How to prevent recurring ear infections in dogs

The best thing anyone can do to prevent ear infections is to start with good hygiene when your dog is a pup. First, though, let's start with defining an ear infection.

Canine outer ear infections are common and usually due to one of two things, yeast and bacteria, or a combination of the two. This yeast infection is different than the kind people get, which is candida. Dogs get a yeast called malassezia. On a microscope slide they look like little blue stained foot prints or peanuts. A bacterial infection can be staph or any other number of bacterias that thrive in the dark, warm, moist ear canal. Occasionally we see outer/middle ear infections due to a foreign body, such as grasses or ticks that have embedded themselves in the ear. Middle and inner ear infections are not as common but harder to treat. It is correct to immediately go to your Veterinarian if the dog has aural (ear) discharge that is bloody or thick green or yellow. However, it is also an indication of a severe inner ear infection for you dog to have a head tilt, to walk in circles instead of a straight line or to fall over when shaking it's head, even without discharge.

For this article I am going to assume that you are talking about a common outer ear infection.

A dogs ear canal is made of cartilage. When this cartilage is messed with often it can begin turn to a substance similar to bone which causes the canal to narrow and in turn makes ear infections more common. So if your dog has a few ear infections a year, it is wise to attempt to find the underlying reason causing these infections. I address this later on.

A dog also has an ear canal shaped like an L. So when you are cleaning the ear out or administering medication you really do not need to worry about hitting the ear drum like you do with human ears.

Gentleness is key for the doggie ear, when cleaning them, administering medication or just petting them. They are wonderfully sensitive and important parts of the dog's body and need to be treated with care.

An ear infection can happen to any kind of dog but can be common in dogs with heavy ears, dogs groomed regularly, dogs who swim and dogs with environmental and food allergies. In fact, if regular, consistent treatment with medication given properly and completely does not clear up your dogs ear infection it is very likely they are reacting to their food or an environmental trigger. In this case it would be wise to consult your Veterinarian about continuing treatment while also changing your dog's diet or investigating environmental allergies. If you dog has recurrent ear infections, licks or chews at his feet it is likely there is a food allergy. If your dog gets hot spots, is generally itchy all over and has recurrent ear infections it is very likely there is an environmental allergy. These rules are not perfect and many times a dog has both types of allergies!

The idea is to investigate, investigate, investigate! Like I said above, over time recurring ear infections can cause the ear canal to deteriorate and in the worse case you're talking about having to perform a full ear ablation...surgical removal of the inner ear and closure of the ear canal. This is not a fun option for anyone, least of all for the dog, who will of course be unable to hear from that ear any longer. The infections will be over, but at what price?

If your veterinarian is not open to finding an underlying cause for these infections then get a second opinion. There are lots of ways to find out what's going on, from food trials, allergy medication, allergy testing and performing blood tests. Believe it or not, I've seen dogs who come up on allergy testing as allergic to humans! Apparently we have 'dander' too!

If your dog has an infection and you are being directed to clean the ears out by your Veterinarian, then follow his/her directions closely and consistantly. We see recurrent infections a lot because a pet owner has not followed our directions, not given medication as directed and has not finished the course of treatment.

Once the infection has cleared up, all the regular maintenence needed should be wiping out the ear peridocally. I like to use fragrence free baby wipes. If your dog swims, you can purchase drying agents that will help keep water from settling in his ears and causing infection. Use these sparingly, especially if they have alcohol in them. Using alcohol in the ear too often can cause the ear drum to become brittle. As far as cleaning the ears out at home goes, the less you mess with them the better. Don't forget to be very gentle any time you are putting something in your dog's ears.

I hesitate to recommend using water or water based cleaners in the ear for maintenance. If you use these then you need to use a drying agent and this again should be done sparingly. If your dogs has 'dirty' ears on a regular basis beyond what a quick cleaning with a wipe can take care of then you are probably dealing with a mild overgrowth of yeast or bacteria which is not normal and should be investigated.

Working closely with a veterinarian you trust to deal with ear infections quickly and completely is the best course of action. You are your dog's advocate...keep asking until you get the information you want. An investment of time and funds in the beginning will pay off in the end.