Ear care should be part of your regular grooming routine. By checking your dog’s ears often you’ll notice signs or irritation early and help prevent painful, often hard to treat ear infections. Ear infections begin with itching and discomfort. The production of excess of wax that occurs in response to irritation and inflammation leads to infection.
- In most of the case, ear infection is usually treated with ear drops. But first of all it is important to use sterile gauze to clean the dog’s ear. That will prevent the infection from worsening. You need to take note of this. Only use ear drops if the dog’s ear drum is intact. You will need a vet from veterinary services to check your dog’s ear to confirm whether or not it is safe to use ear drops. In the multitude of ear drops available it is always prudent to seek the advice of a veterinarian before purchasing one. Always read the label carefully before applying the ear drop to your dog.
- There are cases where the ear canal is partially closed. If that is the case then you will need to use topical ointments. They contain antibiotics or ingredients that reduce inflammation of the ear. After the ear gets opened you can now apply the ear drops.
- It has been noted that distilled water can also be added to ear drops or topical ointments; it is helpful in cleaning the ear canal.
- In case of a much more severe infection the Doctor may suggest that you use some oral medication. He may suggest the administration of oral fungicides or antibiotics whether the infection is caused by fungi or bacteria respectively. Corticosteroids may also be employed to reduce the swelling. There are severe cases where the ear canal closes completely. If that happen anti inflammatory medication is advised to be use hoping that the ear will reopen so that ear drops can be applied. Sometimes even anti inflammatory medication does not work. In that case the vet has no choice but to perform surgery.
- There are cases where there is no serious infection and your dog’s ear drum is intact. In that case it is acceptable to try home remedies. One of them is to use vinegar and alcohol diluted in water. This can modify the pH in the ear and clean debris. It is advice to apply that type of medication 2 times a day. That said, if you don’t see any improvement in 2 or 3 days it is still preferable to see your vet.