January - Ear Health

EARACHES (OTITIS) AND THE PROPER WAY TO TREAT THEM

Ear infections are quite common with dogs and cats and, usually, they are a source of frustration not only for the animals, but also for the owners. Auditory canal infections caused by bacteria, yeasts and parasites are the most frequent types of infection with these pets and, occasionally, rabbits. With dogs, otitis represent almost 25% of all health problems treated at animal clinics. An otitis is a complex condition that is often difficult to stabilize.  Three kinds of otitis exist: external otitis, the most widespread, otitis media, an inflammation of the middle ear and internal otitis, quite rare but extremely serious.

Causes & Risk Factors
• Parasites: ear mites, bacteria, yeasts
• Foreign objects: various medications, lawn barbs
• Environmental and food allergies
• Aggressive and repetitive ear cleaning
• Some breeds with drooping ears (i.e. spaniels); breeds with an extremely narrow auditory canal; breeds with hairy canals (poodles) are more prone to ear infections.
• Pets that bathe often (beach or pool)
• A pet riding in a car rides with its head in the wind.

Signs & Symptoms
• Purulent and/or smelly ears
• Head shaking and/or tilting
• Excessive scratching, especially around auricles (flap of the ear)
• Excessive pain, droopy pet
• Mites can cause some of these symptoms, including a black discharge and, quite often, black residue in the ear canal, a residue composed of mite excrements and earwax; cats are most susceptible to mite infections.

Cleaning your pet’s ears
The best prevention against otitis is a thorough ear cleaning. As a veterinarian, I strongly suggest that you clean your pet’s ears on a regular basis. If an otitis still occurs, your veterinarian will recommend increasing the frequency of ear care. A dog’s auditory canal is L-shaped. The longer vertical part of the “L” culminates in the ear opening while the deeper horizontal part, much smaller, ends at the eardrum. For excellent results, use ZANIMO’s Ear Care Formula.

Procedure
Insert the liquid as far as possible into the vertical part of the canal and rub the base of the ear. Leave the liquid in place for 10 to 15 minutes. The animal will shake its head, secreting a surplus of earwax. With a Q-tip, clean the visible parts of the canal and auricle thoroughly. Take care not to push the residues deep inside the ear.

Reminder
As a prevention measure, cleaning the ears of your animal on a weekly basis with Zanimo’s EAR CARE Solution will contribute to the health of your pet.

Dr. Raymond Racicot, DMV
Veterinarian