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Keeping Your Dogs Ears Healthy Does Your Dog Have an Ear InfectionThe Resource for Everything About Dogs |
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Keeping Your Dogs Ears Healthy Does Your Dog Have an Ear Infectionby Jean Morgan
Does your dog shake his or her head excessively and seem like he or she is in pain? Can you detect a distinct and unusual odor emanating from your dog's ear? Then take a closer look and inspect your dog for an ear infection. If the inspection of your dog's ear results in you seeing that his or her ear canal seems irritated and red with some discharge then go to the vet and have your dog's ear infection checked and treated. You should never try to treat your dog's ear infection by yourself. Do not delude yourself into thinking that you don't need professional opinion because ear infections in dogs are more complicated than you may think. If ear mites cause your dog's ear infection then it may not be that complicated to cure. However if your dog has many allergies, chances are, his or her ear infection is a complicated matter that needs a synergy of different procedures to treat. Unfortunately for man's best friend, ear infections in dogs are quite common because a favorable environment is provided by their anatomy and physiology. For one thing, their long and deep ear canals provide more area for infection. Their ears also have mast cells that produce histamines that give off an allergic reaction to certain stimuli, which in turn irritate the inside of your dog's ear. Ear infection in dogs often start with the mast cells irritating the ear canal into producing unusual amounts of ear wax. Unchecked, the ear wax will continue to build up until bacteria sets in to the irritated skin. You will notice that ear infections in dogs are more common among those with ear flaps because the appendage keeps the ear canal at temperatures that allow bacteria to thrive. The problem further progresses when yeast results from the bacterial infection in your dog's ear. Before you know it. A whole new symbiotic life system is thriving in your dog's ears. Ear infections in dogs must be treated, not only because it causes discomfort and makes your dog smell, but because it can seriously damage your dog's ears. Because of the potentially complex nature of ear infections in dogs, it is very important that you get a reliable veterinary doctor that can properly diagnose and pinpoint the cause of the ear infection. Being able to accurately diagnose the cause will inadvertently allow for the proper treatment. As mentioned earlier, ear infections in dogs can be caused by chronic allergies. If this happens to be the source of your dog's ear infection, you will need to find out what your dog may be allergic to. It can be one or many things and you will need to find each one out in order to prevent further allergic reactions from your dog. At the same time, you will need to have your dog's ear cleaned and treated with topical and oral medication. I bring this all to your attention to underscore the importance of a good exam and probably some lab work to try to narrow down all the possible causes. Your vet will want to have a good look down the ear canal. It may be necessary to sedate your pet in order to clean out the ear well enough to get a good look. Or maybe he or she will have you come back after a few days of treatment to look again when hopefully the ear will be improved. When it comes to ear infections in dogs, you may also need to check and count your dog's diet as a possible source of allergy.
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