A dog with floppy ears or long ears is more prone to developing ear infections and unfortunately, many dog owners with breeds like Cocker Spaniels, Beagles and Basset Hounds find that their dogs suffer from chronic ear infections.
The key to treating and curing chronic ear infections in dogs long ears is to understand why these frequent infections occur.
Why Are Dogs With Long Ears or Floppy Ears More Prone to Chronic Ear Infections?
A dog with long ears or floppy ears is more apt to develop frequent and chronic ear infections due to the warm, dark, moist environment that's created inside the ear canal.
Unlike a dog with erect ears, floppy ears cover the opening of the dog's ear canal. The dog's long ears cover the ear canal, holding in moisture and creating a warm, dark environment - a perfect environment for bacteria growth and fungal growth.
Chronic Ear Infections in Dogs: Yeast Infections
A dog with floppy ears is more likely to develop two different types of ear infections.
Yeast infections - a type of fungal infection - develop when there's a sudden overgrowth of the natural population of yeast on the skin's surface. The yeast grows at a rapid rate, beyond what the dog's immune system can control and this leads to a yeast infection.
Symptoms of dog with a yeast infection in the ear include:
- Intense Itching
- Scaly, Oozing Skin
- Head Shaking
- Redness
- Swelling
- Ear Discharge (with a distinct odor)
Notably, yeast infections have a tendency to spread to other parts of the body. It's not uncommon for a yeast infection to start in the dog's ear, and then spread to the face and feet when the dog itches his ear.
Frequent Ear Infections in Dogs - Bacterial Infections
Dogs with floppy, long ears are also prone to developing bacterial infections in the ear. These ear infections occur in a similar manner as the yeast fungus; when the conditions are right, the bacteria grows at a rapid rate, faster than what the dog's immune system can control.
Symptoms of a dog with a bacterial ear infection include:
- Head Shaking
- Head Tilting
- Discharge
- Redness
- Odor
- Swelling of the Ear Canal
If left untreated, a dog's ear infection will progress, affecting the inner ear. When this occurs, the dog's vestibular system can be affected, causing balance problems, even nausea, vomiting and other symptoms similar to those experienced by a human who is suffering from vertigo.
Preventing and Curing Ear Infections in Dogs With Long, Floppy Ears
There are some measures that dog owners can take to prevent frequent or chronic ear infections in a long-eared dog.
- Clean the dog's ears daily. Use a good quality ear cleaning solution and proper ear cleaning techniques when cleaning the dog's ears daily to remove any moisture or bacteria.
- Remove hair from the dog's ears. Many dogs have hair in and around the ear canal. This hair can be plucked from the ear canal with virtually no pain or discomfort. Even trimming the dog's ear hair will be helpful in preventing ear infections. Removing hair from in and around the ear canal will improve air flow, as the fur will no longer hold in moisture and bacteria.
- Treat ear infections as soon as symptoms arise. Ear infections will not "get better" if left untreated. In fact, the ear infection will only get worse. And in the case of yeast infections, the infection will spread to the dog's face and feet, making treatment even more difficult. An untreated yeast infection is also prone to bacterial infection, since scratching can break the skin, leaving the wound open to bacteria.
Learn More About Ear Infections in Dogs
Often, ear infections are associated with a condition known as an aural hematoma. The hematoma in the dog's ear results from head shaking and scratching. Floppy-eared dogs are especially prone to this condition. Learn more in "Aural Hematomas in Dogs -- Causes, Treatments of a Dog Ear Hematoma."
For more information on ear infections, read Does My Dog Have an Ear Infection? along with How Do I Clean My Dog's Ears?
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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