Canine Otitis. How To Detect It In Time
Does your dog scratch his ears or continually rub them against furniture or the floor? Have you been angry or aggressive? Hear worse and have the ears are secreting pus? So it could be that your dog has otitis.
What is Otitis?
Otitis is inflammation of the ear. The ear has three parts: outer, middle and inner ear. Otitis is inflammation of any of these three parts, although in dogs, external otitis is usually more common. Otitis externa is an inflammation of the external auditory meatus, which is formed by cartilage covered with skin and extends from the auditory pinna (the ear) to the eardrum, but if it doesn’t affect the eardrum, it’s easy to treat.
The disease can affect just one ear or both. Dogs have very sensitive ears and an ear inflammation can cause them great discomfort and problems if not treated in time. Furthermore, the accumulation of wax in the ear caused by inflammation creates conditions conducive to secondary infections.
What Causes Canine Otitis?
There are several factors that can cause your dog’s ear to become inflamed. The most common are external parasites, fungi (the most common is Otodectes cynotis ), yeasts, foreign bodies and excess hair in the ear canal; however, there are other causes, such as anatomic malformation, hormonal disorders or allergic dermatitis, which can also cause otitis in your pet.
In addition, there are external conditions that favor the appearance of canine otitis; such as an increase in humidity in the ear canal or poor cleaning habits. Breed dogs with large, floppy ears (such as the Cocker or Basset Hound) are more likely to get ear infections.
How do I know if my dog has ear infections?
Otitis is one of the most common diseases in dogs. It is easy to treat, but it can get complicated and turn into a problem that is difficult to cure, so it is important to detect it early.
If your dog feels pain when you feel his ear, jaw, or chewing, and he also has a fever, it is very likely that he has an ear infection. Especially if the ear is reddened and has yellowish, brown or black secretions, pus and/or rancid smell, it certainly has otitis. In that case, or better, take him to the vet.
Early detection of inflammation will prevent complications or chronic inflammation from arising. To treat canine ear infections, the veterinarian must, among other things, clean the ear canal to eliminate secretions and foreign elements. Then, you should prescribe medication to eliminate the agents causing the inflammation.
What to do to prevent this from happening?
To prevent canine ear infections, it is best to clean your dog’s ears periodically. Once a month you should clean the ear canal with gauze, never with flexible rods, because they push the ear wax into the ear canal. To clean your dog’s ears, as long as the ear is healthy; that is, if you do not have pus or secretions of any kind, you will have to do it in three parts.
The first part consists of cleaning the outer part of the ear with a towel dampened in warm water and with the soap usually used to bathe the dog. Then, wash the ear with gentle circular motions and dry it well. The second part is to clean the pinna with clean gauze, covering the finger with the gauze and cleaning the walls of the ear well. To clean the inner ear you should use specific products recommended by your veterinarian.
