External Otitis

★What is external otitis？

External otitis is an inflammation of the external ear canal. It’s caused by an irregular overgrowth of bacteria and yeast that are usually present in healthy ears. In turn, this leads to excessive ear wax, itchiness and pain from inflammation. When ear infetions reach a chronic stage, it can cause a thickening of your dog’s ear-canal skin, deformation and narrowing of the ear canal. Early treatment is important as deep inflammation may require surgery.

 

★ 3 factors are involved in development of external otitis

1) Basic factors that could make your dog prone to external otitis: Naturally narrow ear canals, hairy ears, floppy ears, excessive secretion of ear wax, underlying conditions (congenital dyskeratosis, idiopathic seborrhea), high-temperatures and humidity in the summer.

2) Direct causes of external otitis: Infection of parasite (ear mites, demodectic mange), allergy (atopic dermatitis, food allergy), foreign body such as a plant or tumor, physical stimulation from scratching with cotton buds, immune-mediated diseases
3) Aggravating factors that worsen external otitis: Abnormal growth of staphylococcus and Malassezia (yeast), deformation of ear canal, abnormalities in middle ear

 

★ Treatment

We treat the direct cause once we can identify it. For example, we use anti parasite medicine to treat ear mite infections, which is common in puppies. This medicine does not work on eggs, so you will need to apply this medication several times until all the eggs hatch. We prescribe ear drops or ear cleaner when there is excessive buildup of bacteria or yeast. There are long-lasting ear drops that require less-frequent application compared to others, so please talk to the vet if it is difficult for you to apply ear drops at home.

When there is pain, we postpone ear cleaning and only use medicine until the pain goes away. We prescribe anti-inflammatory or antibiotics when there is strong inflammation and possibility of the eardrum being damaged. 

 

★ Prevention

Since bacteria and yeast naturally live in your dogs ears, they won’t totally disappear after using medicine. Therefore, recurrence is always a possibility, but you can reduce the frequency by cleaning your pet’s ear regularly. Getting your pet used to ear cleaning makes it easier to both you and your dog when there is a need for ear treatment. We recommend that you practice from the time they’re a puppy and you bring them in as a family member!

 

★ How to clean ears

  1. Step1 Gently squeeze or pour some ear cleansing solution into the ear canal.
  2. Step2 Gently massage the ear canal using a tissue. Ear wax will be flushed out of the ear, so wipe this residue off with a cotton pad or tissue—as deep as your fingers can reach. 
  3. Step3 Repeat until the ear wax is removed. Q-tips may scratch the skin or push ear wax back into the ear canal, so it’s better not to use this at home, only use a cotton pad or tissue. Drops of solution remaining in the ear canal might fly out when your dog shakes their head, but don’t worry about this.  

 

if your dog cannot handle solution
directly being poured into their ears…..

  1. Step1 Wet a cotton ball with ear cleaning solution first and put it into the ear.
  2. Step2 Gently massage so you wring the solution out of the cotton ball into the ear canal.
  3. Step3 Remove the cotton and massage the ear canal. Ear wax will be flushed out, so wipe off this residue with tissue as you go.