Ear Infection In Golden Retriever

How Are Chronic Ear Infections In Dogs Diagnosed

Your veterinarian will start by taking a detailed history and performing a thorough physical exam including an otoscopic examination of the ear canals. The otoscope can identify any masses, polyps or growths within the ear canal. Your veterinarian will then take a swab of the ear canals to perform an in-house cytological evaluation that will identify the type of ear infection such as yeast, bacteria or ear mites.

Primary Golden Retriever Ear Infection Causes

While any dog can contract an ear infection, certain features make golden retrievers especially susceptible.

These features include:

• Predisposition to thyroid disease and allergies Thyroid disease and various allergieswhich are both common for golden retrieverscan often act as an underlying condition that causes a dogs ear infections.2
• Long luscious locks The long, golden hair thats so well designed to keep your pup warm in cold and wet conditions can also hold in extra heat and moisture around the goldens ears. Unfortunately, that creates an environment where bacteria and yeast can grow, causing yeast infection in the ear.2
• Floppy ears Golden retrievers signature floppy ear also acts to hold in moisture and warmth, making it easier for bacteria and yeast to grow and cause yeast infection in the ear. While all dogs can contract an ear infection, a floppy ear can make certain breeds especially susceptible.2
• Love of water Bred to hunt water-fowl, most golden retrievers love water. But when water gets in their ear canals, it can lead to a dog ear infection if its not cleaned out immediately.2

However, not all ear infection causes relate to dog breed.

Any dog can contract an ear infection from:1

• Something getting into the ear, like grass or fox tails
• Physical trauma to the ear

Your vet can check for these possibilities, along with causes more typical to golden retrievers.

What Are The Symptoms Of An Ear Infection

Ear infections are painful. Many dogs will shake their head and scratch their ears trying to relieve the discomfort. The ears often become red and inflamed and develop an offensive odor. A black or yellowish discharge commonly occurs. In chronic cases the ears may appear crusty or thickened and the ear canals often become narrowed due to the chronic inflammation.

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Contact Us About Dog Ear Infections

These symptoms are some of the most common associated with ear infections in dogs. However, your dog may also show some other signs along with his ear infection.

For this reason, its important to work with a trusted vet to get the right diagnosis for your pet, and then to work on figuring out a good treatment plan too. If you have any questions, call Lakeland Animal Clinic today at .

How To Get Rid Of A Yeast Infection In Dog’s Ear

Ear infections are uncomfortable and itchy for dogs, not only that, they can become painful if the infection is left untreated and becomes more severe.

If you think that your dog may have a yeast infection in one or both ears it’s time to head to the vet. Your veterinarian can determine the cause of your pup’s ear infection and recommend the best treatment. During your dog’s appointment, your vet will likely give your dog’s ears a good cleaning to get treatment started off right.

The best treatment for your dog’s yeast ear infection will depend upon the underlying cause and may include:

• Regularly cleaning your pup’s ears at-home with a medicated cleanser
• Topical medications

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What Is An Ear Infection

An ear infection is, by definition, an infection that involves the ear. Generally, it is understood that an ear infection either involves the deeper ear canal, the middle ear, or both. Conversely, a different term that tends to be used is an aural hematomaif the external flap of the ear is involved. If it involves the external canal, it is called otitis externa, whereas if it involves the middle ear, it is called otitis media.

Ear infections can be caused by various different infectious organisms, including bacteria , fungi, or yeast. Foreign bodies, or material that should not normally be found in the ear, can obstruct the normal drainage of the ear, and cause infections as well. Sometimes, a specific cause is not identified.

Ear infections are most commonly found in only one ear, but both ears can be impacted if physical causes, such as narrowed canals or other unusual ear anatomy are present. Similarly, a history of lots of swimming, or a breed predisposition to unusual skin flora may make bilateral ear infections more common.

Since These Symptoms Are Similar And Usually Mean An Infection Why Can’t I Just Get Some Ear Medication

There are several kinds of bacteria and at least one type of fungus that commonly cause ear infections. Without knowing the specific kind of infection present, it is not possible to know which medication to use. In some cases, the problem is a foreign body, a polyp, or a tumor. Treatment with medication alone will not resolve these problems. It is important that your dog be examined to ensure that the eardrum is intact. Administration of certain medications can result in loss of hearing if the eardrum is ruptured. This can only be detected by a thorough ear examination by your veterinarian.

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Trust Vetericyn To Support Your Golden Retrievers Ear Health

Used and recommended by veterinarians around the world, Vetericyn products support your pets healthincluding our Vetericyn Plus® Antimicrobial Ear Rinse.

Available at , Chewy, and Petco, our ear rinse helps you keep your dogs ears healthy by alleviating irritations, removing foreign materials from their ears, and generally keeping their ears clean.

Whatever you need, we value going the extra mile to help you provide the pet you love with high-quality, effective care.

Reviewed by Dan Richardson, Veterinarian

Dan Richardson has been a practicing veterinarian for over 10 years. He specializes in surgery and orthopedics. Dan is originally from rural western Nevada and attended the University of Idaho for undergraduate study and Oregon State University for Veterinary School. The Richardson Family enjoys camping and spending time on the water fishing, paddle boarding, or digging their feet in the sand somewhere warm.

What If Your Dog Has Chronic Ear Infections

Chronic ear infections can be time-consuming and frustrating for the pet, the owner, and even the veterinarian.

Certain breeds of dogs are known to more commonly experience recurring ear infection issues, according to the Veterinary Information Network.3 This can be partly due to genetics, ear shape, or ear confirmation. Over time, proliferative ear tissue can form, making treatment more difficult.

• Cocker Spaniels and Springer Spaniels commonly get chronic infections due to long, floppy ears and a high numbers of ceruminous glands .

• Shar-Peis have small ear canals that can trap and hide debris.

• Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are prone to allergies and underlying sensitivities leading to chronic or recurrent ear infection.

• Schnauzers and Poodles often have excess hair deep in the ear canal.

Chronic dog ear infections require closely working with your veterinarian to treat. It is important that your vet does testing to choose the appropriate medication. Chronic infections can require medication consistently for 6 to 8 weeks.

After treatment, testing is needed again to ensure that all the infection has cleared. If we stop medicating too soon or do not treat underlying problems, it is easy for the infection to return, sometimes even becoming resistant to many medications.

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What Is The Goal Of Ear Canal Surgery

There are several surgical procedures that are used to treat this problem. The most commonly performed surgery is called a lateral ear resection. The goal of the surgery is to remove the vertical part of the ear canal and to eliminate the swollen tissue from the horizontal canal. It is relatively easy to remove the vertical canal, but removal of large amounts of tissue from the horizontal canal is more difficult. In some cases, it is necessary to remove the entire ear canal , which may result in permanent impairment of hearing. See handout “Total Ear Canal Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy ” for information on this surgery.

How To Treat Dog Ear Infections Properly

Your veterinarian will likely need to test the ear debris or perform scans of your dogs ear to choose the appropriate treatment. These are some tests that your vet might conduct:

• Cytology uses special stains on the swab of debris to color the microscopic bacterial cells or fungus. Viewing these under the microscope can identify the specific cause.

• Culture/sensitivity testing uses special medium/broth to grow and identify the specific bacteria that are causing the infection. It also tests which antibiotics will be effective in eliminating the infection.

• Blood testing may be needed to check for endocrine disease as an underlying condition.

• Skull x-rays, a CT scan, or an MRI may be needed to assess the extent of severe or inner ear disease.

Once the details of your dogs ear infection are known, therapy will likely consist of multiple elements that may include topical, oral, or surgical therapies.

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Symptoms Of Middle And Inner Ear Infections In Dogs

There are several signs that may indicate that your dog has an ear infection. If you notice any of these signs, make an appointment with your veterinarian to determine which part of the ear is affected and to provide the proper treatment of the infection.

Ear Infection of Outer, Middle & Inner Ear

• Shaking of the head
• Scratching under the ear or near the cheek
• Rubbing the ear on the ground or other objects
• Cocking the head to one side
• Discharge from the ear
• Foul smell coming from the ear
• Whining or crying

Middle or Inner Ear Infection

• Vomiting or nausea
• Drooling from the side of the mouth on the affected side
• Dropping food out of their mouth or difficulty eating
• Unable to blink
• Eyelids, lips, or nostrils that droop on the affected side
• Symptoms of Horners Syndrome occur
• Falling or leaning toward the affected side
• Walking in circles towards the affected ear
• Thick discharge from the affected ear
• Sudden hearing loss in the affected ear
• Inflamed ear canal oftentimes a bright red color
• Pain when the ear is touched
• Eyes darting back and forth
• Nerve paralysis in the face

How To Clean The Ear Of Your Golden Retriever

Since the narrow ear space promotes the growth of microbes due to debris trapped in-ear. Thus, dog breeds with droopy-ear like Golden Retriever need regular cleaning of the ear. And, you will need few basic materials to make the cleaning process easy and effective. They include:

• Damp cotton wool pads

After you ensure that you have all the equipment, use these steps for cleaning the ears of your Golden Retriever.

• Make your pet comfortable and lift his ear carefully to observe the ear.
• Check for redness, swelling, and smelly discharge. It is normal to have a small amount of light-colored wax. But if the ear has a large amount of wax, you must be attentive. It may be the first sign of infection.
• Clean the area around the ear with damp cotton wool and gently wipe the dirt and excess wax.
• Use the dog-based ear cleaner cautiously.
• Massage the base of your Retriever ear after inserting the cleaner.
• Use ear drops if your Vet has recommended ear drops, put them carefully.
• Repeat all these processes in the other ear.

Do you follow these steps while cleaning the ear of your pet?

If you havent yet. Then, follow the steps and share your results.

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How To Treat A Dog Ear Infection

“Typically, when it gets to the point of infection, you need prescription medication,” Grant says. It’s best to see your veterinarian as soon as you notice symptoms because ear infections won’t go away on their own.

Your veterinarian will take a swab of the ear discharge and look at it under a microscope to see if it’s mites, yeast, or bacteria, and then prescribe the appropriate medication. Treatments include antibiotics, antifungals and anti-mite medications that are usually applied to the skin. But if the infection has advanced to the inner ear, your veterinarian may recommend oral medications.

Diagnosis Of Middle And Inner Ear Infections In Dogs

While it is fairly easy to diagnose an outer ear infection, it can be trickier to identify a middle or inner ear infection. Veterinarians will examine the ear canal and can usually identify if inflammation is present within the ear canal.

Your veterinarian will diagnose a middle or inner ear infection based on previous history and any present clinical signs. Dogs that are prone to ear infections should be checked on a regular basis for any changes to the ear. This will allow treatment to start quickly to combat the infection and keep it from progressing into a severely painful situation for your dog.

A swab for cytology and a culture and sensitivity test may be taken.

Diagnostic imaging such as a CT scan can also be useful for assessing the tympanic bullae.

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How Not To Care For Dogs Ears

Q-tips were not designed to accommodate the L-shaped structure of the canine ear canal, so dont use them to clean your dogs ears. They irritate the ear canal and push debris further in to unreachable areas, making a small problem much worse.

Dont use alcohol, mineral oil, and lanolin-based products in your dogs ears. Alcohol both stings inflamed tissues, which will decrease your dogs willingness to allow you to examine or handle his ears it also can dry out the sensitive tissues inside the ear. Mineral oil is heavy and traps dirt, bacteria, and fungi in the ear. And some dogs have an adverse reaction to lanolin-based products, leading to deafness.

When selecting a product, your veterinarian can consider the type of exudate in your dogs ear ideally, she should avoid prescribing an oily product if your dog has a lot of oozing liquid or pus in her ear. Oily medications simply sit on this yucky liquid leading to inadequate treatment.

Is There Anything I Need To Know About Administering Medication In The Ear

“It is important to get the medication into the horizontal part of the ear canal.”

It is important to get the medication into the horizontal part of the ear canal . Unlike our ear canal, the dog’s external ear canal is L-shaped. The vertical canal connects with the outside of the ear and is the upper part of the ‘L’. The horizontal canal lies deeper in the canal and terminates at the eardrum. The goal is to administer the medication into the lower part of the ‘L’ – the horizontal ear canal.

The ear canal may be medicated by following these steps:

“Do not use cotton tipped applicators to do this, as they tend to push debris back into the vertical ear canal.”

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Diagnosing Ear Infections In Dogs

To diagnose an ear infection, your veterinarian will begin with a physical examination of the ear. Your vet will use an otoscope to look inside your dog’s ear and then may swab the ear canal to obtain and test a bacterial sample. The vet will look for any abnormalities in the canal through the otoscope, like swelling, discharge, growths, and redness. A biopsy may be performed in severe cases or if your vet finds a growth that carries a risk of malignancy.

Wipe Away Any Moisture

After theyre done shaking, wipe away any moisture with a cotton ball. Typically, you dont need to wipe away the solution with water. However, you should ensure that, by the end of this process, your dogs ears are entirely dry before letting them go off to play or rest.

Then, repeat with the other ear!

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Your Golden Retrievers Health

We know that because you care so much about your dog, you want to take good care of her. That is why we have summarized the health concerns we will be discussing with you over the life of your Golden. By knowing about health concerns specific to Golden Retrievers, we can tailor a preventive health plan to watch for and hopefully prevent some predictable risks.

Many diseases and health conditions are genetic, meaning they are related to your pets breed. There is a general consensus among canine genetic researchers and veterinary practitioners that the conditions weve described herein have a significant rate of incidence and/or impact in this breed. That does not mean your dog will have these problems it just means that she is more at risk than other dogs. We will describe the most common issues seen in Golden Retrievers to give you an idea of what may come up in her future. Of course, we cant cover every possibility here, so always check with us if you notice any unusual signs or symptoms.

Brushing your dogs teeth daily will prevent periodontal disease.