Battling Ear Infections? Vet Covers Prevention & Treatment

[@VetMedCorner]

Apologies in advance for the puns 😂🐶🐱

[@moonvine11]

I loved the puns.

[@janhankins911]

Ear infections can be serious business. We took a Dane into rescue for "aggression" and he was 'head shy". True to the information we received, if you tried to touch this dog's head, he'd pull away and growl and snarl. He had a terrible ear infection and was in terrible pain. Our vet did have to sedate him to get a look in his ears. Once the ear infection was treated and fully resolved, the head shyness and aggression also resolved. That is why it is important for most "behavioral" issues, you first rule out medical issues!

[@VetMedCorner]

Absolutely - ear infections cause significant pain! I was one of those children that easily got ear infections and that has made me especially sympathetic for any of my patients that get one. Ouch!

[@sophieekhegfejwgk]

Thanks for the information on plucking ear hair. I did some work experience with a pet groomer who plucked a dog's ears and I remember it feeling very wrong in the moment, but they assured me it was fine to do and I didn't feel like I knew enough to question it further (and when I looked it up online later I found a lot of conflicting information). What would you recommend instead of plucking if an ear is too hairy to visualize the ear canal when you're performing an exam? Would you just rely on cytology in this instance, or would animal sedation and plucking be required?

[@VetMedCorner]

Plucking every ear is an old/outdated recommendation and it takes time for people to learn and change, so I am not at all surprised there are still groomers doing it. Whenever making a diagnosis of otitis externa I do rely somewhat on the history and physical exam, but the ear cytology is what gives me the most specific information (of the things I can do in the clinic). It's pretty uncommon that there's enough hair I can't see the tympanic membrane on exam, but if that were to happen I would discuss with the humans the option of choosing ear drops that are used in situations where the tympanic membrane has been compromised, or we would consider sedation + pain medication so that it would be safely possible to pluck the horizontal ear canal. Excellent question! 💪

[@RogueTalent]

Me watching this video just AFTER I plucked my dog's ears. *facepalm* Vets have always told me to do it, though I have noticed that when she goes to the groomer and they pluck her ears, she's MORE likely to get dirty ears and small infections. I finally told them not to pluck them anymore, and her ears have been much better since. Good to know I was on the right track. Guess I'll just clean them and no more plucking even a little bit at home. (I always used a powder to make the hairs easier to come out, and have always watched her for signs of discomfort.) Thanks for the great video, as usual.

[@VetMedCorner]

I'm so glad you've already reduced the plucking - now it's time to stop plucking altogether (unless under sedation with your veterinarian because there is an issue and the hair is too thick). Cleaning and clipping hair around the outside of the ear canal sounds like a much better plan! I'm so glad you saw the video! Keep up the good work 💪

[@RogueTalent]

@@VetMedCorner will do! ❤️

[@judithb4202]

Thank you for highlighting the importance of not plucking ears except under sedation!

[@VetMedCorner]

I'm glad that so many people already know, but there's enough that still do it, so I made sure to remind people in the video.

[@RogueTalent]

I'm glad to hear this, as well, though any time I've had a dog with an ear infection that went to the vet, they never offered sedation and always plucked a painful ear canal. :(

[@bobharp3492]

You need to battle ear infection pause for effect listen to voice play accapella lol removes infection sorry can't help it very informative thank you

[@es9887]

In your video, you stated not to pluck the ears. I have an 8 month Standard Poodle and recently noticed he was objecting to putting on his harness, and some brown ear discharge, so I took him to the vet. Turned out he had an ear infection. I had never plucked my dog's ears before, just kept the external hair shaved and un-matted. The vet said he would have to pluck the ears because my dog had too much hair. We are taking ear drops for 8 days, then will go to a recheck. If my dog has too much hair, will he always have too much hair? Will I always have to rely on my vet to pluck his hair, or can I do it safely at home? How can I keep up with ear care at home? I will also ask my vet these questions of course, but would like your input. I bathe him and high velocity blow dry him weekly, and always make sure to avoid getting water in the canal as much as I can and to dry his ears well. We counter-condition for all handling and grooming activities, and he is very tolerant when I am working with him, but stressed at the vet.

[@VetMedCorner]

Bathing weekly is far too often, unless there is a skin issue that's being treated with a medicated shampoo. As the video notes, ear plucking is not appropriate unless there's an infection and the hair is so thick that the medication is unable to get into the ear. I hope the ear infection resolves quickly for your dog, they aren't any fun at all!

[@moonvine11]

Thank you. This is timely as my kitten has an ear infection and is seeing the vet Monday.

[@VetMedCorner]

I hope all goes as well as possible 🤞

[@moonvine11]

@@VetMedCorner thank you! She did great! She has a combination yeast and bacterial infection and received Zymox 2-3 drops per ear per day.

[@linda23664]

Another very useful video. Brace yourself for an anecdote. I had a Lab that would get a lot of ear infections despite my trying to keep his ears clean. He did not swim, but he had droopy Lab ears and probably not great air circulation. I found that when I stopped squirting the ear cleaner in his ears, the frequency of infections dropped dramatically, i.e. from every second month to once a year or less. Instead of squirting the cleaner in his ears, I would soak a cotton makeup pad in a cleaning solution purchased from my vet and carefully wipe out his ears once a week. Of course, the decrease in infections might have been a coincidence, but I think that maybe the cleaner was just not getting out of his ears well enough. Anyway, while I certainly will use the squirting and massaging method on the advice of my vet to treat an infection in future dogs, for routine cleaning I think I will stick with my soaked makeup pad method.

[@VetMedCorner]

If the dog doesn't have any ear issues then it's not recommended to be using any cleaner in the ears at all! We only use it for cases where the dog (or cat) is having issues and needs the help! I'm glad the video was helpful and am glad you sorted out a plan that worked well for your dog. 👍

[@linda23664]

@@VetMedCorner Thanks for the clarification. 🙏

[@VetMedCorner]

I'm so glad that you commented because I'm sure it will help other people as well. I should have been more clear in the video, so I've taken notes for the future so I can improve. Thank you for speaking up!!! ☺️

[@RogueTalent]

@@VetMedCorner Oh this is good to know!

[@Lemonade_Stand_]

Ya i had 2 dogs with floppy ears and they would get a lot of ear wax build up and in some cases shake their heads. The vet did give us an ear cleanser but personally i found that just using a cotton pad to wipe away the excess wax helped the most. They also hated the cleanser but didnt mind the cotton pad.

[@Susanne-v7w]

Thank you! 🐕

[@VetMedCorner]

I'm so glad you watched the video! ☺️