Teach Your Dog Tricks

Certainly, a dog with big floppy ears does especially steal your heart. But if you’ve ever owned a dog like this, you know that the cuteness comes at a price. A dog ear infection is nothing to take lightly. It is about the most common reason why dog owners visit veterinarians. But can you imagine why a dog with large ears that tend to flop around might have a worse time with ear infections?

The reason is easy to guess – the ear canal in such a dog always remains partly closed off from the atmosphere. This keeps the moisture in a lot more than it would if the dog had open ears. A space such as the ear that remains moist is sure to quickly develop a yeast infection. But open ears have problems of their own too. Open ears are unprotected, more or less, and insects like mites can get in and cause infections all by themselves.

A dog ear infection can be painful. You’ll often see a pet dog keep shaking its head to try to get the irritation off its ears. Sometimes, it can itch so much, a dog will scratch his ears until he draws blood. Sometimes, dogs walk around hanging their head at an odd angle. Infections that beset dogs come from three different sources -allergies, mites and odd fungal attack.

The allergies usually come about when your dog is beset by insects like gnats or fleas. Food allergies and allergies to stuff in the dog’s surroundings can cause ear infections two. You should take notice when you see your dog appear a little bothered. Your vet will prescribe topical medications if the cause is an allergy. For other kinds of allergies, your vet may prescribe antihistamines and steroidal drugs.

For the odd infection that comes from fungus or yeast, a dog owner will usually notice it from an odor that comes from the ears. Certain dogs are more prone than others – Rottweilers, Golden retrievers and cocker spaniels are especially prone. When you take your dog in to the vet’s, he will suggest an antibiotic to begin with, and then clean the ears out flushing them. The doctor will then ask you to help your pet keep its ears clean to keep such problems from occurring in the future.

The same kind of treatment of course will go for a dog ear infection that comes from mites in the ears or other insects. Infections in dogs can easily be helped with considerable care and attention paid to the dog’s surroundings.