Ear Mites

  It's pretty easy to tell when your dog has an ear infection. They shake their head.  They whine. And when you give hugs, you can smell the special odor of a yeasty, bacterial ear infection. And of course if you take a close look, you will see that the ear canal is hot, red, inflamed, and full of dirty goop.  If you touch the ear it will often hurt.  Or elicit groans. 

  Possible other causes include foreign bodies such as foxtails in the ear canal, masses in the ear canal, drug sensitivities, food allergies (which are different from other allergies), thyroid disease, immune disorders, parasites (there are several different types besides the common ear mite), and metabolic disorders like diabetes and Cushing's disease.  Other factors include "swimmer’s ear,” excessive hair growth in the ear canals, excessive hair removal from the ear canal, excessive bathing, and sensitivity to harsh ear wax cleaners.

  A comprehensive physical examination is very important and we may recommend lab work to try to narrow down all the possible causes.  Our veterinarians will want to have a good look down the ear canal.  It may be necessary to sedate your pet in order to clean out the ear well enough to get a good look.  Or maybe he or she will have you come back after a few days of treatment to look again when hopefully the ear will be improved.

  Here's what to expect if your pet has an ear problem at our clinic:

  A good examination and history:  It always starts here.  Our exam includes looking closely at the rest of the body, especially for skin lesions and signs of atopy (inhalant allergies) such as paw licking, inflamed lymph nodes etc.

  Of course a good visual look under magnification of the ear canal is vital, allowing us to look for foreign objects (like foxtails, cotton balls, or ticks), growths, and dermoids (tufts of hair that can irritate or ingrow), as well as give us a thorough inspection of the eardrum.

  Microscopic smear of the ear wax:  With this simple smear we can see ear mites, demodex, and pus.  When we stain the sample we can also identify yeasts, bacteria, and white blood cells that may indicate infection.

  A possible bacterial culture:  Recommended for those ears that are infected but haven't responded well to antibiotics previously...this implies a resistant organism like pseudomonas, etc.  Results take 3-5 days.

  Common ear problems in pets

Allergies

We'll keep this simple for now.  Dogs, and sometimes cats, have inhalant allergies to things like molds, yeast, and pollens that show up as ear allergies.  Actually this is very common and frequently the underlying cause of other ear problems.  Sometimes the problem is a food allergy or contact allergy.  And sometimes it's a combination of allergies. 

  Yeast infections

Yeast organisms are rarely the primary cause of ear infections, but they certainly are common invaders of ears that are already red, moist, and irritated from other causes.  But once the yeast infection is established it not only makes the ear much more painful and odorous, but it's difficult to solve the ear problem without also treating the yeast problem. 

  Ear mites

Ear mites are very common in cats but occasionally are seen in dogs.

There are several different types, but in general, fleas and ear mites have become resistant to most of the over-the-counter treatments.  Despite the label claims, they simply do not work well.  Our veterinarians will prescribe an effective treatment to get rid of the ear mites.