My dog has an ear infection and is in pain. What can I do now?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Snickers! Ultimately he will be okay until tomorrow, I am glad he is getting seen in the short term. I wouldn't recommend giving him any human medications because your Vet may prescribe steroids which can not be combined with things like aspirin. You can try some benadryl to see if it relieves the itch and calms him. Otherwise I would hold tight for a day. You could purchase an ear cleaner but your Vet will give you one tomorrow. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ I wish Snickers a speedy recovery!

Hi and thanks for posting. Yes, Theo's ear is very red and appears to have a good amount of debris in there as well. Ear infections can and are indeed painful. I would wait to clean it until your veterinarian has examined the ear. Your vet will need to ensure his tympanic membrane (ear drums) are intact before using any kind of cleaner in the ear. A sample of the debris in his ear will be taken to determine what is causing the infection so it can be treated most effectively.

This looks like a rather severe ear infection that needs veterinary treatment, or it can cause permanent damage. I understand vets can be costly, but you may be able to find one with reasonable exam fees. We are used to working within budgets, so if you let them know how much you are willing to spend, they can offer the best treatment within that budget. For now, flush the ear with cool water where you see the redness. This will help give some relief. Flush for at least two minutes. After that, you can flush inside the ear canal to help remove any debris that is contributing to the infection. You can get a good ear flush at the pet store and there are some good instructional videos on youtube about how to do this. I recommend gently flushing the ear with cool water twice a day and flushing the inside of the ear once a day. Be sure not to apply too much pressure or scrub the ear with anything, because this can make the inflammation worse. I hope that helps and Boomer gets better soon.

I'm sorry to hear that Nazzy's ears are bothering him! You did the right thing by scheduling him an appointment for him. He likely has an ear infection like you mentioned. A swab will need to be taken from each ear and examined under the microscope. This will let your veterinarian know the type of infection it is and which medication will be most effective for Nazzy. In the meantime, Continue cleaning the ears to keep him more comfortable. I do not recommend any pain or fever reducing medications. You veterinaian will prescribe something if necessary. If you start something now, it could interfere with the medications you veterinarian needs you to use. Allergies can make dogs more prone to ear infections so ask at your appointment if this could be the case with Nazzy. I hope this information helps!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Oral medications (ie: antibiotics) do not work well for ear infections. Any medication to treat an ear infection should be used topically (inside the ear). Oral pain medication would probably be helpful but you would need to get those from your vet. In my opinion, if the ear is that painful you really should take him to your vet now for an examination so they can use the scope to look into the ear and also test the ear discharge to see what the infection is composed of (bacteria or yeast or both). They will also be able to see if the ear drum is intact. Some medications are contraindicated if the ear drum is ruptured. Cyclobenzaprine is NOT recommended for use in dogs. It has a very narrow margin of safety in dogs (and cats) and can cause significant central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular (CV) adverse effects. You should NOT use it. If you want to try to treat the ear at home, which I do not recommend, you can use this specific over the counter ear medication linked below. It is once a day and you do not have to clean the ear out first. It contains an anti-inflammatory (hydrocortisone) that should help with inflammation/pain. It is a small bottle so you will likely need at least 2 (if not 3) to do a full course of treatment. You must be sure to get the medication all the way down into the ear canal or it will not help much. If you chose to do this and there is no improvement in 4-5 days then you must take him to your vet for an exam. If he does seem to be improving then continue once daily for at least 14 days. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-ear-solution-with-5-hydrocortisone-125-fl-oz-2399174 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

I'm very sorry that Joe is in pain. It's common for Cocker Spaniels to have chronic ear infections resulting in just this type of situation. I'm so glad you able to get in to see your local Veterinarian. The mediations he/she has prescribe should help some with the pain. If Joe seems restless and can't get comfortable, you'l want to call your doctor and verify that he's on the appropriate dosage and maybe ask if he can take a little more. Your doctor may also be able to prescribe a light sedative. Unfortunately, a vinegar bath probably won't do much. It's really a just going to take patience. The inflammation should go down within a few days and Joe will have some relief. Please keep us up to date with his progression. If you notice he's uncomfortable eating, you might offer a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice. Try to keep his ears as clean and dry as possible. While he's sleeping you can lay his ears open or find a way to keep them up so that the air will circulate. Yeast and bacteria love a wet warm environment. The more they air out, the quicker the healing. Please let us know if you have any other questions or if there's more we can do.