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- Ear Infection in Dogs
- What should I do if my dog has an ear infection?
- Home Remedies for Ear Infection in Dogs
- Preventing Ear Infection in Dogs
Have you noticed that your puppy shakes his head frequently and has a strong body odor? These symptoms can be due to a number of disorders, but are typical of an ear infection, a disorder that usually has a good prognosis but must be treated in time to prevent damage to the eardrum or conditions in the deeper parts of the ear.
We must also know that this treatment can be done naturally, using resources that are effective to restore our pet's health and that are also safe and less aggressive than a pharmacological treatment. Are you interested in learning more about this option? In this article by PeritoAnimal we are going to talk about Home Remedies for Ear Infection in Dogs.
Ear Infection in Dogs
First of all, we must understand exactly what ear infection in dogs is, as initially we may think that it is the same thing as otitis, however they are two different terms.
Otitis is an inflammation of the ear and can have numerous causes such as allergies, presence of foreign bodies in the ear cavity or viral, bacterial or fungal infections. When there is ear infection, there is usually otitis, because the colonization of the pathogen agent causes an inflammation in the ear canal, however, otitis is not always caused by an infection, as we saw earlier.
If our dog suffers from an ear infection it will usually be caused by a bacteria, fungus or yeast and our dog will manifest this infection usually through the following symptoms:
- Shake your head frequently.
- Excessively scratches the head area.
- Discharges foul-smelling secretions through the ear that can be mistaken for a strong body odor.
- I smell "yeast" in the ear.
- Swelling in the ear area and redness.
- Hearing loss.
- Scabbed or scaly lesions in the ear area.
- Signs of pain.
- Behavior changes, aggressiveness.
- Loss of balance.
What should I do if my dog has an ear infection?
If you think your dog may be affected by an ear infection, it is very important that you see your veterinarian as soon as possible, as ear infection starts with pathogenic colonization and inflammation of the external ear canal, but if not treated in time, it can affect the middle and inner ear, causing irreversible damage about the eardrum.
The veterinarian will take into account the patient's medical history, symptoms, and will usually perform an otoscopy to assess the status of the ear canal, as well as the pathogen causing the infection.
Conventional veterinary treatment will be carried out using antibiotics (in the case of a bacterial infection), these drugs are usually administered topically, but in severe cases they can administer orally, increasing the chances of appearing side effects.
Home Remedies for Ear Infection in Dogs
Just as we can find multiple home remedies for otitis in dogs, when inflammation is caused by an ear infection, we also have at our disposal several natural alternatives, let's see what they are:
- tea tree essential oil: It is an ideal remedy for any type of infection, whether caused by bacteria or fungi. If the ear has no sores, we can directly apply 2 or 3 drops a day. On the other hand, if the ear is sore, we should mix tea tree oil with sweet almond oil, adding 20 drops of essential oil to half a glass of sweet almond oil. Apply 5 drops of this mixture daily.
- Applying hot compressess: Topical heat acts as a vasodilator, this very quickly reduces inflammation and pain, in addition to dilating blood vessels, improves tissue irrigation and promotes easier recovery. Soak a cotton towel with hot water and after draining the excess water, make gentle pressure on our pet's ear, apply these compresses several times a day.
- garlic maceration: crush two cloves of garlic and place in a hermetically sealed bottle with olive oil, then let stand overnight. The next day strain the mixture and add 5 drops of this preparation in the dog's ear, do this daily.
- aloe vera: The pure aloe vera juice is ideal to protect our pet's ear canal, in addition, applied topically, it reduces inflammation and relieves pain due to its emollient action. Apply it directly to your puppy's ear at least 2 times a day.
- Homemade antiseptic solution: Mix in equal parts hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen peroxide), water and apple cider vinegar. With this solution soak a cotton ball and clean the affected ears of the dog.
Preventing Ear Infection in Dogs
It is often said that prevention is better than cure and this is a very true statement, so we must take the following measures, which will help us to prevent ear infection in our dog.:
- You should clean the dog's ears frequently with a veterinary antiseptic solution.
- It's important to prevent excessive moisture, so dry your puppy's ears properly after bathing and avoid long periods in the water.
- If your puppy is prone to suffering from ear infections, it is a good idea to put a cotton ball in his ears before bathing him to prevent excessive water ingress.
- Provide your pet with a balanced diet, this way it will keep its immune system in an optimal state.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.