Signs, Symptoms And Prevention Of Chronic Ear Infections In Dogs

Chronic ear infections can be troublesome in dogs. Here’s what you need to know about its causes and preventative methods.

Causes

Most ear diseases are simply a sign of another problem – one that is causing the infection. To determine what they are, think of the three Ps!

Primary Causes

These types of causes are direct causes of ear inflammation. These may be:

• Parasitic diseases
• Keratinization disorders
• Environmental allergens
• Autoimmune disease
• Foreign bodies
• Glandular tumors

Predisposing Causes

These types of causes refer to pre-existing conditions or other issues that could make your dog’s risk of infections automatically higher, such as:

• Ear moisture, often from swimming
• Excess hair growth within the ear canal
• Varied ear conformations, such as narrow ear canals

Perpetuating Causes

These causes refer to those that result in repeated ear infections, again and again. These include:

• Failing to address ear canal problems
• Recurrent exposure to allergens
• Long-term diseases

Prevention and Care

You can prevent ear infections from occurring by:

• Regularly drying a dog’s ears after baths and swims
• Use specialty dog ear cleaning products
• Trim a dog’s outer ear hair regularly
• Use a white vinegar and water mix with a 1:1 ratio to clean ears regularly
• Use saline solution, warmed, to massage the inside of ears with cotton

However, you should not:

• Use mineral oil, lanolin, alcohol, or similar products
• Pluck hair from inside the ear canal
• Use Q-tips, which push debris further in
• Use products that are very oily

Feature Image Source: Pixabay