My poodle has brown, foul-smelling ear discharge. OTC options?

Poor Bentley! It could be he has developed an aural hematoma, which is a collection of blood and fluid in the outer ear. If there is a dark red discharge, I suspect the aural hematoma may have ruptured. Typically aural hematomas indicate an ear infection. The dog scratching the ear and shakes the head due to an ear infection, and that behavior causes the aural hematoma. You will need to take him into a vet today or tomorrow. The vet can diagnose if he does have an ear infection and aural hematoma, and can treat him for both. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi Lynette! Unfortunately no, there is nothing OTC to help with Sadie's ears. It sounds like she could have an ear infection, and that can be caused by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria, and the cause of it needs to be diagnosed so the problem can be treated correctly. In addition, before using any medication, the ear drum needs to be visualized to make sure it's intact. If you use medication without checking the ear drum and the ear drum has ruptured, you make the problem much more serious. I would call your vet to ask them to call you if there is a last minute cancellation so you can have Sadie seen by the vet sooner. I hope this helps!

It sounds like Princess has an ear infection. Leaving this untreated can lead to hearing loss, so you need to take her into a vet now. Ear infections in dogs her age are typically caused by yeast or bacteria, so you need a vet to diagnose the cause in order for her to get the correct medication.

Poor girl. Any discharge from the ear, especially if it is smelly and causing irritation to the pet, is signs of an ear infection. You will need to take Molly to your vet for an ear exam and can then get prescribed much needed ear medication for her to clear up this infection. There are many homemade remedies that people try for ear infections, but they really don’t work very well. The best thing to do here is to to see your vet so that this infection isn’t prolonged and treated quickly. I do hope that Molly’s ear infection resolves soon. I wish you all the best moving forward. Take care.

It is a possible sign of otitis, inflammation of the external ear canal. If you notice brown wax-like ear discharge, it could be compatible with yeast infection, very common in dogs. On other hand yellow discharge could be due to a bacterial infection. You can clean the ear canal (just the external part) with specific products (like cleanaural) but if there is an infection medications will be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

No, that isn't enough to help Charlie. If there is pus from his ears, he has an ear infection and will need to see the vet. Ear infections can be caused by yeast, bacteria, or ear mites. The vet can diagnose the cause of the ear infection, and can prescribe an appropriate treatment. It's very important to have anything here infections examined and treated promptly, as leaving them untreated can lead to hearing loss. I would take Charlie into the vet today.

If your dog had ear mites, he would be really itchy. However, there is a possibility that Otis has a yeast or bacterial ear infection if he has discharge from the ear. Yeast infections smell a bit like beer, bacterial infections often are stinky. Both are painful. In order to diagnose an ear infection your vet will need to examine the ears with an otoscope. Unfortunately just looking at a photograph is not helpful. If your dog appears to be irritated by his ears, best schedule an appointment with your vet. for an exam.