What’s That Smell?

Don’t ignore your nose if you notice a less-than-pleasant odor emanating from your dog’s ears.Ear odor may signal an ear infection,particularly in floppy-eared and long-eared dogs.In addition to a foul odor,other ear infection symptoms to look for in your pet include sore,red ear skin or discharge inside your dog’s ears.If your dog displays any of these symptoms,call your veterinarian for appropriate treatment.

Dogs that have ears that cover the ear canal seem to be more prone to ear infections.The problem is worse if the dog also spends time in the water.To help prevent ear infections it is necessary to check a dog’s ears at least once a week.This will help to detect early signs of infection or irritation such as reddening of the ear canal and  perhaps increased waxy discharge.When these signs are noticed and early veterinary treatment is begun,the infection often resolves quickly.. Often ear infections have a great deal of discharge, an odor  and can be painful.Even though you have cleaned the ear,he likely needs medication to treat the problem properly.Checking her ears daily to watch for the early signs of infection such as reddening and increased discharge may help you to initiate treatment earlier in the problem.Some dogs that have chronic ear infections are also suffering from allergies.Ear infections may also be due to bacteria and yeast.Usually when there is an odor from a dog’s ears in means that they are either infected,dirty or have a foreign object in them.You might be able to tell by picking up one ear and checking for redness and/or discharge.If the odor persists,a veterinary visit is needed.

Most ear infections will improve with treatment in 5-7 days.But in some cases treatment may need to be administered for much longer.In certain cases treatment with medication in  the ear as well as oral antibiotics might be needed.When treatment is stopped too early the infection may return.
When dogs have fluid in their ears, it is likely to get infected and can be painful.If the material that you see is just around the opening,you can use a cotton ball to remove it,but never stick anything down into the ear canal, Once you get this infection cleared up,it would be prudent to check her ears on a regular basis and watch for either fluid or a build up of wax.

At times the dog will also need to be put under anesthesia so the ear can be completely cleaned out and all infected material removed.Once that is done topical treatment and oral antibiotics could be needed for several months to get resolution.

Ear Care & Disease- Otitis Externa
Signs of ear disease

Odor Scratching or rubbing of ears and head-Discharge in the ears- Redness or swelling of the flap or canal-shaking of the head or tilting it to one side.Pain around the ears changes in behavior such as depression or irritability. Ear disease is one of the most common conditions in pets.The medical name for inflammation of the outer ear canal is ‘otitis externa’ It is estimated that up to 20% of the dog population is affected by this disease.

Causes of ear disease

Dogs can have ear problems for many different reasons.When we see a dog with ear disease we need to think about the possibility of:

• Allergies such  as atopy or food allergies
• Parasites - ear mites
• Microorganisms - bacteria and yeast
• Foreign bodies,e,g;plant awns
• Trauma
• Hormonal abnormalities, e.g.;hypothyroidism
• The ear environment,e.g.excess moisture and ear anatomy.
• Hereditary or immune conditions,and tumors

Allergies:

Dogs with allergies,either to food or something they inhale,often have ear problems.As a matter of fact ,the ear problem may be the first sign of the allergy, Since the allergy changes the environment within the ear;we sometimes see secondary infections with bacteria or yeast.If we just treat the infections, we are not getting to the root of the problem.We need to treat the allergies too.

Parasites:

The ear mite, Otodectes cynotis, is a common cause of ear problems in cats,but less common in dogs. Some dogs are hypersensitive to the mites,however,and the resultant inching can be intense.These dogs may scratch so much they severely traumatize the ear.

Bacteria and Yeast:

Numerous types of bacteria and the yeast, cause ear infections.The normal,healthy ear has a good defense against these organisms,but if the ear environment changes due to allergies,hormone abnormalities, or moisture, the bacteria and yeast can greatly multiply and break down these defenses.

Foreign Bodies:

Plant awns,those little “stick-tights” that cling to our clothes and pets’ fur, can sometimes enter the ear canal.Their presence cause irritation,the dog scratches,and before you know it we have a traumatized, infected ear.So when you groom your dog after a walk in the woods,be sure to check the ears,too.

Trauma:

As we described above,self-inflicted trauma to the ear due to scratching can exacerbate ear problems.

Hormonal Abnormalities:

Deficiencies or exercises of various hormones can result in skin and ear problems.

Ear Environment:

Bacteria and yeast could not ask for a better environment to live in than a warm,dark,most ear canal.Dogs with heavy, floppy ears such as cocker spaniels may have ear problems due to the excess moisture that builds up in their ears.

Other Causes:

There are various rare hereditary diseases that occur in different breeds or lines and affect the ears.These include dermatomyositis in Collies and Shetland sheepdogs,and primary seborrhea in shar peis and west Highland white Terriers Squamous cell carcinomas,melanomas and other tumors can be seen in the ears.

Treatment:

The treatment is going to depend on what caused the ear problem and what secondary conditions are there as a result.Antibiotics are used for bacterial infections and  anti-fungals for yeast infections.Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are often included in these preparations to reduce the amount of inflammation in the ear,Ear problems caused by a systemic disease such as a hormone abnormality or allergy must include a therapy that treats the whole dog, such as hormonal replacement or allergy testing and  hyposensitization (immunotherapy).
Regardless of the cause of the ear disease,we must always keep the ear cannal clean.

Cleaning ears:

Your dog’s ear is more L-shaped than yours,and debris loves to collect at the corner of the L..To remove this debris,fill your pet’s ear canal with a good ear cleaner. Ear cleaners should be slightly acidic but should NOT sting.Massage the base of the ear for 20-30 seconds to soften and release the debris.Wepe out the loose debris and excess fluid with a cotton ball.Repeat this procedure until you see no more debris.Depending on your pet’s ear condition.You may have to start out doing this twice a day.
Cotton applicator swabs can be used to clean the inside of the earflap and the part of the ear canal you can see.They should NOT be used farther down in the ear canal since that tends to pack debris in the ear must be anesithetized to do a good job of cleaning the ears.You may find your pet does not like to have her ears cleaned because it is uncomfortable.Talking to her during the process,stopping momentarily to give her a treat if she’s doing well(we don’t want to reward fussinfess!)and doing something fun after wards may all help.

Preventing ear disease:

The key to hfealthy ears is to keep them clean.Check your pet’s ears weekly.A slight amount of waxy buildup may be present in normal ears.If your dog swims a lot,has pfendulous ears or a history of ear disease ,routine cleaning (often once to three times per week) is recommended.Use the same procedure as described above.Excess hair around the ear can be clipped to allow more air flow.Excess hair around the ear can be clipped to allow more air flow.Treat any underlying condition that predisposes your pfet to ear problems.
Remember,if your pet is showing severe discomfort,the ears have a bad smell,or the ear canals look very abnormal,don’t delay in contacting your veterinarian.If your pfet has a ruptured or weakfened eardrum,some ear cleansers and medications could do more harm than good.