06/08/2025
Let's talk Ear infections 🦠
Ear infections are very common in dogs, particularly during spring and summer, or in dogs that love to swim or have longer ears that droop down. Common symptoms include scratching, head shaking, pain, and discharge from the ears, redness, swelling in and around the ears, or a ye**ty smell. They can often develop due to allergies, foreign bodies like grass seeds stuck in the ears, or from bacteria or yeast overgrowth. During consults, our amazing vets will take an ear swab from the sore ear and have a look under the microscope while you wait. This is to determine if it is a bacteria or yeast causing the ear infections. Sometimes it is both! These infections can be treated with medication such as ear drops containing antibiotics, steroids, or antifungal medication. Some infections can be treated with a long-acting ear ointment that the vet can apply during the consultation that lasts for several weeks. Then our vets will recheck your pet’s ears after 2 weeks to see if the infection has resolved.
Here are just a few samples of what we see under the microchip when we are looking at your pet’s ear swabs:
