Dog Ear Infection Types Causes and Home Remedy Treatments

In this post of Dog Ear Infection Types, Causes and Home Remedy Treatments, well get to find out the problem and hopefully the solution to it.


Depending on a host of different factors, your pooch could end up suffering from a dog ear infection.


The condition can cause a substantial amount of pain and discomfort in a dog, so youll want to know how to recognize it and what you should do about it. The good news is that ear infection in dogs is highly treatable and preventative measures can also be taken to help ensure that problems dont arise to begin with.

Depending on the type of dog ear infection that your pal is suffering from your veterinarian could prescribe or suggest several different medication options. These include Otomax ear drops and Cephalexin antibiotic for bacterial infections, and Mometamax ear drops for yeast infections. In either case, Epi-Otic Flush or Temeral-P can also be used depending on your vets recommendations.


Or, you may try home remedy dog ear infection treatment using white vinegar (also called as acetic acid). You have to dilute the vinegar using 1 part vinegar with 1 part water. After that you apply it with a squeeze bottle with a nozzle. This will change the pH in your dogs ear canal and make it an unpleasant place for yeast or bacteria to grow.

Picture shows a Vet is checking a dog for ear infection.


The two primary sources of dog ear infection are bacterial infections and yeast infections. There are natural balances of both bacteria and yeast in your dogs inner ears. Either one of these can become out of whack for a variety of reasons, potentially leading to overgrowth and a resulting infection. While these two problems are somewhat related you should be able to differentiate between fairly easily.


A bacterial ear infection in dogs could lead to unusual or excessive discharge from the ears, swelling and pain, and redness. The most important distinguishing characteristic is a pungent odor that youll notice, and definitely recognize if you clear out your dogs ears from wax.


A yeast dog ear infection will carry some of those same symptoms, but could also lead to scaling, dryness and itching. This kind of infection can also spread to other areas of the dogs face. The odor from a yeast ear infection in dogs will be chalky, so you should be able to differentiate between these two primary causes.


Dog ear infection can be caused by a variety of different factors. Often times they can be caused from a situation in which the dog was immersed in water. Water that then doesnt get removed from the inner ears can lead to imbalances and growth changes. So if you take your dog swimming or give him a bath, be sure to dry those ears out. Also regularly clean out your dogs ears in any case. Instead of using Q-tips those, use soft cotton balls. You can coat these in an ear cleanser for an effective and quick preventative cleaning.


Ear infection in dogs can also stem from hormonal imbalances and hereditary or genetic conditions. For example hypothyroidism can lead to a dog ear infection and can be treated with Soloxine from your veterinarian. Certain breeds of dogs are more prone than others and dogs with very floppy ears are also more likely to suffer from dog ear infection because its easier for water and other substances or materials to get trapped in their ears.


Its also common to mistake certain ailments with ear infection in dogs when there are actually other causes. For example if your dog rolls around in the grass a lot, particularly high or weedy grasses, a foxtail could get caught in his ear. This can really get lodged up there and it will be very painful to the touch, causing a lot of discomfort. You can try to remove this with a pair of tweezers but they could become so deeply rooted that you may need to go to the vet for help.


Other ear problems that your dog can run into besides a dog ear infection will be infectious ear mites. These are usually received via contact with another animal that has the problem, and can be treated with specific medications. Fleas, ear tumors and of course direct trauma or impact on or near the ear can also lead to ear problems and can be mistaken for ear infection for dogs. Be sure to consider all of the possibilities and do your best to find out whats really causing the symptoms so you know how to proceed.

You might love those floppy ears on your pooch but they can make your dog more susceptible to ear infection in dogs. Even other breeds with smaller or pointed ears can be susceptible to dog ear infection. Learn to recognize between bacterial and yeast infections, along with all of the other potential ear ailments your dog could be suffering from and youll be able to find the right course of action.


So read out this Dog Ear Infection Types, Causes and Home Remedy Treatments for the better of not just your dog, but anything around it too.

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Dog Behavior Down on the Farm Causes Issues With Owners

My sidekick Poncho the dog and I received a dog behavior advice question from an inquisitive canine named Kia. This lucky dog lives on a lovely coffee farm in Hawaii where, in addition to the coffee, there are avocado trees and wild pigs.

Seems these environmental conditions have resulted in plentiful amounts of avocados for Kia to hunt and dine on, as well as piles of pig poop to roll in. Poncho, being an inquisitive canine, confirmed that this is the ideal place for a dog! I mean, how much fun is it to have your own "entertainment center" (aka: enrichment) right outside your front door? Snacks and one doggone fun activity such as rolling in nasty stinky stuff.

As you can see from these photos, Poncho likes to "rock n roll"

too! Maybe because hes smaller and easy for me to bathe I allow him to roll in whatever he finds appealing - as a matter of fact Ill use it as a reward if I can! I call these "environmental rewards" or "real life" rewards.

For instance when were out on a walk he sees something interesting and starts showing signs of wanting to roll. For Poncho this includes: lots of sniffing, followed by scratching the area with one of his front paws, more sniffing, scratching, then rubbing the side of his face against the surface. If he likes what hes "sensing" then he starts his rolling....

If hes on leash Ill ask for a behavior first, like "watch me", sit or "touch" - then Ill send him off to roll, after Ive given him his release cue of "okay". This allows Poncho to be a dog, but still minding his loose leash walking manners - as opposed to just pulling me wherever he wants.

The guardians of Kia can use this same training plan. Allow Kia to roll in the pig poop, but only when shes been given the cue to do so. (And shes had clearance from her veterinarian that its okay to roll in that stuff).

A few other training tips for both the rolling and avocado issue Id recommend are:

• Reward Kia every time she ignores an avocado or pile of stench. And I mean reward! More than just a “Good dog!” Set it up where you are actively walking Kia near to where these items are, and whenever she looks at one and ignores it, throw a party!
• If she goes towards either of these items, use the “Leave it!” cue, lure her away from whichever item you want her to ignore, then reward her.
• If Kia decides the item in question is more motivating, give her a “Time out!” penalty - put her on leash for 20 seconds or so. But then let her off leash so you can give her another chance to make the preferred choice.

Lastly, management of a dogs environment is key when setting him or her up for success! A farm filled with a bounty of avocados and piles of stinky stuff to roll in is an ideal place for total fun! Its unfair of us to expect they wouldnt want to go and explore, so we need to take the time to teach our dogs what we want in a way that he or she would understand.

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