Ear infection is among the top health concerns to be aware of in dogs, especially furry dogs with long, floppy ears, such as Chinese sharpie chows, English bulldogs, poodles, and terriers. , the cocker spaniel and the springer spaniel. Surveys of veterinarians concluded that ear infection is among the top 10 reasons why dogs are often taken to the veterinary clinic for treatment.
Otitis externa is an ear infection in dogs. This common term refers to an ear condition that distinguishes an inflammation of the external auditory canal. Affecting up to 20% of dogs, external otitis is caused by infections that include bacteria, parasites, and fungi. Dogs of any age and sex can experience ear infection, especially when there are some factors that cause irritation, such as long and floppy ears of the dog, abnormal structure or anatomy of the ear, water or too much hair in the ears, allergies, trauma , parasites and other strangers. materials in the ear, autoimmune diseases or generalized skin diseases.
Your dog may have otitis externa that affects his active lifestyle. Dog behavioral signs that you can look out for are scratching or rubbing the ears, shaking the head or smelling abnormal or foul-smelling discharge from the ear, or if your dog reacts painfully to ear manipulation and when there is redness or swelling. in the ear canal. Although ear infection is not really a life-threatening health condition, it could cause severe damage to the ear canal. Veterinarians must identify external otitis well to determine the dog’s health problem, as some other medical conditions have some of the symptoms similar to external otitis, such as atopy, a skin disease in dogs; autoimmune disease such as lupus erythematosus or systemic or discoid pemphigus; contact allergy, demodicosis, endocrine imbalance, food allergy, foreign bodies such as foxtail ridges, ear diseases such as cancer, hyperplasia or polyps, ear mite parasites, sebaceous adenitis, seborrhea, trauma and tumors, as well as Zinc Responsive Dermatoses — all of these should be taken into account before determining that the infection is otitis externa.
So when you suspect your dog has an ear infection, you need to provide an urgent response. Make an appointment with your dog’s vet for an in-depth diagnosis of the case. Possible diagnostic procedures that veterinarians implement include cytology in which a sample of the discharge from the ear can be brought to the laboratory for a more detailed examination and a complete medical history and physical examination with a focus on the ear and the skin. However, since some pets may be advised to undergo other series of diagnostic tests, especially when these dogs have repeated ear infections, have skin abnormalities, and other allergic reactions to treatment, they may therefore have a poor response to treatment. For example, x-rays or radiographs of the ear canal and bone may be recommended, as well as complete blood count or complete blood count and biochemical profile, skin scraping to check for parasites living under the skin, allergy tests that may include other medications taken by the dog affecting the irritation of the ears and lastly culture and sensitivity which is done by further examination of a sample of discharge from the ear to determine the specific bacteria that affect the inflammation by exposing them to various antibiotic samples to identify which one it is effective to kill them
