Category: ear disease

A dog’s ear is quite a different shape to ours. Humans simply have a horizontal tube that runs straight from the side of the head into the inner ear (auditory canal). In the dog however, the outside opening of the ear canal is high on the side of the head. The canal runs vertically down the side of the head and makes a sharp right angle into the inner ear. Additionally, some dogs have an ear flap which can partially cover the canal opening. As a result, the ear canal can become very hot and sweaty.

There are a variety of things which may irritate your dog’s ear. Foreign bodies (usually grass seeds) can get stuck in the ear canal and infections may develop. There is even a type of mite which lives inside the ear canal. Often it is difficult to find the original cause of the ear disease but because your dog’s ear is itchy, he scratches at it and sets up an infection.

Ear disease rarely goes unnoticed when it is severe. Your dog will probably shake his head from side to side, and may be forever stopping to sit down and scratch his ears or rub the side of his head on the ground. Sometimes a dog will shake their head so much that they burst a blood vessel and develop a swelling in their ear flap – a haematoma. If this happens your dog will probably need an operation to drain the swelling. In many types of infection there is a smelly discharge or the ear canal may be full of black wax. Sometimes, dogs with sore ears will just sit with their head tilted to one side.

Even if your dog has repeated problems with his ears there is no guarantee that each episode is caused by the same thing. It is very important that your vet looks inside your dog’s ear with an instrument called an otoscope, to check for damage deep within the ear, and to look for foreign bodies such as grass seeds.

The inside of the ear is very sensitive and many dogs will not let your vet do this unless they have been sedated or even anaesthetised. Failure to remove a foreign body can result in permanent damage to the ear.

Once ear disease starts your dog will need some treatment to stop the irritation. Treatment will vary depending on the cause of the problem. Obviously a foreign body will have to be removed, and specific treatment may be required for mites or nasty infections. Your vet may need to take samples from your dog to decide which is the best treatment to give.

Your vet will probably prescribe ear drops and possibly also some tablets. However, unless the ear is clean the ear drops cannot work. It may be necessary for your vet to admit your dog to the hospital and flush out its ear canals before treatment starts. In less severe cases, your vet will show you how to use an ear cleaner on your dog.

Always make sure you follow your vet’s instructions carefully. You must complete the treatment course even if the ears seem to be much better within one or two days.

No! Never put anything into your dog’s ear without first consulting your vet. Even if the drops were prescribed for your dog in the past they may do more harm than good on this occasion. Many types of ear drop ‘go off’ once they have been opened, or it may be that the ear problem is caused by something different this time. Remember that ear disease is very itchy and can be very painful – you must always seek veterinary treatment sooner rather than later for the sake of your pet.

It is unlikely that the ear disease will get better on its own. The longer you leave it before starting treatment the harder it becomes to clear up the irritation. Each time ear disease develops, more damage is done and eventually the walls of the ear canal may become thickened. This makes further infections more likely as fresh air cannot get to the bottom of the ear canal. When ear disease keeps coming back, surgery may be needed to remove part of the wall of the ear canal so that treatment can get to the site of infection.

Unfortunately some animals are just more prone to ear problems than others. Dogs with long dangly ears like spaniels seem to have particular problems. This is probably because it is difficult for air to circulate in the ear canal. The ear becomes hot and sweaty, providing the ideal breeding ground for bugs. These types of dogs often have a lot of hair growing up the ear canal and this can become matted with wax and ear drops making the problem worse.

Dogs which spend a lot of time in water may also get regular ear infections. The water in the ear canal allows some bugs to grow more readily than normal.

Also, dogs with allergies frequently have recurring ear problems. The lining of the ear is like the skin on the rest of the body and can become itchy and inflamed in an allergic dog.

Unfortunately it is impossible to prevent ear disease coming back in some dogs. In fact, if your dog has had one ear infection, it is highly likely that they will have repeated bouts. You should check your dog’s ears regularly and contact your vet if the ears become red or sore looking.

Regular ear cleaning can be helpful in removing debris and wax within the ear, but excessive cleaning may damage the inside of the ear and make infection more likely. Unless advised otherwise by your vet, clean your dog’s ears about once a week. If your dog has hairy ear canals the hair should be plucked to allow good ventilation.

In most cases of ear disease the symptoms will clear up within a few days of treatment starting. Unfortunately this is not the end of the problem. It is highly likely that the problem will come back at some stage in the future and you should be on your guard for it. If the problem recurs, seek advice from your vet as soon as possible because if the disease is allowed to go untreated for any length of time, permanent damage may result.

A dog’s ear is quite a different shape to ours. Humans simply have a horizontal tube that runs straight from the side of the head into the inner ear (auditory canal). In the dog however, the outside opening of the ear canal is high on the side of the head. The canal runs vertically down the side of the head and makes a sharp right angle into the inner ear.

Additionally, some dogs have an ear flap which can partially cover the canal opening. As a result, the ear canal can become very hot and sweaty. There are a variety of things which may irritate your dog’s ear. Foreign bodies (usually grass seeds) can get stuck in the ear canal and infections may develop.

Most animals tolerate routine ear cleaning well but if you are finding it very difficult to clean your dog’s ears do not struggle alone. If you are unable to clean your dog’s ears easily you will not do a very good job, and may in fact damage the ears more and you may make your dog afraid of you handling its head. If your dog’s ears are very sore, or if your dog is difficult to handle, your vet may need to sedate or anaethetise your dog in order to be able to clean its ears effectively.

It is easier to restrain your dog for ear cleaning if you have someone to help you. Ask someone to hold your dog either lying down on its tummy or sitting up. The head should be held tightly against the handlers body so that it can be held securely and there is no chance of the dog shaking its head.

Once the dog is restrained lift the ear flap and introduce some ear cleaner. Gently massage the ear canal which runs straight down the side of the head below the opening. As you massage the ear canal you will loosen all the debris in the ear canal. If the ear canal is sore your dog might not like the massaging at first so be as gentle as you can.

After massaging wipe away the cleaning fluid with cotton wool. Never use cotton buds or poke anything into the ear canal – if you do you will only push debris further into the ear and may damage the ear drum. Repeat the whole procedure if necessary then rinse the whole ear canal with water to remove any residual cleaning fluid and dry with cotton wool.

Once the ear canals are clean you can apply any ear drop medications that have been prescribed by your vet. Once the drops have been applied to the ear you should gently massage the ear canal again to spread the drops over the surface of the canal.

Your vet may also prescribe some tablets to help treat the ear disease. It is important to give all the tablets that your vet has prescribed – even if you think your dog is getting better.

Unfortunately it is impossible to prevent ear disease coming back in some dogs. In fact, if your dog has had one ear infection it is highly likely that they will have repeated bouts. You should check your dog’s ears regularly and contact your vet if the ears become red or sore looking.

Regular ear cleaning can be helpful in removing debris and wax within the ear, but excessive cleaning may damage the inside of the ear and make infection more likely. Unless advised otherwise by your vet, clean your dog’s ears about once a week. If your dog has hairy ear canals the hair should be plucked to allow good ventilation.

Regular ear examination, and cleaning when necessary, can help to keep your dog’s ears healthy. If you have any concerns about your dog’s ears you should contact your vet for further advice.

Deafness is quite common in dogs. Many breeds of dog, e.g. Dalmatians, Collies, Great Danes, English setters and Pointers, carry a gene that can cause deafness. This is often associated with a white or merle coat colour and blue eyes.

Deafness is also common in older dogs, probably due to age-related degeneration in the inner ear, as seen in older people.

Other reasons for deafness are long-term ear infections, growths in the middle ear or external ear canal and medications given by veterinary surgeons to treat these conditions. Head trauma and brain tumours are also potential causes. However, deafness can result from anything that damages the conduction of sound waves from the ear hole through the ear canal and ear drum to the bones of the middle ear or which affects the conduction of impulses through the nerves to the brain.

Deafness in one ear is not usually detected and actually causes few problems. If the affected dog is lying on one side with the good ear buried and the deaf one exposed then hearing would be impaired and an owner may notice a lack of response to noises. However, dogs who are deaf in one ear probably take care to avoid lying in such a position and generally keep their good ear pointing in the right direction, even when relaxed at home.

Being deaf in both ears causes more significant problems and most owners notice that their dog does not respond to noises – the opening of doors, the fridge, food packages, calling their name etc. and fail to respond to noisy people, animals and machinery. As puppies, deaf animals may be hard to train and may indulge in very rough play as they are unable to hear protest yelps.

Deaf dogs tend to “sleep well”. This is something that owners of older animals may notice as their pet’s hearing deteriorates with age. Owners of old dogs may notice that they now tolerate the noise of a vacuum cleaner, or fireworks when previously they did not – this may be the most obvious sign of growing deafness.

Hearing can be tested by observing the reaction the dog makes to a sudden, unexpected loud noise. A hearing dog is expected to turn its ears towards the noise, and may also move their whole head and possibly move their body into a more alert position.

There are problems with this test. It cannot detect deafness in a single ear, only a totally deaf animal will fail to react. It is also possible to think that a deaf animal can hear if, for example, it reacts to a visual clue if it sees an object being dropped or hands being clapped or it may be able to feel vibrations when something hits the floor.

The opposite might also happen – a well-adjusted, non-fearful and relaxed dog may react to a noise the first time it hears it but will quickly react less and less obviously to subsequent noises. This test will be easier to interpret in a dog well known to the owner in its normal environment.

The only truly reliable test is one similar to that used for the testing of hearing in humans and involves sophisticated equipment available only in a few centres. Your veterinary surgeon would be able to advise you of a centre that offers testing if necessary.

The test is well tolerated by most dogs but involves playing noises into each ear in turn and then detecting the nervous impulses invoked by these noises in the brain. It is called BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) testing. This test will not be necessary for the vast majority of dogs with a suspected hearing problem as testing will not usually make any difference to the dog or how they are helped and managed.

Dogs with normal hearing use the sounds detected by both ears to accurately pinpoint sounds. A dog that is deaf in one ear may hear you calling when you are out for a walk but may not be able to locate where you are. They may look around wildly until they see your position before coming back.

The reduced ability to recognize danger is probably the most serious handicap faced by totally deaf dogs. A deaf dog cannot hear its owner when out for exercise and so there is a greater risk it will run across a busy road to see a dog on the other side. Further examples of dangerous noisy items are farm and garden machinery, household appliances and trains. Deaf dogs should not be allowed off the lead except in safe, enclosed spaces.

It is unlikely that there will be a treatment to help resolve the deafness in your pet. The most common causes – a genetic defect or age-related degeneration – have no appropriate treatment. It is only some of the unusual causes such as disease blocking the passage of sound through the external ear canal from infection, or a mass that can be removed by an operation that can be helped by treatment.

Dogs with these conditions will usually have other obvious signs of disease rather than deafness being the major problem. They will have ears that are dirty, smelly and irritating. They may scratch and shake their heads or might also have a head tilt. Other signs of underlying disease include wobbliness, from damage to the balance organs, which are also found in the inner ear.

Animals that are deaf in just one ear require no special treatment. A totally deaf dog can adapt well to living in a normal household. Since your dog cannot hear you, you may need to adopt a more tactile approach with them. Petting and stroking becomes a much more important form of contact when your dog can’t hear you praising it and deaf dogs might want more physical contact, especially when resting in the home to reassure them that you are near (whereas a hearing dog can lie in another room and still be aware of you moving around the house).

Training a dog that has been deaf from birth can be challenging but it is perfectly possible to do this using hand signals for commands. Choose hand signals that are clear and can be recognised from some distance away. ‘Stop’, ‘sit’ and ‘come’ are probably the most useful to teach initially. Dogs are also very good at reading body language so although they cannot hear your voice a deaf dog will be able to tell if you are angry with it or welcoming just by looking at you and it may base its decision on whether to return to you on this impression. It is important as in any dog training to remain calm and positive during training sessions – patience really is the key!

Some dogs are more likely to be deaf so avoid buying puppies from litters where both parents have a merle or harlequin coat. Some puppies from these matings may be born blind as well as deaf.

Deafness causes significant welfare problems and breeders should aim to avoid producing puppies likely to be deaf. However, individual deaf dogs can be given a reasonable quality of life by thinking about their special needs. Deafness (or reduced hearing ability) is also quite common in older dogs and considering this is one aspect of providing a good home for a geriatric companion.