My dog shakes head, scratches, and ears smell. Allergies or infection?

It sounds like Renz may have an ear infection, and he does need to see a vet for it. Ear infections in dogs can be caused by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria, and the cause needs to be diagnosed so he can be treated. As for the scratching, that can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If he isn't up to date on his flea treatment, he will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. Renz should see a vet today and tomorrow for his ear problems, and possibly the scratching. If he is up to date on his flea treatments, the vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hello, thank you for your question about Max. Based on the symptoms you are describing it sounds like Max may just have some mild irritation in his ears. You can have his ears cleaned and continue monitoring him for any discharge/scratching/redness/head shaking. If any of these signs develop I would recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian so that they can look for signs of an ear infection. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Snow may have an ear infection, which can be pretty uncomfortable for her. She should be seen by a vet to assess the severity of the condition and begin the appropriate treatment. Treatment may include oral antibiotics or topical antibiotics. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any questions you have!

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!

Hello, sorry to hear about Maggie. The head shaking may be from the cleaning itself, especially if you put any liquid or a q-tip into her ear. This could only last a few hours or so and then she may be ok. However, if she has been scratching at her ear, she may have a very mild ear infection that could benefit from medications. Alternatively, she could be having allergies since she was also seen to be sneezing and allergies can cause itchy ears. If her signs continue longer than a day, then Maggie should be seen by her veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Head tilting and head shaking are common occurrence when inner ear problems such as an ear infection, allergies or even mites occur. It is possible that there may be something bothering the inside of your dog's ear and it may be that either barking helps relieve it, is a symptom of it (IE he is barking because it hurts) or the barking is the cause of the irritation. It is a good idea to take a peek into your dog's ears if he'll let you to see if you can see any signs of infection or irritation such as redness, dirt/debris, bad smell (usually a "corn chip" like smell) or other signs of problems. If the ear is irritated to the point where it can't be touched, this is also a good indication of a possible ear problem. Ear infections are usually treated with a medicated ear ointment and cleaner from your vet over a period of 7-10 days to relieve the problem, while allergies can be treated with a daily oral allergy medication (your vet can give you dosing information if this is the case). In some cases of severe infections, your vet may also want to sedate your dog to get a thorough ear cleaning in and to relieve the problem quickly. In some cases, head tilt and shaking can also indicate an illness called Vestibular Disease. This is commonly seen with other symptoms such as walking in a circle (usually in the direction of the head tilt), scratching at the ear, constant head tilt or signs of dizziness such as nausea and vomiting. This situation is more serious, and can be caused by a number of issues ranging from severe infections, to neurologic problems and should be looked at by a vet as soon as possible if suspected. If this behavior is new, then making a checkup with your local vet is the best option to look for ear problems causing the odd behavior. In the mean time, prevent him from scratching at or shaking his head when possible- an Elizabethan collar (cone) can help to stop this and prevent any spread of infection/irritation.