Why is my dog's ear drooping, head shaking, and constantly itching?

Head shaking can often be a sign of an ear infection, something stuck in the ear or a tooth problem. Lift up his ears and look in the canals for redness, discharge or odor. Ear and tooth problems need to be evaluated by a veterinarian and I recommend to have him seen today if possible. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It’s possible his anal glands are full/uncomfortable. If they are bulging on either side of his anus when you palapate from the outside, then that definitely could be the case. I recommend bringing him to your vet for a rectal exam/anal gland expression and to check his ears. He likely will need and ear cleaner and a steroid/antibiotic/antifungal/antiyeast ointment such as otomax/kometamax/posatex if he has an ear infection. A few days of an allergy medication called Apoquel may help as well. Good luck!

If the ear is droopy and she is shaking her head she probably has an ear infection. Because of the head shaking and probably scratching as well, blood vessels in the ear are exploding, causing blood and fluids to fill the pinea ans swell. This condition is called "ear hematoma" and needs medical or surgical treatment. The ear infection needs to be treated as well as it is the primary cause, usually ear drops from the vet will solve this, in some cases systemic antibiotics are prescribed as well. Regarding the the droopy ear I personally prefer the medical treatment (steroids for 4 weeks) over the surgical one, unfortunately most vets will still opt for the surgery.

Itchy ears are most commonly a sign of allergies. Your dog may have food allergies, environmental allergies, or parasitic/bacterial skin infection. If he hasn't had a skin scraping to rule out parasites, or skin cytology/culture to look for bacterial or yeast infection, these things should be done. Some dogs actually have skin tumors or autoimmune skin disease that is causing the itching, and those dogs need to have fine needle aspirates or skin biopsies taken for diagnosis. Also, you should try a veterinary prescription allergy diet like Hills z/d for 8-10 weeks fed exclusively to treat potential food allergies. It's really important to feed ONLY the prescription diet during this time. Also, I have had great success with the oral pill Apoquel for some allergies as well, and this is a medication that is much safer to use long-term than steroids like prednisone. If this course of diagnosis and/or treatment is not possible with your current veterinarian, pursue a second opinion somewhere else. If all of these options are explored and your dog is still itchy, it's time to visit a veterinary dermatologist specialist.

Poor Max. He likely has some allergies. There are a few things you can try at home. First, make sure he is on a high quality flea preventative as fleas can make allergies A LOT worse. You can also give him some benadryl twice a day to control itching and start him on omega 3 fatty acids to help moisturize his skin. See links below. You can give him a bath in a oatmeal shampoo. Finally the leathery skin on his ear could be normal for him as he ages - some dachshunds get this. It could also be a bacterial or yeast infection. If he isn't improving or if his ear gets worse, I would have your vet take a look at him. He may need some antibiotics or stronger allergy meds. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/#! https://www.petco.com/brand/vetriscience

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Thumper! The most common cause for an itchy, droopy, warm ear is an ear infection. Even if you are not seeing discharge it could be deeper in the ear canal. The dog ear canal is shaped like an "L." You can't see the entire canal with out an otoscope. Ear infections are caused by an overgrowth of yeast and/or bacteria from allergies or excessive moisture in the ear. Another possibility is an itchy ear from allergies with out an infection. We diagnose the infection by swabbing the ear wax and looking under a microscope. If an infection is present an ear wash and drops are prescribed. Sometimes a course of steroids for inflammation/itchiness is also prescribed. I wish Thumper the best!

At 7 months old, most of her teeth should be in place, and teething does not normally cause ear issues in dogs. Possible causes for her itchy ears include bacterial or yeast ear infection, mites, fleas, or allergies. You can try a medicated ear flush like Dechra Malacetic Ultra Otic for a few days, as well as having Princess on a good flea preventative. If it doesn't get better, she should be seen by a vet for evaluation. The vet will probably do a thorough otic exam and an ear cytology to find the cause of the itch. Then appropriate medications can be prescribed.