Ear Infections Are Very Common In Dogs

1. Ear Infections Are Very Common In
Dogs - Why?
Because of the anatomy of the ear in some
breeds of dogs. It's longer and deeper than in
humans, for example. And in some breeds,
covered by an ear flap that makes the inside
of the ear canal warm and moist. Like an
incubator.
Another reason: dogs have a lot of mast cells
that can release histamine and other allergic
chemicals. In other words, it's common for
dogs with allergies to have itchy, irritated
ears. It all comes together; the allergies
irritate the ears and in response they produce
more ear wax. Because of the extra ear wax
and inflammed ear canals, and because the
ear canals in many dogs are extra warm and
moist because of anatomy, you can
understand why so many dogs keep getting
ear infections over and over again.

2. 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, inflammed, and full of goo. If you
touch the ear it will often hurt. Or elicit
groans. I went to vet school to learn this
great stuff.
In case you didn't see my smile, that was a
little joke. But here's something serious.
You can't just assume what I just told you is
true ... for your particular pet. Each case is
different. Or complicated by other factors.
Possible other causes include foreign bodies
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), metabolic disorders

3. including diabetes and cushings disease.
Other factors include "swimmers" ear,
excessive hair growth in the ear canals,
excessive hair removal from the ear canal,
excessive bathing, sensitivity to harsh ear
wax cleaners. Oh I forgot to mention yeast
and fungus in addition to bacteria. And
sometimes the bacteria is the type that
doesn't cooperate and die even when you're
using a powerful antibiotic. Hoo Boy.
I bring this all to your attention to
underscore the importance of a good exam
and probably some lab work to try to narrow
down all the possible causes. Your vet 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.
aaheroe is a webmaster and cat and dog

4. lover.
For more information visit http://www.my-
pet-medicine.com