Friday, November 13, 2009

Article: Ear Infections‏ by Dr. Susan Wright



This guest post is brought especially to you by Dog Fence DIY's staff veterinarian Dr. Susan Wright. Dog Fence DIY offers the well renownedpetsafe stubborn dog collar for the dog that is not responsive to a regular correction system. There is also a wide variety of different types of pet containment systems at the lowest price. Visit Dog Fence DIY for all your pet containment needs.

You know when your dog has an ear infection. He's constantly scratching at his ear, and shaking his head. He may even whimper in pain. If you look inside your dog's ear, and under the flap (pinna), it may be red, and there may be a smelly discharge. It's very distressing for him, and you don't like to see your dog so uncomfortable.

If your dog scratches and shakes his head too much, he may develop a hematoma, which is like a big blood blister on the pinna of the ear. It occurs when the shaking and scratching break a little blood vessel inside the flap of the ear, so it fills with blood. It is painful, and treatment usually involves surgery.

Ear infections in dogs are caused by bacteria or fungi, but in most cases, there are changes to the skin inside the ear that allow these organisms to grow and multiply. So, just treating the infection with antibiotics and ear drops won't resolve the problem. You need to work out what is happening to allow this secondary infection to develop.

The two main causes of ear infections in dogs are anatomy and allergies.

Some breeds of dogs, such as Labrador Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels, have floppy ears. This means that air doesn't circulate as well in their ear, and any moisture doesn't have the chance to dry out. It is worse if the dog goes swimming and gets their ears wet. Dogs with erect ears have less of a problem with their ears staying moist, but they may still develop ear problems associated with skin allergies.

Do leave us comments about this article paw pals :D

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post, guys! I had an ear infection about a month ago, and my Momma thinks it's coming back again cos my ear is smelly again.

    Hiew hiew hiew :(

    Sonic

    ReplyDelete
  2. Me and Banjo have not had ear infections but my mom once had a doggy like Cody and she had them ALL the time. It sounds horrible.

    Waggles,
    Bijou

    ReplyDelete
  3. Woof! Great Post. Every no and then, I do suffer from ear infections. An award is waiting for you on my blog. Lots of Golden Thanks to your Friendship. Woofs, Sugar

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for the very informative post, guys! We've never had an ear infection before!

    Love ya lots,
    Maggie and Mitch

    ReplyDelete

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