Dog Care: Ear Infections

Dog Care: Ear Infections

Dog Care: Nine ways of preventing dog ear infections

Dog Care: How can dog’s ears become infected? All dog’s ear infections are most often the result of bacteria or yeast and it is an important part of effective dog care to prevent unnecessary pain and suffering to your dog.

• Ear mite infection,
• Growing hair within the ear cavity,
• Water becoming trapped within the dog’s ear,
• Or even a tumor or foreign body within the ear canal which can lead to an infected growth of bacteria or yeast.

Although infections within the dog’s ear may develop when allergies, hypothyroidism with or without an excessive amount of ear wax being present.

The frequent activities of swimming, bathing and incorrect or no effective cleaning methods of your dog’s ears can also be the cause of ear infections of dogs. An understanding of your dog’s ears structure would be of use here. Generally your dog’s ears canals plunge downwards into his head, and then horizontally from the ear opening, so when there is debris or water deep within the ear canal it is very difficult for the debris or water or even a foreign body to access the surface of the ear lobe, and this fact makes dogs extremely vulnerable and susceptible to ear infections and therefore difficult to resolve as attempting to dislodge the offending substance can make matters worse and can add to this painful condition. You can find out more about effective dog care and the role you need to play to avoid pain and suffering to your dog by simply researching details on this content rich DogSiteWorld-Store site.

Dog Care: How do I detect my dog has an ear infection? The symptoms of ear infection to look out for:

• Ear scratching
• Brown, yellow or bloody discharge
• Oder in the ear
• Redness
• Swelling
• Crusted or scabby detriment on the near ear flap
• Hair loss around the entrance of the offending ear
• Continuously wiping the ear area on the floor or furniture
• Head shaking or head tilt
• Loss of balance
• Unusual eye movements
• Walking in circles
• Hearing loss

Dog Care: Are you looking for dog care information on how to prevent dog ear infections? What is the proper way to clean dog ears? Dog ears come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but despite the difference in the appearance of dog ears, they all share one thing in common; all dog ears have an excellent sense of hearing.

Because of the delicate structure in the dog ears, both the outer and inner ear, it is very important to prevent dog ear problems before they occur, an important aspect of effective and preventative dog care. Below are five useful tips to help you prevent dog ear problems and suggestions on how to properly clean them.

1. Gently wedge some cotton into the outside ear opening before giving your dog a bath. This procedure ensures that no water drops into the dog ears.

2. Dog ears should be cleaned about once a month. The process of cleaning dog ears can be done using a cotton swab dampened in either alcohol, diluted peroxide, mineral oil, or a cleansing product that is recommended by your vet. Using gentle strokes, carefully wipe around the folds of both the inner dog ear opening as well as the exterior dog ear opening, lifting away the wax build up.

Make sure that you do not bury the wax deeper into the dog ear. To ensure that you do not damage the delicate structure of the inner dog ear, clean only the parts of the dog ears that are clearly visible. Keep in mind that wax protects the dog ear canal. Therefore, in finishing the process, make sure to leave some wax behind. This will also delay cleaning the dog ears if there has been a few wax build up from the previous cleaning.

3. If your dog has a habit of running in brushes and tall grass, make sure to check under the dog ear flaps. Vegetative substance can get attached to the fur surrounding the dog ears. If this substance is not promptly removed, it can lodge inside the ear that causes irritation to the membranes. This leads to ear infections.

4. Specific breeds such as English Spaniels, Schnauzers and Poodles can have extreme hair in the ears that can obstruct air circulation and causes infection. To prevent this dog ear problem from happening, everyday combing and regular trimming of the hair around the dog ears are required. Dogs such as Cocker Spaniels, Golden Retrievers and Poodles because they have floppy ear lobes are especially vulnerable to continuous ear infections and would be in need of continuous intervention to avoid ear infections.

5. Injuries and cuts right under the inner dog ear flaps can rapidly become infected. Make sure to always check your dog ears for any injured tissue, especially if he has been in a fight with another animal or if he is showing any of the signs highlighted above.

6. Check your dog’s ears regularly for any symptoms of infection.

7. If the ear canal seems dirty, then clean as above, and especially consider using a solution which can be obtained from your vet – but don’t clean too deeply that you cause irritation.

8. After baths and swimming, ensure you dry your dog’s ears thoroughly and with extreme care to avoid ear damage.

9. If your dog is prone to ear infections vet if canine ear-drying solution would be beneficial to use to dry your dog’s ears.

Your dog’s inner ear mucus membranes are extremely delicate, so to be safe it would be useful to ask your vet to demonstrate the correct method used to maintain your dog’s ear healthcare.

Dog Care: When should I see the vet? When your dog is showing any of the ear infection symptoms displayed above, then you must see the vet as soon as possible. Please understand that although the dog may be in pain, your dog will not always show it with outward signs, such as a sudden show of aggression can be a positive indicator of physical pain. Behavior changes must also prompt a vet’s examination. It is important as both a caring dog owner and a dog lover that you take responsibility for your dog’s dog care and this content rich article will assist in your desire to care for your dog.

To Your Success

Desmo Boss

DogSiteWorldStore