Why does a dog scratch its ears? Ear diseases in dogs: why does a dog scratch his ears?

“My dog’s ear itches,” “my terrier constantly scratches one ear until it bleeds, why?” - such complaints are most often heard by the veterinarian. In fact, there are many reasons that cause severe itching of the ears in animals. Of course, you can avoid such a problem if you take care of your pet’s hygiene - wash the ears occasionally, bathe the whole dog, and then thoroughly clean the ears with cotton swabs. However, hygiene may be insufficient, and the dog's ears itch every day. Why?

Interesting ear shape– the most harmless reason that can cause irritation. Thus, in poodles and terriers, the structure of the ears is designed in such a way that it is capable of retaining any secretions from them, which, in turn, leads to severe discomfort and inflammation. If you notice redness in your pet's ears, clean them thoroughly and try to avoid even the slightest contamination in the future. Every time you walk your dog in the park, be sure to clean your ears when you come home. During a walk, dirt or dust may get into your pet's ears. pathogenic bacteria they love to reproduce, since the ear is a beneficial environment for them. This is why it is important to clean your dogs ears as often as possible.

If pet If you still notice the need for constant scratching of the ears, it is better to be examined by a veterinarian to find out the cause.

Severe itching of the ears is a symptom that makes the dog feel uncomfortable. And you should immediately help the poor animal. In addition, the dog may reluctantly injure itself when it scratches itself with its paw claws, as a result of which she may develop otohematoma(blood accumulates near the auricle between the cartilage and the skin).

When examined by a veterinarian, your a pet very nervous. He may be in a lot of pain and start whining. The veterinarian sees this, and in order to thoroughly examine the dog for infections, he may give the animal a strong sedative, after which he will clean the sore ears.

Remember that ear diseases in animals do not go away on their own. A sick animal does not feel well, and these are irreversible consequences for both you and him. The most correct actions to improve the health of your beloved pet - a visit to the veterinarian!

It is important that you know your dog's normal hearing status so that you can identify any changes with weekly testing. There should be a small amount of light brown waxy discharge in the ear, but there should be no unpleasant odor.

Many dogs shake their ears quite violently when they wake up and may sometimes scratch them. But when they do this often and shake their heads violently, you need to be careful - there may be something wrong here.

Signs of ear disease:

The dog often scratches its ears and shakes its head;

The painful side of the head is lowered down;

Dark reddish-brown wax deposits are observed in the ear;

Unpleasant smell from the ear;

Inflammation - fever, swelling and pain in the ear canal and drooping part of the ear.

Treatment

Any ear disease requires diagnosis correct diagnosis and prompt treatment, as the condition may worsen quickly and treatment will be expensive. At the same time, a smell will come from the ears that will fill the entire house. Besides, sharp pain, caused by an ear condition, can make your dog irritable and aggressive when you touch his ears.

Under no circumstances should you treat your ear yourself, as such treatment may be inappropriate or useless. Always try to get advice from a veterinarian as soon as possible, as if you hesitate and the condition becomes chronic, it may require further treatment. surgery. Starting treatment early can save you time and money and prevent your dog from suffering.

Tell your veterinarian if there are other animals, especially cats, in your home. The cat may also need treatment. Even if she has no symptoms of the disease, she can be a source of infection for the dog.

How to avoid ear disease?

Brush the hair on the underside of your dog's ears well.

Dry your dog's ears after bathing.

Remove excess hair from the inside of the ears by plucking or clipping, but do it carefully. Ask your veterinarian to show you the best way to do this. If you do not keep the vertical ear canal free, clean, and sufficiently ventilated, it can often become main reason external otitis.

Don't try to clean your ears too deeply. Wipe the surface with a piece of cotton wool soaked in a weak disinfectant solution, and do this only with your hands, and not with any objects.

Possible reasons ear diseases - otitis externa:

Ear mites. Small mites living inside the ear can cause severe irritation, causing the dog to constantly scratch the ear and damage its tissue. Treatment requires the use of medications that contain ingredients that kill these mites. It must be remembered that the source of infection can be cats living in the same house as a dog.

Fungal or yeast infection in the ear. It leads to severe itching, red-brown discharge from the ear and an unpleasant odor. This condition requires veterinary care and special medicines.

Foreign objects. When a dog runs through tall grass, a stalk or seed can get lodged in its ear. A dog that has a foreign object in its ear will usually begin to suddenly scratch its ear violently, shake its head, and often hold its head to one side. Do not attempt to remove the foreign object yourself. It is better to immediately go with your dog to a veterinarian, where, if necessary, it can be applied local anesthesia or strong sedatives medicines.

Allergies and skin diseases. In this case, a diagnosis and treatment will obviously be required. veterinarian.

Bacteria. Majority bacterial infections are secondary to some other primary cause. At the same time, for a complete and quick cure it is necessary correct selection antibiotics.

Ear shape. Without a doubt, the structure of the outer ear may be an important predisposing factor for the development of ear inflammation. Long, free-hanging ears have poor ventilation, and excess hair in the ear canals of breeds such as poodles and some terriers can trap wax and foreign bodies in the ears, leading to inflammation.

The dog shakes its head - why does this happen? The question is often asked on forums or at a veterinarian’s appointment. The reasons for this phenomenon are different. But in any case, the symptom should force the owner to consult a doctor.

After all, the dog won’t shake his head just like that, he may have serious illness. Let's take a closer look at the main ones.

Ear diseases are common in dogs of all breeds and ages. It happens that the owner does not pay attention to the unusual behavior of the pet, so the pet continues to suffer silently.

Our four-legged friends They cannot directly talk about the problem, they can only show by their behavior that they need help. A situation where a dog shakes its ears may indicate problems with the organ of hearing.

When to worry

Understanding that a dog has ear pain is quite difficult. To do this, carefully monitor the animal and begin to worry if they notice similar symptoms:

Otitis

Causes of ear disease

Otitis media is common. It is provoked by the vital activity of microbes that cannot be completely removed from the pet’s body. While the dog's immunity is at high level, microbes do not manifest themselves in any way.

As soon as the body is weakened, the dog has frostbite or the balance of the diet is disturbed, the microbes are activated and the disease develops.

An allergy to a new food or the consequences of eating food that is not intended for the dog. Activity ear mite promotes the development of very severe inflammation.

The pet suffers from constant itching because insects irritate the skin. The risk group for breeds susceptible to this disease includes lop-eared dogs and varieties with open ears. ear canal. This is affected by dust and bacteria that freely enter inside.

Blackened inside indicates the presence of a tick.
Cold water.
Ear damage.

Treatment

Dogs tend to shake their ears sometimes. However, you notice that he does it too often, you need to examine the animal’s ears. If they are clean and there are no other signs, you needn't have worried.

In a situation where the above symptoms occur, the owner should urgently visit veterinary clinic. A competent specialist will make a diagnosis and prescribe therapy.

Thermal procedures or ultraviolet radiation are often prescribed in combination with medication, ointments, painkillers, drops, etc. are used.

Sink rinsing is prescribed; certain cases require surgical intervention. The treatment regimen depends on the diagnosis. The tick is removed using special drops.

Now you can understand what is going on with your pet. Don't study self-treatment, contact a specialist! Subscribe to updates, send links to friends

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What is otitis media?

If a dog constantly scratches its ears, then this may be a consequence of otitis media. Otitis media is an inflammation of the external auditory canal. As practice shows, this disease is quite common among four-legged pets. It is possible to simply determine the disease, but it will not be possible to prescribe treatment, since a thorough local examination of the animal is necessary.

It is not so difficult to identify such a disease; just look in the dog’s ear. If the disease is allergic, then you will be able to see allergic redness along the ear canal, and traces will also be visible in the ears clear discharge. It is because of this that the animal’s ears hurt.

As for the main symptoms:

the animal will often behave restlessly and will not be able to lie in one place for a long time;
your pet may not even allow you to touch his ears, he will whine in wild pain;
The dog regularly shakes its head;
the pet walks around the house or street with its head tilted to one side, this will be noticeable, indicating inflammation of otitis media in a certain ear;
Your pet may develop an unpleasant odor in the ear area;
the dog can scratch its ears using surrounding objects;
pay attention to yourself auricle- it may be swollen if it contains excessive sulfur content;
When your pet shakes its ears or itches frequently, they may fall out. purulent discharge, this option is even sadder because it is neglected.

As you understand, in any case, the dog’s ears will be unclean. In any case, it is necessary to fight not specifically against cleanliness in the ears, but precisely against the reasons that we will talk about below.

Causes of the disease

So, if a dog has otitis media and it scratches its ears, let’s look into the reasons for the appearance of this disease.

Treatment methods for otitis media in dogs

What to do if you get sick? We will talk about methods of treating this disease below. The treatment itself will depend on what form of otitis media the animal has. One way or another, you should take your pet to the veterinarian.

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If otitis is allergic, then the doctor prescribes a special hypoallergenic diet for the next three months. Medications may be prescribed to reduce itching and swelling.
If otitis media is purulent, then advanced cases the animal may require surgery. Further treatment accompanied by treatment of the ears with hydrogen peroxide and chlorhexedine. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to relieve pain. In addition, medications like Otosporin, which is used to treat people, may be prescribed.
If there is a fungus in the ear, the doctor will most likely prescribe treatment of the affected areas with phosphoric acid ester.
If such a disease is seasonal, then the veterinarian will prescribe special drops for dogs along with antibiotics. You will also need to treat the auricle with Otifri lotion.

Prevention

If your pet has long hair, then the fur in the ears needs to be trimmed regularly. Do this carefully so as not to damage the ear canal. Periodically inspect and sniff the ears, clean out wax. Make sure that no moisture gets into the ear canals. You can treat the ear canals with special solutions from time to time, but after that they must be wiped dry to prevent excessive moisture.

Video “All about treating the disease”

Full details of diagnosis and treatment are described below.

Sometimes the dog owner notices that the animal begins to frequently scratch its ears and shake its head.

This may be a sign of the most various diseases or problems.

Why does a dog scratch its ears?

Most often, a dog scratches its ears when it is in them. This tiny creature causes severe irritation and the dog scratches and bleeds at its ears. Another dog or cat living in the house can infect a dog.
Yeast infection or ear infection also leads to severe itching. It is also accompanied by an unpleasant odor and red-brown discharge.
Sometimes a foreign object can become lodged in the ear, such as a seed or stem that may have been caught while the dog was running through the grass. In this situation, the dog will shake its head and tilt it to the side of the affected ear.
Itching in a dog’s ears can also occur, for example, due to plants or food.
It may also be a secondary reaction to some bacterial disease.

Another reason why a dog often scratches its ears may be the shape of the ears themselves. Thus, long drooping ears are poorly ventilated. In breeds such as poodles, excess hair in the ear canals traps foreign bodies and sulfur secretions, which leads to inflammation.

What to do if your dog constantly scratches its ears? Possible treatment.

For any ear disease, a correct diagnosis is required, that is, a visit to the veterinarian. This needs to be done as quickly as possible as the dog's condition can quickly deteriorate and subsequent treatment becomes expensive. In this case, acute pain will make the dog irritable and aggressive.

To combat bacteria that have settled in the dog's ear,. If you suspect a hit in the ear foreign object You may need sedatives or local anesthesia to remove the object from your ear.

If the reason ear diseases If a dog has the shape of its ears, then the animal needs regular proper care. The fur in the ear canal should be trimmed regularly, and the ear canal should be cleaned with a cotton swab and hydrogen peroxide about once a week. Also long wool The ears need to be combed well to prevent tangles from forming.