Itchy ears - Why and how to treat them?

Why is your dog/cat constantly itching that ear?

Ear problems can be quite frustrating for the pet and the parent. To watch your pet incessantly  itching can get heart breaking. Itchy ears happen for a wide variety of reasons.

1. Ear mites

These are super microscopic organisms that are normally present in ear canals of most dogs and cats (Did you know, you have a lot of mites living happily on your face right now too?). These mites kinda flare up and become a nuisance when your pet is faced with a stressor. Now their definition of stress does always match ours and can range from separation anxiety (if you are a frequent flyer) to being unhappy about having to share the house with another pet.

Ear mite infestations cause intense itchiness and are accompanied with a Hershey’s chocolate like gooey brown discharge. 

How do you treat it? Cleaning the ears regularly and using a ear mite solution will help. Certain brands of spot ons also help with ear mites. Best thing to do is to identify the stress factor and to tackle it head on, where possible.

2. Food and other allergies

Environmental and food allergies can cause the immune system of certain dogs to go into overdrive, thus leading to wide spread inflammation and itchy ears. Most often these ears are flaming red and may or may not have discharge. 

The source of the allergy has to be identified in such cases and exposure to the allergen will have to be reduced while your pet is on antiallergic medication. 

3. Fungal/yeast infections

Some breeds are more prone than others at getting fungal infections. Fungal infections will cause a lot of itching and a foul, fruity odour from the ears. It is often accompanied with a yellow, flaky discharge and in some dogs may also cause discolouration of the ear pinna. 

A handy trick to keep fungal infections away is to dip a cotton ball in coconut oil and then put it in the ear before a bath. This helps create a water tight seal so that moisture doesn’t accumulate in the ear canal. Moisture often predisposes to a fungal ear infection. 

How do you treat it? Well, you don’t! Your vet will treat this infection with anti fungal ear drops. Fungus is a bit stubborn and takes longer to go away completely. Always follow through with your doctor’s prescriptions to prevent recurrence of infections.

4. Bacterial infections

These are not as itchy as the others but are super painful. Bacterial ear infections will also often will cause a foul odour and a yellow to green, flowing discharge. Breeds with flappy ears like cocker spaniels, basset hounds etc are more prone to contracting this infection as their ear canal is not well ventilated. (Parents of these breeds, you must be more vigilant.)

Bacterial infections need antibacterial ear drops. For certain resistant bacterial infections, a sample may have to be taken from the ear and assessed for the type of bacteria present and what works best for it.

While these are reasons pertaining just to the ear, one must remember that the ear is actually an extension of the skin. Any problem present on the skin is also going to show up in the ear.

For example, if your pet has fleas, flea bites can cause an allergic reaction leading to a super itchy body and itchy ears.

Similarly, skin mites like those of scabies, cause widespread itching including the ears. 

Why must ear infections be looked into?

If left unchecked, ear infections can not only cause grave discomfort but can move inwards towards the middle and inner ear which essentially regulates balance in dogs. They can get more and more painful as they progress and can cause head tilting. With severe cases that have gone untreated, pets can also lose balance or walk in circles.

What can you do to prevent these infections? 

• Clean the ears regularly - every 2 weeks and examine their ears for any excess wax production, growth or abnormality.
• Hairy breeds like Lhasas, Shih thus, Pekingese, maltese etc. have hair growing inside their ear canals that needs to be tweezed out.
• Take your pet to the vet at any sign of redness/discharge or itching of the ears.
• Do not allow moisture to accumulate inside the ear canal while bathing or swimming (you can use the coconut oil dipped cotton ball hack)

While most ear infections only need some medication in terms of drops and the occasional oral medication to help treat it effectively, a chronic infection may also require surgery where the diseased ear canal is removed in its entirety. (Don’t let it get to that!)

Prevention however, is always better than cure, so stay on top of your ear game with your pet and have those ears examined when you have the slightest of doubts

You hear me?,

Dr. N