Dog Ear infection

The dog has the keen sense of hearing and smelling abilities. The dogs do most of their activities through hearing and smelling than through eye sight. The ear of the dog constitutes outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. These three parts of the ear become swollen, infected and irritated causing specific diseases of each part of the ear called as otitis externa, otitis interna, and otitis media. The term "otitis" means swelling in the ear.

Though the infections for the dogs have become so common, some dog breeds are more prone to the ear infection. The dogs which have pendulous ears such as cocker spaniels, those with hairy inner ear flaps, basset hounds, miniature poodles and schnauzers will get the ear infections more frequently.

Symptoms of dog ear infection

• Otitis results in extreme stress to the dog, discomfort and excessive pain to the dog.
• The infection indicates that the dog has inflammation in the ear which might differ from one dog to another in its degree of swelling and even in its severity.
• The dogs with ear infection tend to shake their heads and ears.
• They also will scratch at their ear region. They will rub the head sides on the ground or on the furniture or any other objects.
• The ear that is infected will have a bad odor and will in some situations give out bad smelling liquid which is either black or yellow.
• The inflammation and the reddish appearance of the ear canal can be seen in the affected animal.
• The severe infections can show various different signs when the infection extends from outer ear to the inner ear.
• The ability of the dog to hear can be affected in some cases leading to deafness.
• If the dog is not able to hear the noises from outside, it can be said that the dog has some serious infection.
• The infection can affect the nerves in the inner ear which can result in dizziness in the dog. The dogs that are dizzy will move in round circles, tilt their heads and get disoriented.
• If the inner ear nerves are affected, the pet animal might start to show Nystagmus or abnormal eye movements.
• The dog ear infections are many types and they differ in their severity. It is always not good to neglect the problems of the dogs with their ear infections. But, home remedies can be utilized only if the infection is mild to moderate. The severe infection has to be immediately attended to by the veterinary doctor. This is done to make the pet to avoid severe pain, ear damage and hearing loss.

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Causes of dog ear infection

• Yeasts and bacteria
• Foreign bodies in the ear
• Dogs while swimming can contract infection with the foreign objects getting into their ear causing infections
• Yeast infection develops more of ear wax that can lead to ear infection
• The moist climate and the excessive cleaning of the dog ear can enhance the risk of ear infection
• Hypothyroidism can lead to ear infections in dogs
• The respiratory conditions that are chronic make the body immunity to weaken
• The dogs having allergies are more prone to ear infections
• The allergies of the dogs cause the inflammation to occur and help in the growth of yeast
• Dog allergies can also lead to" chronic otitis"
• The dog breeds which are more prone to infections are Labrador retrievers, cocker spaniels, west highland terriers, and schnauzers
• If the dogs possess a specific type of glands or skin in their ear canal there is more possibility for them to contract ear infections. The dog breeds which get infections in this manner are beagles, Labradors, springer spaniels and basset hounds
• The genetic makeup of some dogs allows development of more hair in their ears. This hair will block the flow of air into the ears. The reduced flow of air will lead to the development of infection
• There are some more breeds which develop the ear infections frequently like Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus, poodles and Pekingese
• The ear infections in dogs are caused by unusual quantities of bacteria and yeast or existence of foreign bodies such as pathogenic organisms.

Home remedies for dog ear infection

• Vinegar: The water and vinegar mix is used for cleaning the ear to some extent deeper. The vinegar can be apple cider or white vinegar. The deep inner ear must not be touched as it might hurt the animal. One part of vinegar can be added to two parts of water and warmed a little bit. This can be sprayed into the ear or applied gently with a soft cloth in the ear of the dog. This can be done for four to five times in a week. This will bring relief from pain to the dog.
• Vitamin E oil: The vitamin E oil can be dropped around two to three drops which is known to reduce the pain and inflammation of the ear infection. After dropping the oil, it is better to do massaging under the ear for about ten seconds to bring pain relief.
• Garlic Oil: The ear of the dog can be applied with two to three drops of garlic oil which is considered as antibiotic that is available naturally. Oil stored in garlic capsule is also used. The garlic soaked in olive oil also can be applied as two to three drops in a day, till the infection gets away.
• The cloves are soaked all through the night in olive oil and few drops of that oil are used for treating the infection in the ear.
• Essential oils: The essential oils that are of therapeutic grade are known to have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory agents. They do not have any harmful or synthetic substances. They have specific regeneration capacity for the skin. The fear and anxiety of dogs can be dealt with very clearly by the essential oils. These oils are used for shampooing, cleaning of the teeth and head of the dog to make the dogs relax.

The essential oils that are considered as beneficial for treating dog ear infection are Melrose essential oil, purification essential oil, lavender essential oil, tea tree essential oil, oregano essential oil, clove essential oil, and rosemary essential oil.

The primary choice for treating ear infection in dogs is with the use of Melrose oil continued with purification oil. They both are observed to have antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal characteristics. Melrose already has the mixture of oils taken from clove, rosemary and two species of Melaleuca.

Melrose is considered as an excellent natural substance for treating dog ear infections. Instead of Melrose, Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree), Roman chamomile and Lavender are used each with one drop of oil.

Panaway oil is used on the dog's paw and helichrysum oil is applied around the area that is with pain. One drop of helichrysum oil dropped into the outer ear will help the dog to be away from swelling and pain. The oils can be added with vegetable oils when it is applied onto the ear canal. One drop of Roman chamomile or Lavender oil is also beneficial for reducing the pain.

• Warm compression on the ear by dipping the cloth in warm water and compressing on the dog's ear will bring relief from the pain due to ear infection.
• The garlic oil is mixed with mullein oil and five to six drops of this mixture can be applied into the dog's ear. This can be done daily for about ten days to bring relief from pain and reduce the inflammation and infection.
• The massaging of the outer ear with the mixture of Pau d'arco and mineral oil is known to destroy the fungus and bacteria causing the infection.
• Supplying vitamin C regularly to the dog can improve the health status of the ear and develops immunity in the dog. Vitamin C is also known to enhance the secretions of the adrenal gland which battle against the ear infections.
• Herbal Flea powder: A regular and specialized flea powder is used for giving better results. The powder that has anti-flea and anti-mites properties has the ingredients as wormwood, eucalyptus, rosemary and pennyroyal. If this powder is sprayed on the body of the dog, the mites will get accumulated on it and this can prevent them from infecting the ear.

If the yeast infections are repeatedly occurring in the dog's ear, a homeopathic remedy can be used. It is prepared by adding two table spoons of boric acid, four ounces of rubbing alcohol and one table spoon of glycerin. Few drops of this oil mixture is applied into the ear of the dog and gently rubbed outside the ear. This application will not be able to wipe away the current infection. Once the infection has subsided and this mixture is added into the ear, the further infections are prevented to occur.