Successfully Managing Ear Infections in Dogs & Cats

A pet’s ears are definitely hard to miss. In fact, for many pets, ears are a defining factor. Just try to imagine a Basset Hound without its long, floppy ears. Cats and dogs even communicate with their ears. You’ve probably seen a cat pin back its ears just before swiping at something with one of its paws. And, of course, pets’ ears perform essential functions like hearing and balance control. 

Unfortunately, these beautiful and remarkable organs frequently become diseased. With the help of your veterinarian, you can treat your dog or cat’s infected ears early and appropriately to reduce the chance of the condition worsening or coming back. So take a look at the following helpful information, which is sure to bring music to your pets’ ears. 

Pets at Risk?Ear infections are relatively common in dogs and cats. For example, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) reported that ear infections topped the list of reasons policyholders took their dogs to a veterinarian in 2009. Ear infections were the ninth leading reason for cats to head to the doctor. As you can see, any dog or cat can get an ear infection. So it’s important to know the symptoms listed in “Signs of Ear Infection” below. 

Cause of Infection?The most common form of ear disease is called otitis externa, which means inflammation of the external ear. With this disease, there’s often an infection present. Contrary to popular belief, water getting in pets’ ears and hair growing in their ears doesn’t cause inflammation. (Remember, cats get ear infections and neither of these factors would be present in cats.) The reason for this misconception is that bacteria and yeast, which are sources of infection, tend to thrive in the warm, moist environments of the floppy or hairy ear. The bacteria and yeast are present most likely because the pet suffers from skin allergies, which cause inflammation that often leads to ear infections. But that’s not all that can cause ear infections. Ear-mite infestation, the presence of tumors or masses in the ear, and foreign material—for example, plant awns (foxtails)—in the ear also can be culprits. 

Diagnosing an Infection?If you suspect your pets’ ears are infected, visit your veterinarian. A doctor or veterinary team member will ask for a detailed history of your pet’s ear problem. Then the veterinarian will perform a complete dermatologic examination, since the inflammation is likely part of an overall skin problem. Your veterinarian also will thoroughly examine your pet’s ears, looking deep into them using an otoscope, an instrument with special lighting and magnification. Unlike people’s ear canals, dogs’ and cats’ ear canals are L-shaped, making examination more difficult. In order for the veterinarian to do a complete ear examination, your pet may need to be sedated, especially if the ears are sore or your pet is nervous. 

During the otoscopic examination, your veterinarian will identify which part of your pet’s ear canal is affected, as well as note the kind of discharge present and if there are sores or any swelling. The veterinarian also will evaluate the eardrum, since a ruptured eardrum might mean a more serious infection of the middle ear is present. 

Your veterinarian may take a sample of any discharge found in the ear to examine it under a microscope. Looking closely at the cells that make up the discharge can help the veterinarian identify whether the infection is from bacteria, yeast, or both. This is important because certain bacteria are harder to treat than others and need longer-term therapy. What’s more, veterinarians can detect ear mites with this test. 

As part of your pet’s visit, the veterinarian may clean your pet’s ear, depending on how the ear canals look and the amount of discharge present. The veterinarian may recommend you use a topical medication to treat your pet’s ear. If so, the veterinary team will teach you how to properly use the medication. 

If your cat or dog’s ears are severely inflamed or become inflamed often, your veterinarian may want to investigate the underlying cause. For these more challenging cases, your veterinarian may suggest ear cultures, blood tests, radiographs, and even changes in your pet’s diet to identify allergies or other causes. 

Follow-up Examination?In many cases, your pet’s initial visit won’t be enough to guarantee that your cat or dog continues to grin from ear to ear. When treating infected ears with medication, your veterinarian might ask that you bring your pet back for a follow-up examination seven to 14 days after starting the treatment and again a week or two after treatment has been completed. Why? Ear infections can be stubborn and the ears may still be infected even when the symptoms disappear during treatment. An otoscopic examination—and, possibly, tests—is the only way for your veterinarian to ensure the infection has been resolved. 

Chance of Recurrence?Ear infections that come back again and again, as well as those that don’t seem to respond to treatment, may occur because the original infection was not completely resolved. This can happen when potent medications are administered only intermittently instead of as prescribed, which encourages the development of resistant ear infections. So it’s important to explicitly follow your veterinarian’s directions for giving your pet ear medication. 

Your veterinarian may also prescribe maintenance ear therapy to help prevent the inflammation in your pet’s ears from recurring. Unfortunately, even maintenance therapy often isn’t adequate unless the underlying cause has been identified and treated simultaneously. In fact, failure to address and manage the underlying cause—usually skin allergies—is the most common reason ear infections come back. 

Prevention Strategies?Getting ear infections diagnosed early and treating them promptly can prevent most of them from persisting or becoming more serious. Controlling ear mites and allergies, along with cleaning your pets’ ears as recommended by your veterinarian, also help to stop ear infections in their tracks. 

As you can see, managing ear infections can be complicated. But most cases respond quickly to treatment if you and your veterinarian catch the problem in its early stages. So the sooner a pet gets examined for ear infections, the easier and more successful the treatment is likely to be. And that’s news that will have you and your pets thinking: “We’re all ears.”