Chronic Bacterial Ear Infections In Dogs

Long eared dog breeds with excessive hair and non erect outer ears such as the cocker spaniel labrador retriever and springer spaniel are believed to be more.

Chronic bacterial ear infections in dogs.

Painful itchy ears and nasty smelly discharge. Acute ear infections are those every now and then infections that can happen. Many dogs that have chronic ear infections have an underlying health condition. Otitis media refers to an inflammation of the dog s middle ear while otitis interna refers to an inflammation of the inner ear both of which are commonly caused by bacterial infection.

8 in dogs with recurrent ear infections of 6 months or longer up to 89 may have concurrent otitis media. Chronic dog ear infections are the bane of long eared dogs swimming dogs recently vaccinated puppies old dogs dogs with an abundance of ear wax and dogs with allergies thyroid imbalances or immune system disorders. According to v etstreet dog ear infections can be classified into two main categories. Acute and chronic dog ear infections are one of the most commonly treated conditions in veterinary medicine.

You know the symptoms of chronic dog ear infections. Then once the middle ear is infected the infection can spread to the inner ear where it will affect the dog s sense of balance and position. Recurrent bacterial and yeast infections and infection of the middle ear can fall into this category. Chronic otitis is basically a long lasting ear infection that can affect any dog causing itchy painful smelly ears.

If your dog is prone to chronic or recurrent ear infections identifying and managing any underlying causes such as allergies can help prevent new infections from occurring. Otitis media and otitis interna in dogs. In other words ear infections are among the most common recurring canine problems. Quite a few things can cause the disease parasites allergies growths which is progressive and can lead to a rupturing of the eardrum or narrowing of the ear canal.

Catching and treating an infection early while it s still in the outer ear will help prevent more serious middle and inner ear infections. Although otitis interna is uncommon in dogs with chronic otitis externa otitis media is common with a reported incidence of 50 to 88 9. About 70 have an intact but abnormal tympanic membrane. For one in four of those dogs the condition is chronic.

Diagnosing ear problems in dogs if your dog s ears seem to bother her and particularly if she has developed a second and or recurrent ear infection your veterinarian or veterinary dermatologist is the best place to start. It s important to consider all symptoms that your dog is displaying to figure out why she has an ear infection. It s estimated that about 20 of dogs have some form of ear disease.