Ear infections in pets are infections and inflammation of the lining of the ear canal. It’s common in dogs and cats. They develop when the ear canal becomes infected with bacteria, yeast, or water. They can occasionally be brought on by polyps or an ear mite infestation.
In this article, we will learn more about ear infections in pets, their causes, signs, solutions, and techniques for prevention.
Causes
There are many causes for ear infections in dogs and cats, they could be from:
Swimming or bathing since water can enter their ear and form a good medium for bacteria and yeast to grow in it
Excessive hair growth inside the ear that could trap moisture
Excessive ear cleaning, especially by Q-tips could push the dirt more inside the ear canal
Some breeds are susceptible to ear infections more than others such as cocker spaniels and beagles
Obstructive diseases
Food allergy
These are the most common causes for dogs, while those for cats are
Water entering the ear canal while bathing
Ear mites
Bacteria or yeast
2. Signs of ear infections
You may start to notice these symptoms:
Shaking head
Ear redness
Foul smell
Ear itching
Dark brown debris
Dark brown or yellow discharge
3. What should you do in such cases?
Ask your vet to help determine the main cause of the infection, in order to prescribe the proper treatment for such cases.
One of the initial steps that should be done is to clean your pet’s ear, it’s not an easy mission and you have to be careful with that so it’s suggested that you take the vet’s help in cleaning your pet’s ear.
4. Prevention
Since you have now learned the causes of infection, you can avoid it and keep your pet safe from any source of infection. Here are some tips to avoid ear infections:
Dry your pet’s ear carefully after swimming or bathing
Deep clean your pet’s ear regularly at the veterinary clinic
Give your pet their anti-fleas drugs regularly in order to avoid mites infection
Use ear cleansing drops (based on the vet’s prescription) from time to time to keep your pet’s ear clean