The ABCs of ENTs: Caring for Your Dog's Eyes, Ears, and Teeth

Grooming involves more than just keeping your dog's hair looking good. After all, you wouldn't consider a person well-groomed if they never brushed their teeth or cleaned their eyes---even if they did have perfectly coifed hair. But with dogs, keeping the teeth, ears and eyes well groomed is vital not only for good looks, but for good health. 

Eyes
Healthy eyes require very little attention except to use a moist cloth to clean away any crusts that may accumulate overnight. But this gives you a chance every day to check your dog's eye health. Check that errant hairs, lashes, or vibrissa are not touching the cornea (the clear outer surface of the eye) and causing irritation. Dogs with long hair or with lid problems may need special care, such as clipping the hair or tying it back, to keep hair away from the eye. In some cases a few extra eye lashes turn in toward the eye, and the offending lashes must be surgically removed. 

Many eye problems cause a watery or mucous discharge. Some dogs have tear ducts that fail to open (a condition called imperforate lacrimal punctum), so their tears drain out onto the face. Tears cause the coat to stain red. You will need to keep the eyes clean to make your dog comfortable and attractive. Ask your veterinarian to check your dog's eyes if he has tear staining. 

Squinting or pawing at the eye can arise from pain. Swelling and redness may indicate glaucoma, a scratched cornea, or several other problems. Profuse tear discharge may be caused by a foreign body, scratched cornea, or blocked tear drainage duct. Thick mucus and a dull appearing surface may indicate “dry eye” (keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or KCS). Any change in pupil size, or if you can see a sort of half-moon shape behind the pupil, or anything protruding from the pupil, is cause for an immediate visit to the veterinarian as they could indicate a brain injury, lens detachment, or other potentially serious problem. 

Ears
The dog's ear canal is made up of an initial long vertical segment with an abrupt right angle turn before reaching the ear drum. This design means that moisture and debris can accumulate in that hidden area and cause problems. This is especially true in dogs with any feature that prevents air from circulating freely. Such features include hanging ear flaps, long narrow ear canals, folds in the ear canal, or hair near the entrance of the ear canal. The restricted air flow prevents moisture from evaporating and creates a warm, humid environment perfect for nurturing bacteria and fungus. Although certain types of bacteria are normal and harmless inhabitants of the ear canal, others can grow unchecked, causing the ear canal’s surface to react to their byproducts by secreting oils and becoming inflamed. The inflammation causes swelling, further restricting the flow of air. 

Overzealous cleaning can actually contribute to the problem. A certain amount of wax is normal and serves a protective function in the ear. If you dig down with cotton swabs and scratch the delicate lining, you create a foothold for bacteria.
Other factors can contribute to ear problems. Allergies are the most common cause of ear problems in dogs. Seborrhea can cause itchiness and contributes to a heavy accumulation of ear wax. Parasites, such as ear mites, can also cause intense itching. Signs are head shaking, head tilt, and a dark coffee-ground like build-up in the ears. Your veterinarian can prescribe ear drops or newer drug therapies. 

Signs of ear problems can include head shaking, head tilt, scratching at the ear, rubbing the ear, smelly ear, and dark build up within the ear. These same signs can occur no matter what the cause, yet the various causes require different treatments. In addition, in cases of chronic problems, the ear drum could be perforated, in which case you would not want to put the same medications into the ear as you would with an intact ear. For these reasons, ear problems should be examined by a veterinarian. 

If the problem is an infection, the veterinarian will prescribe ointment or drops that will kill fungus and bacteria. If the infection is advanced, oral antibiotics may also be prescribed. 

If the ear is filled with wax and debris, it will need to be cleaned so the medication can reach the lining of the canal. If the ear is extremely painful it will be impossible to clean it without sedating the dog. You also don’t want to do this if the ear drum is perforated. In most cases however, the veterinarian will send you home with an ear flush solution along with medication. Ear flush solution not only loosens wax and debris so medication can reach the ear’s surface, but has a drying agent so it doesn’t leave the ear wet. Squirt the liquid in quickly (the slower it goes in the more it tickles) then gently massage it around the base of the ear. Let go and stand back while your dog shakes. Then do it again. After the ear is cleaned, you can squeeze any prescribed medicated ointment or drops into the canal, again gently massaging the ear base to disperse the medicine. 

Allowing air to reach the canal can be helpful in curing ear infections. If your dog has heavy hanging ears you can hold the ears back by slipping a length of nylon stocking over the head with the ears folded back. You can even add holes in the stocking over the canals to aid in ventilation. Carefully shave any hair around the ear opening to allow maximal ventilation even when the ears are down. 

Teeth
Dental care ideally begins in puppyhood, as you teach your dog to enjoy getting his teeth brushed. But even if your dog is older, it's not too late. You can start by rubbing your fingers, along with some meat-flavored doggy toothpaste, along his teeth. Work up to a finger brush and then a soft-bristled doggy tooth brush Don't use human toothpaste, which has a taste dogs hate. Brush a little, and give a treat. Make it habit to brush once a day. 

If you let plaque build up, it attracts bacteria and saliva, which harden into tartar. It spreads rootward causing irreversible periodontal disease with tissue, bone, and tooth loss. The bacteria gain an inlet to the bloodstream, where it can cause kidney and heart valve infections. Hard crunchy foods don't help as much as they were once thought to, although special foods exist that are designed to break when chewed so they then scour the dog's teeth. Regardless, they don’t take the place of brushing. If tartar accumulates, your dog may need a thorough cleaning under anesthesia. If you don't brush your dog's teeth, chances are he will develop periodontal disease by a few years of age, and it will continue to worsen. 

When brushing your dog's teeth, look for other problems that may develop. Dogs that chew hard bones can crack their teeth, most commonly getting slab fractures (in which the outer layer of the tooth is broken off) of the large premolars farther back in their mouth. Dogs that play a lot of catching games, or get into fights, can have cracked canine teeth. Toy dogs and dogs with periodontal disease are prone to recessed gums and loose teeth. These problems all require veterinary attention for your dog's health and comfort.

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