Ear Problems in Pets? Try These Solutions

Ear infections and problems are one of the top reported problems faced by many pet owners. Does your dog or cat shake their head and scratch their ears or rub their ears against the ground or furniture? Do you ever notice a foul smelling, discharge in their ears, black, yellowish or brown in color? Are their ears red and tender? These are all signs of an ear infection or problem in your pets.

A dog or car's ear canal is L-shaped which causes dirt, moisture, parasites; mites, and wax to be trapped in the canal which can lead to ear infections. Dog which have long, floppy ears tend to be more prone to ear problems due to the lack of air circulation available to the canal. With long haired, floppy eared dogs, you can keep the hair trimmed on the inside of the ear to increase air circulation.

The conventional treatment for most infections is antibiotic and anti-fungal medications. The problem with these treatments is that they treat only the symptoms, not the underlying cause. To successfully conquer the problem, both must be treated. Medications will mask the problem and may actually make it worse in the long-run by creating a chemical imbalance in the ear resulting in long-term problems.

Approximately 80% of ear infections are actually caused by allergies, with the ear infections and problems actually being one of the symptoms. You need to treat the allergy; the underlying cause as well as the ear infection for a long-term cure.

Treatment

One of the first things you need to do is to clean your pet's ears. Use white vinegar (acetic acid) diluted by half with water and squirt this into the affected ear with a small squirt bottle or syringe. Rub the base of the ear to move it into the canal and clean the outer ear with cotton balls or a soft cloth. The vinegar will remove debris from the ears as well as kill the yeast and bacteria responsible for ear infections. Do this for 5-7 days then continue weekly to avoid recurring problems.