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution. They have one with Hydrocortisone and one without. I use the one with hydrocortisone. It's very good to have on hand when you start noticing your little one shaking his/her head and scratching and doesn't require a prescription to obtain. However it will never and should never replace doctor visits.

I have also poured maybe about half a capfull of peroxide in my dogs ear (which she absolutely hated) and then gently cleaned it with a cloth (she won't let me near her if she thinks I have a Q-tip). She could have yeast, mites or globs of ear wax. Good luck

I believe your dog has ear mites. That gross brown stuff is dried blood from the ear mites. You need to take your dog to the vet and get ear mite medicine that will get rid of them. Be careful when using the q-tips not to go to deep, you could injure your dogs ears.

There are no home remedies from what I know of. I think you should see a vet for an easy daily treatment before it gets worse, because then you might have to pay even more money. Best of luck.

Bacteria/yeast/ear mites. No home remedies. Requires medication from your vet.