Dirty ears of the dog. Ear diseases in dogs. Hormonal disorders and the influence of yeast fungi

Medium purulent otitis media

Otitis media and ear mites

Allergic otitis media

If you do not find out the cause of otitis media, treat it incorrectly or do not treat it at all, then all this will provoke perforation of the eardrum (rupture or dissolution of it with pus). In this case, purulent discharge will accumulate not only at the base of the ear canal, but will also go into the inner ear, penetrating into meninges... With this course of the disease, at best, the dog will lose hearing, at worst, it will die from purulent meningitis.

The main symptoms of ear problems

There are a number of main signs of otitis media, according to which the owner of the dog will involuntarily pay attention to his ears.

Symptoms of ear inflammation:

• the presence of scratches, bruises (bruises) on the ears, wounds or any other damage;
• a constant urge to scratch your ears or shake your head;
• a lot of sulfur released (more than usual);
• any kind of discharge (including purulent) with an unpleasant odor;
• obvious signs of an inflammatory process - redness, swelling, soreness and an increase in local temperature;
• hair loss on the auricles (from scratching) or inside;
• the presence of crusts and scabs around the ears or at the entrance to the ear canal;
• soreness not only inside, but also of the entire organ of hearing (the animal does not allow to examine it);
• increase submandibular lymph nodes with a prolonged inflammatory process;
• changes in general condition animal - depression, lack of appetite, increased body temperature, etc.

In addition to common symptoms for all ear problems, there are individual Clinical signs otitis media, depending on the causes of the occurrence:

• with otitis media due to increased hair growth, in addition to the classic signs of inflammation, you can find hair growing deep in the ear, which must be removed both for the prevention of otitis media and before starting treatment for an existing problem;
• with an ear mite, black-brown cereal discharge is observed, under which bleeding wounds can be observed when they are separated. Usually both sides are affected;
• bacterial or fungal otitis media are usually accompanied by purulent discharge and an increase in local temperatures. When sowing secretions on nutrient media, a specific causative agent of inflammation can be isolated;
• with otitis media due to tumors or foreign objects in addition to all the signs, specific reasons- in fact, tumors and extraneous things that can only be detected by an otoscope due to the deep location in the ear canal;
• with otitis media caused by the ingress and stagnation of water, the discharge is always liquid, albeit of a different nature (purulent, serous, cloudy or transparent);
• if otitis media are allergic, then usually signs of individual sensitivity appear on other parts of the body: urticaria, edema, itching, etc.

What the owners can't do

1. You can not self-medicate, because incorrectly selected antimicrobial drugs will not help, cause bacteria resistance to other agents, and may also cause additional irritation and intensification of the inflammatory process. If you find any sign that something is wrong with the organ of hearing, you should immediately contact your veterinarian! How to treat otitis media depends on the cause of its occurrence, which can only be determined by a specialist.

1. You cannot try to clean the dog's ears with ear sticks - it is impossible to clean out the discharge with them, and there is also a risk of cotton wool remaining inside the ear cavity. In veterinary clinics, the ears are cleaned with tweezers or a hemostatic forceps, which hold the cotton swab tightly and, with a good metal support, allow you to clean out all impurities and secretions.

1. It is impossible to bury hydrogen peroxide in the dog's ears - when it reacts with bleeding wounds and pus, it begins to foam strongly, which is perceived by the dog as a loud extraneous noise. An animal may behave inappropriately out of fear. Only the outer auricles can be treated with peroxide.

1. Do not clean your dog's ears if you have never done this. There is a high risk of causing pain, after which the animal will in every possible way interfere with examinations even carried out by veterinary specialists (it will run away, hide, bite, etc.).

How to help a dog with signs of otitis media before seeing a veterinarian

If it is not possible to immediately seek help from a veterinarian, the pet owner can somewhat alleviate his condition with simple procedures:

• carefully examine the organ of hearing, without causing pain to the dog and without using foreign objects, so as not to cause additional damage;
• process the outer surface of the ears with hydrogen peroxide and brilliant green, if there are wounds and scratches on the ears;
• drip the ears 3-4 drops each with Otinum or Otipax and gently massage the base of the ears (if there are no signs of pain). These are absolutely safe drops for dogs that relieve itching, eliminate pain syndrome, dissolve the sulfur and soak the crusts and plaque in the ear canal (if any). The funds do not give antimicrobial load, excluding the risks of developing resistance of bacteria that caused inflammation, before starting antibiotic therapy;
• after soaking the ear contents and anesthesia, clean the ears with a cotton swab wound on tweezers. The procedure can only be carried out if you have experience in cleaning your dog's ears! If before of this moment cleaning has never been done in my life, it makes sense to wait for a visit to the veterinarian, removing contamination within the visible convolutions of the outer ear. If there is a feeling of squelching inside the pus or other contents in the absence of the ability to clean everything, a mixture of streptocide powders with boric acid is poured into the ear (ratio 1: 5). If the dog wants to shake his head - you need to let him do it! Damp dirt, secretions and wax will move closer to the outer ear, from where they can already be removed on their own;
• if the dog has an increase in body temperature, you can give Analgin once as an antipyretic agent - inside 0.5 tablets / 10 kg or intramuscularly 0.1 ml / kg.

All subsequent treatment at home should be carried out with drugs prescribed by the veterinarian and in the order determined by him.

V special cases, for example, when the auditory opening is overgrown, a reconstructive surgical intervention, during which the ear canal is re-formed.

Important: it is impossible to cure secondary otitis media without eliminating the cause that caused it! With one symptomatic treatment the disease can become chronic.

The sequence of therapeutic manipulations:

1. Cleansing the auricles. The outer ear is cleaned with a swab well moistened with hydrogen peroxide or a 2% salicyl-tannin alcohol solution. All crusts are soaked and removed.
2. Cleansing the ear canal. The ear canal is cleaned with a swab moistened with chlorhexidine solution or after instilling prophylactic lotions or ear drops into the ear. Lotions and drops well soak internal dirt, waste products of ticks, dried blood, crusts, etc. In the process of cleaning the ears, material is selected for microscopy and bacterial culture to identify the causative agent of otitis media for rational use medicinal product.
3. Treatment of bleeding wounds with a solution of brilliant green.
4. For deep scratching and bleeding wounds on the surface of the auricle, the use of wound healing and antiseptic ointments is recommended.
5. After cleaning the ears, use as directed ear drops, depending on the identified pathogen - antifungal, antimicrobial or anti-mite agents. If it is not possible to identify the pathogen, use combined drops wide range actions aimed at removing mites, fungi and microorganisms.
6. With purulent otitis media of any etiology, general antibiotic therapy is prescribed for a course of 5-7 days.
7. If there are signs of general intoxication, droppers with detoxifying agents are used.
8. Regardless of the degree of development of the disease and the reasons for the development of otitis media, immunostimulating agents are always prescribed.

Consolidated list of medicines for otitis media

They are most often used in the treatment of otitis media of various etiologies.

Otitis prevention

For the prevention of otitis media, it is enough:

• trim the hair around the ears to ventilate the ear canal (after prior consultation with a veterinarian);
• pluck hairs that grow right inside the ear;
• Do not rinse or treat healthy ears with anything. this can lead to an imbalance in the microbial balance in the ears;
• conduct regular examination of the ears on their own (weekly) and in the veterinary clinic (every six months);
• pay attention to the smell from the ears;
• make sure that during bathing, water does not get into the ears, after bathing in natural reservoirs, remove water from the ears with a cotton swab;
• do not allow the dog to ride in a passenger car protruding from the window;
• do not feed the animal with sweets;
• follow up allergic reactions adjusting the diet.

It so happened that dogs are much less likely (when compared with cats) to suffer from ear diseases, but nevertheless, in veterinary practice, such cases occur regularly. They can affect the auricles, ear canal, middle ear, and / or inner ear. The most common ear conditions in dogs affect the outer ear (external ear canal and / or auricles).

The "global" problem in canine ears is the structure of their external auditory canal.: it is located almost vertically (when compared with a person) and, to top all the troubles, is close in shape to Latin letter L. Because of this, dogs do not tolerate pathologies affecting the condition of their ears.

It should be taken into account that possible reasons There are a lot of such diseases, and we have listed only the most relevant ones:

• Inflammations of bacterial etiology.
• Yeast infections.
• Viral pathologies.
• Ear mite. It is not nearly as widespread in dogs when compared to cats, but puppies get sick relatively more often.
• Side effects of certain medications.
• Veterinarians estimate that about 80% of all dog ear diseases have allergic etiology... Simply put, if your dog is initially predisposed to food and other types of allergies, then the chances of ear diseases are as high as possible.
• Diseases of the thyroid gland.
• Autoimmune pathologies.
• Endocrine Disorders.
• Accumulation of excessive amounts of sulfur in the lumen of the ear canals.
• Foreign bodies.
• Improper and rough ear cleaning.
• Wounds and other injuries.
• Meningitis or encephalitis. Oddly enough, these deadly pathologies are often accompanied by inflammatory diseases of the ears.

By the way, how do you know that your dog urgently needs to visit a veterinarian? The ear canals are very sensitive, so in most cases clinical picture can be quite typical the signs of the disease are hard to miss:

• The animal constantly shakes its head.
• Bringing your head closer to your pet's ears, you can feel a very unpleasant "amber".
• The skin of the ears becomes scaly.
• The dog whines, jerks, and often scratches his ears.
• You can see how something dark and very "odorous" flows from the external auditory canals.
• The auricles swell and turn red. This is especially noticeable in the example of dogs with long and spreading auricles.

Hematomas

Even the smallest doggies of "pocket" formats can periodically mate with large relatives or, in general, cats and crows, as a result of which it is the ears that turn out to be battered.

Especially fraught with "clarification of relations" for dachshunds (and they, by the way, are very pugnacious by nature), spaniels and other breeds, characterized by long, "spreading" ears. Of course, in most situations, only wounds and scratches appear on them, but later the formation of hematomas is not excluded.

What it is? This is the name of the cavity between the skin and the cartilage of the auricle, resulting from a rupture blood vessel... It ends with bleeding and accumulation of a certain volume of blood in such a "pocket".

Hematomas are a pathology that is characteristic of dogs; in cats, such a "disease" is extremely rare.

Symptoms and Treatment

As a rule, the "swelling" of the auricles begins rather quickly: within two to three hours after the fight, maximum. Due to the fact that the blood accumulating under the skin stretches this very skin, a strong pain reaction... The dog whines, squeals when trying to touch his long-suffering "mugs".

Your veterinarian will need to determine both the root cause of the incident and best technique elimination of hematoma (in severe cases have to resort to surgical intervention). Please note that without medical care often fibrosis of the affected tissues develops (that is, the scar connective tissue membrane grows there), as a result of which the ear may be twisted.

Treatment depends on the nature of the traumatic effect, the size of the hematoma and other factors. As a rule, therapy involves surgical intervention: the pathological cavity is opened, all its contents are completely removed, and the "pocket" is washed with disinfectants.

In some cases, drainage is placed in the former hematoma. Regardless of other circumstances, to the edges wound channel stitches. Sometimes they are additionally covered with a bandage.

All the time of treatment and during the period of recovery, the dog should wear surgical collar... It will interfere with brushing and licking the affected areas.

"Solar" dermatitis

This is the name of the inflammatory process caused by increased sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation (that is, to the usual sunlight). As a rule, this phenomenon can be observed in dogs with a white coat, belonging to the short-haired breeds. In our climatic zone, this pathology is extremely rare to observe in dogs, since it is much more typical for countries located in the zone of tropical and subtropical climates.

Symptoms

On early stages the affected skin appears pink and scaly (this can be easily seen by looking at the tips of the ears). As the pathology progresses skin covering gradually becomes covered with a fairly thick crust, ulcers may develop. Naturally, it all hurts a lot.

Since the dog often scratches the lesion, the ears are covered not only with scabs, but also with bleeding scratches. Unfortunately, this disease is not just a sunburn. If nothing is done at all and your pet is not taken to the veterinarian, "common inflammation" can easily turn into cancer.

Solar dermatitis can significantly impair the state of your pet's immunity; a serious bacterial infection is often mixed with the usual course of the pathology. In this case, the ears not only crack, but also become very inflamed, swell, and purulent (or other) exudate can accumulate directly on the surface of the auricles.

The general condition of a sick dog with this variant of pathology can deteriorate greatly: the dog becomes lethargic, inactive, tries to spend more time, huddled in the most remote corner. Of course, your pet will also refuse to eat.

Treatment

The only reliable treatment is surgical excision of the affected tissue. In this case, the "substrate" is completely removed for possible development bacterial infection, the likelihood of developing oncology is significantly reduced.

Along the way, the dog can be assigned antibacterial drugs, including broad-spectrum antibiotics and anti-inflammatory corticosteroids. The latter are used in almost all cases of solar dermatitis, as they allow you to quickly and with a guarantee stop the inflammatory process.

Is it possible to somehow protect your pet from developing such a painful and even fatal dangerous pathology? To reduce the risk in dry and hot climates, use the following preventive techniques:

• Do not walk or let your dog go outside between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. At this time, the intensity of ultraviolet radiation is maximum.

• Not really standard version- you can use a dermatologist-approved sunscreen that should be applied to your pet's ears and even nose. Of course, it is necessary preliminary consultation with an experienced veterinarian - some creams made for human skin can be potentially hazardous to pets.

Bacterial inflammation

Very often it happens that the slightest damage to the auricles turns out to be seeded with pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microflora. In addition, the development of the disease is facilitated by: ear mites, foreign bodies, trauma, etc. However, in some cases it is not possible to reliably determine the root cause of the pathology.

If your pet's immunity is severely weakened, fungi and yeast can join the usual bacterial microflora, which sharply worsens the course of the pathological process.

Remember that at the first signs of something amiss, you need to urgently contact your veterinarian: such inflammation is a painful process, but relatively harmless, but it has every chance of "mutating" into otitis media. The latter pathology is much worse, it can lead to extremely serious consequences.

Symptoms

Symptoms largely depend on the initial state of health of the animal, the root cause of the inflammation (trauma, burn), the causative agent that caused the onset of the inflammatory process.

Usually, clinical manifestations include:

• Redness and swelling of the auricles.
• If you try to feel the ears, the animal may react inadequately: up to growling and attempts to escape. This is due to a strong pain reaction.
• Hair loss may occur from the surface of the auricles. On them, crusts, scabs often appear, purulent exudate or other types of pathological discharge are visible.

Sometimes you can find pus directly in the external auditory canal, and in these cases, as a rule, a pronounced and very unpleasant "aroma" will come from the ears of a sick animal.

With such pathologies, a dog will constantly scratch and even scratch his ears, which is why scratches or tears will always appear on the surface of the latter. They, of course, are immediately additionally sown with microbes, as a result of which the course of the disease deteriorates sharply.

Treatment

First, it is advisable to take a sample of the pathological material in order to subsequently grow the culture of the pathogen on nutrient medium... After that, "in the field" will be used antibiotics that are guaranteed to act on a specific microorganism.

In addition to antibiotics, other antimicrobial drugs may be prescribed.

In no case buy or pour the first drops that come to hand into the pet's ears!

This should be done only after consulting a veterinarian. First, you don't know what exactly causes the inflammation. Secondly, you are unlikely to be able to choose the exact dose of the drug yourself. All this is fraught with the fact that the dog not only will not receive any significant veterinary care, but it can simply be poisoned.

Otitis

Otitis media is inflammatory disease organs of hearing. It affects the inner, outer, and middle parts of the ear. Otitis media is a very common disease, it is rarely independent, i.e. primary. As a rule, pathology manifests itself as a complication of any infection. According to the type of course, it is divided into acute and chronic.

Attention! Otitis media (especially internal) is an extremely dangerous disease. At best, it is fraught with complete loss hearing. At its worst, ear inflammation can "turn" into meningitis or encephalitis, and also contribute to the development of sepsis. As a result, it is fatal.

Considering all of the above, I would like to give a simple piece of advice - at the slightest suspicion that something is wrong with your dog's ears, he should immediately be "escorted" to the veterinarian.

Symptoms

With this disease appear: strong pain, various violations hearing. Often inflamed and enlarged subcutaneous The lymph nodes... Otitis externa is characterized by the formation of ulcers, wounds and other sores directly on the auricles.

The reason may be: thermal burns, wounds, bites, etc. Outer form the disease is usually the result of reduced immunity.

• Infectious type of disease accompanied by fever and severe intoxication of the body.
• Acute otitis media appears much brighter when compared to chronic inflammation, but prolonged inflammation can damage the hearing.
• With a purulent variety a greenish-yellow exudate with a rather unpleasant odor may ooze from the external auditory canals.
• Bullous type often accompanied by bleeding from the ear canals. At otitis media the eardrum and adjacent tissues become inflamed.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis can only be made by a veterinarian, and his decision is based on the data of several diagnostic methods... With the help of radiography or tomography, mastoitid should be excluded - a more serious disease, also accompanied by inflammation. To diagnose otitis media, your doctor must perform an examination with an otoscope.

In order to identify the pathogen, it is necessary to sow the pathological material and determine the susceptibility to antibiotics using the grown culture of the pathogen.

Hearing assessments and other procedures are often done to find out primary cause disease. With inflammation inner ear X-rays are taken and a finger-nose test is performed. It is useful in identifying various vestibular disorders.

Prophylaxis

The development of otitis media will help to avoid taking vitamins and drugs to stimulate the immune system. For the latter, you should immediately consult your veterinarian.

To avoid the development of otitis media, it is necessary to treat a runny nose in a dog in time.(yes, it happens in dogs too), make sure that the nasal secretion does not become too thick. To avoid the latter, the dog needs to drink plenty of fluids.

If necessary, the animal's nose is washed, but this should only be done by a veterinarian. An inexperienced owner only injures the dog and greatly aggravates the development of pathology.

Also, if your dog is constantly suffering from allergic diseases, give him in time antihistamines recommended by a specialist. The fact is that many otitis media are of allergic origin.

Treatment

Treatment of otitis media will directly depend on its type and area of ​​inflammation. For otitis externa, it is recommended to make compresses, disinfecting turundas (for example, with alcohol). Inflammatory lesions (such as boils) sometimes need to be cut open and rinsed. It is not uncommon for a doctor to prescribe various antimicrobial agents, such as powerful antibiotics.

With an internal type of disease, urgent hospitalization is necessary, since this otitis media can be a consequence of inflammatory processes in the brain, or lead to them.

In this case, antibiotics are also prescribed, sometimes trepanation may be needed. The inner ear is usually removed in case of severe purulent otitis media with complications. At acute otitis media the middle ear is all usually limited to antibiotic therapy. But the exudative type of the disease must be treated in a comprehensive manner, using antihistamines, anti-inflammatory drugs and mucolytics.

Note that the doctor usually prescribes antibiotics when purulent otitis media... In other cases, they tend to do only with anti-inflammatory corticosteroids. In the treatment of chronic varieties of the disease we are describing, they cannot be constantly used, since this can lead to the flowering of fungal microflora.

In order to get rid of mucus and suppress inflammation, physiotherapy is recommended, and when serious complications the introduction of catheters into auditory tube and blowing to restore hearing.

In acute purulent otitis media, antipyretics are used, as well as intravenous buffer formulations that suppress intoxication are injected. In parallel with this, it is imperative to get rid of infections in the nasopharynx. For this purpose, vasoconstrictor drops- they relieve swelling and restore the normal circulation of air between the sinuses and cavities.

In the absence of positive dynamics and further spread of the infection, the doctor may make an incision of the eardrum to cleanse the middle ear cavity of pus. Chronic otitis media is treated following all the same recommendations, but the duration of the therapeutic course can exceed several weeks or even months ...

So that your pet does not lose hearing or deteriorate, it is imperative to follow all the recommendations of the veterinarian.

At the same time, various compresses should be made at home, as they help fight inflammation, improving blood circulation and metabolism. Again, this should be done exclusively with the knowledge and permission of a specialist.

Also good effect provide turundas with saline or vodka, appliques, ear candles. It is recommended to treat the ears of the dog antiseptic compounds, softening and removing dried crusts of exudate.

Do not forget about strengthening the body as a whole - this will help healthy eating and vitamins.

Surgical treatment is carried out only when adhesive otitis media , violation of the integrity of the eardrum and general hearing loss. Again, only a veterinarian should make a decision about this, treatment at home is unacceptable here.

Ear mite

Immediately, we note that in dogs, otodectosis (that is, ear mites) is quite rare. We already mentioned at the very beginning of the article that, mainly, only puppies are ill with it. Infection of especially old and weakened dogs is also possible.

The likelihood of canine otodectosis increases dramatically if cats live in the same house.

Symptoms and Treatment

This disease of the ears in dogs in its manifestations does not differ in anything from the "cat" version. The following can be observed for a sick dog:

• The animal scratches its ears in a frenzy.
• It is easy to see in the ear canal huge quantities black-brown bloom.
• In advanced cases, a liquid exudate with a very nasty odor may appear.

How to be? In mild cases, you can do it yourself. Buy drops like "Leopard". Wipe your pet's ear canals before instillation cotton swab dipped in sterile vegetable oil.

You don't need to be especially zealous: gently soften the crusts, and then wash them. In no case should you break off the "influxes"!

After that, you can already bury the medicine, guided by the provisions of the instructions. If you feel that the disease has gone far, or the animal is too small for full cleaning, be sure to take your pet to the veterinarian.

The dog is not able to follow the ears properly, so this task falls entirely on the shoulders of its owner. If you do not monitor the condition of your pet's ears, you can face a number of ear diseases.

What are ear diseases in dogs and their symptoms?

The problem of ear diseases is most often faced by breeders of long-eared dog breeds: dachshunds, spaniels, setters, Afghan greyhound shepherds and others. Their ears are usually poorly ventilated, so these dogs are more likely to develop ear problems.

Among the most common ear diseases in dogs, it is customary to distinguish:

• hematoma - blood stains from injuries;
• lymphoextravasate - the accumulation of lymph in the auricle;
• auricle necrosis - a disease of the ear cartilage in which it ceases to function
• otitis media - ear inflammation;
• ingress of foreign bodies into auricle.

Hematoma

Hematoma occurs in the process of injury to the ear: blows, scratches, bites, and so on. Her symptoms:

• the ear becomes larger;
• the ear begins to hang down;
• there is swelling in the ear area;
• the ear becomes hot to the touch;
• the dog starts shaking its head and waving it from side to side;
• the dog constantly scratches his ear, causing even more harm;
• the animal becomes irritable and restless, and sometimes aggressive.

It is imperative to treat the hematoma, since over time the pain from it increases and there is a risk of complications. It is better to entrust the treatment to a veterinarian - he will open the hematoma, remove dead tissue and blood clots, rinse the ear and tell you what to do next. If there is no way to go to a veterinarian, you need to apply cold to the hematoma, and then treat the ear with special ointments.

Lymphoextravasate

This is practically the same disease as a hematoma: the symptoms and causes of these diseases are similar. The only difference is in the treatment. Cold with lymphoextravasate is contraindicated, and all treatment should be carried out exclusively by a veterinarian - it is necessary to pump out the lymph from the ear with a syringe, which requires certain skills. In addition, surgery may be necessary in special cases.

It is imperative to treat the hematoma, since over time the pain from it increases and there is a risk of complications. It is better to entrust the treatment to a veterinarian - he will open the hematoma, remove dead tissue and blood clots, rinse the ear and tell you what to do next. If there is no way to go to a veterinarian, you need to apply cold to the hematoma, and then treat the ear with special ointments.

Auricle necrosis

Necrosis is the necrosis of the ear cartilage. It occurs either if the ear is squeezed for a long time and strongly, or if there are purulent tissues nearby. Necrosis looks like ulcers big size, and the ear cartilage begins to blacken and rot, while causing deformation of the ear. Necrosis can be cured only with the help of an operation: you need to amputate the affected part or even the entire ear.

If signs of otitis media are found, you should immediately contact your veterinarian - in this case, only surgery will help.

Necrosis is the necrosis of the ear cartilage. It occurs either if the ear is squeezed for a long time and strongly, or if there are purulent tissues nearby. Necrosis looks like ulcers of a large size, and the ear cartilage begins to blacken and rot, while causing deformation of the ear. Necrosis can be cured only with the help of an operation: you need to amputate the affected part or even the entire ear.

Foreign bodies in the ear

Grains of sand, grasses, insect larvae, lice can get stuck in the dog's ear from time to time, thereby provoking inflammation. And even though it's not that much serious illness, in order to consult a doctor with him, you still need to rinse the pet's ear with hydrogen peroxide, and to remove painful sensations drip a few drops of camphor oil into the auricle.

Causes of Ear Diseases in Dogs

There can be several reasons for the emergence and development of ear pathologies in dogs. These include:

If you notice something is wrong with your dog's hearing organs, it is better to call the veterinarian right away than wait until it passes. Ears are a very sensitive and fragile part of the body, so ear pathologies should be treated immediately.

Usually, ear problems in dogs - depending on the diagnosis - are treated with antibiotics, antihistamines, and decongestants. Auricane, Aurison and Oridermil are the most common remedies for treating ear problems in dogs.

Prevention of ear infections in dogs

In order not to face such a problem as ear problems in your dog, it is necessary to take all possible preventive measures... These include:

Ears are one of the most vulnerable organs in dogs, as they are more sensitive than humans. Diseases of the ears in dogs cause a lot of suffering to animals, so it is important for the owner to know their symptoms and start treatment on time.

Every dog ​​owner needs to keep an eye on their pet's ears.

Any ear inflammation in a dog can be identified by a change in the animal's behavior. Dogs do the following:

• Shakes her head.
• Scratches ears.
• Rubs his head against furniture.
• Whines when the owner touches the head.
• He walks with his head tilted to the side.
• Rolling on the ground.

except behavioral signs inflammations are observed:

• discharge from the ears, from serous to purulent;
• odor, fetid to sugary sweet;
• swelling of the ear area;
• redness of the mucous membrane.

Causes of Ear Diseases in Dogs

Inflammatory processes in a dog's ears occur due to the following factors:

Any of the above symptoms should be the reason for an urgent visit to the veterinarian. Timely help to the pet will prevent the transition of the disease into a chronic form and will allow you to quickly recover normal work organ.

Otitis

Otitis media in the photo

Otitis media are common among lop-eared dogs. Working hunting dogs, which often swim, are especially susceptible to them. Hit cold water in the ear provokes inflammation in the form of purulent or serous otitis media. Inflammation can occur from fungi or bacteria (staphylococcus, streptococcus) getting into the ear. The reproduction of the infection is facilitated by the reduced immunity of the dog, hypothermia, accumulation of sulfur in the ear canal, ingestion foreign body or the introduction of a tick.

Otitis media can occur in acute or chronic form... The disease is divided into three types:

1. Outer. The inflammation is localized in the area located between the opening of the ear canal and eardrum... Otitis externa develops as an independent disease or as a complication of a skin disease.
2. Average. The structures behind the eardrum become inflamed. A complication of otitis media of the middle ear is facial nerves, keratocuktevitis, soreness.
3. Interior. Inflammation of the ear labyrinth. With such inflammation, the coordination of movements of the dog is disturbed, vestibular disorders, eye vibrations.

Some breeds have a predisposition to the disease. Internal and otitis media gives pain when opening the mouth, hearing loss, impaired yawning, discharge from the eyes. The inflammation develops quickly, the ear swells. If left untreated, pus can enter the brain and cause meningitis and even death of the animal.

If you suspect otitis media, the dog can be given first aid to relieve pain. Otipax and Sofradex drugs are instilled into the animal's ear. The crusts are removed with a swab moistened with hydrogen peroxide, the wounds are treated with brilliant green.

Otitis media can be treated at home, but only after consulting a veterinarian and only with the drugs prescribed by him:

• Allergic otitis media is treated local preparations, following a hypoallergenic diet.
• Purulent otitis media is characterized by the release of an oil secretion that has bad smell... Chlorhexidine solution, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotics (Amoxicillin, Cefazolin, Ceftriaxone) are used for treatment.
• Fungal otitis media. The ear canal is treated with phosphoric acid.

Auricular hematoma

The cause of the disease is trauma to the auricle. The presence of a hematoma is indicated by thickening or swelling of the ear, its drooping, tilting the dog's head to the side.

Hematoma is treated by applying a pressure bandage for 5-6 days, then opening and removing dead tissue. Large wounds are sutured. After the operation, the ears are wrapped around the head and a bandage is applied. Healing takes place within 10-12 days. For better healing the bandage is applied with Levomekol, Methyluracil, Solcoseryl ointments.

Eczema

Itching begins in the ear, redness appears. The dog shakes his head, tries to scratch his ears. As a result of scratching, the blisters of eczema burst, and infection gets into them. Against the background of eczema, secondary skin inflammation can develop.

You can help your pet by instilling Ottinum, Ottipax into the ears. Drops can be supplemented with anesthetic drugs (Diphenhydramine, Analgin). The skin inside the ear is wiped with disinfectants - Rivanol, Hydrogen peroxide, Boric acid... In the presence of strong irritation or edema, Geocorton, Hydrocortisone ointments are used.

Otodectosis

For destruction ear mite drugs Bars, Aurikan, Advocate, Otovedin, Deternol, Tsipam, etc. are used. Before using drops, the ear is wiped with a swab moistened with hygienic lotion or baby oil to soften the crusts and better penetrate the substance into the tissues. After a few minutes, a few drops of the drug are instilled into the ear, the ear is massaged for one to two minutes to evenly distribute the substance over the surface.

Drops from ear mites can only kill adults, so the procedure must be repeated after 14 days. During this time, new specimens hatch from the laid eggs, and if they are not destroyed, the disease will return.

After the first treatment of the ear mite, it is necessary to treat all surfaces in the house. disinfectant solutions, wash the dog's bedding to prevent re-infection.

Dogs are distinguished by excellent hearing and are able to pick up the faintest sounds even at very great distances. If the dog ignores extraneous sounds, does not pick up the commands of the owner poorly, is not afraid of harsh sounds and does not wake up from the noise in the house, it means that he has problems with hearing.

Deafness can be of two types:

• Congenital - is a hereditary pathology, characteristic of some breeds of dogs. To exclude the possibility of acquiring a deaf puppy, a special test is used when purchasing.
• Acquired - arises from many factors in the process of a dog's life. Many ear diseases can lead to deafness, mechanical injury, constant exposure to too strong environmental sounds.

Congenital deafness cannot be treated. Experts believe that even the use of special hearing aids for a dog does not give the desired effect.

Acquired deafness is curable in many cases. After the necessary diagnostic research and the exact determination of the reasons, is appointed drug therapy or operation.

Preventive measures for ear diseases

Dog ear diseases are completely treatable, and serious consequences from them arise only when untimely treatment. Chronic inflammation entails complications, tissue changes, perforation of the tympanic membrane.

In order to notice problems with ears in a dog in time and warn inflammatory processes, it is necessary to carry out daily care them:

• Clean the auricle with a damp swab.
• Remove hair from the ear canal with an arterial clamp or depilatory cream.
• Carefully remove any water that gets into the ear while bathing with napkins.
• With redness inner surface ear, find out the cause with the help of a veterinarian and start treatment immediately.

Timely treatment of ear diseases in a dog and adherence to recommendations for caring for this important body- a guarantee of preserving the hearing of a pet. It is necessary to approach the elimination of hearing problems in a pet responsibly.

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