The dog is generally kept as a pet by most of the people as it is regarded as the man’s best friend. Dogs perform a variety of roles for the people, like protection, hunting, companionship, herding, assisting military and police. One can find various breed of dogs. Some of the most common breeds include Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Beagles, Boxer, Bulldogs, Dalmatian, Doberman, Spitz, Cocker Spaniel, Lhasa Apso, Rottweiler, Pomeranian, Alsatian and lots more. If you have kept any dog as a pet, you have to take care of them also. At times they also get diseased, infected like dog ear infection or meet with an accident. At this point you have to treat them as one of your own family member.
As ear infection is common in human beings. In the same way your dog ears may also get infected at times. Dog ear infection is very common. Here the question arises as how do dogs get infection in their ears? The dogs ear canal has a horizontal and a vertical component. This leads to ear infections as dust or any other unwanted matter must work its way upward rather than straight out. Over-production of wax is the main cause for ear infection. Other causes include foreign bodies (like fox tails or grass awns), untreated ear mites, usage of cotton tip to clean the ears which further pushes wax or unwanted things deep inside the ear, wet ears which are not dried after bathing or swimming, and hair growth deep inside the canal (most common in schnauzers and poodles).Infections and bacterial growth result due to the moisture present in the wax. If the treatment is not provided in time, then formation of pus can occur, which becomes more chronic.
One can avoid ear infections in dogs by keeping your dogs ear clean and dry. Various ear cleaners are available in the market. Time by time keep a check on the smell emitted by the dogs ear. If the smell is unusual visit your veterinarians for the ear check up of your dog.
Some of the most common symptoms shown by the dog include discomfort around the ears, rubbing or scratching the ears on the furniture or floor, tilted head or shaking the head, unusual eye movements, lack of balance. If the infection is left untreated, it progresses deep inside the ear, leaving the dog in pain. This will make the dog dizzy, with poor coordination and balance. At times he may vomit and walk around in circles.
Some of the medicines used for treating dog ear infection are nystatin, thiabendazole, chloramphenicol, clortrimazole, miconazole, gentamicin, cortisone. Besides these medicines there are certain home remedies as well. For example, if you see a pink brownish wax in the dogs ear, which is caused by yeast, you can treat it with vinegar or acetic acid. To avoid ear mite’s infection, put few drops of olive oil or almond oil onto the ear canal of the dogs ear. You can also use mineral oil with an herbal mixture to act as a natural antibiotic.
