My dog has constant ear infections. Can surgery be a permanent fix?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Bronte has such a bad ear infection. If her ear is as inflamed as the vet says it is, then an ear canal ablation sounds like it would be the most appropriate next step. I am surprised to hear that it is $5000. That seems quite high for this type of surgery. I would call around and ask for prices on a total ear canal ablation and see what you can come up with. I generally end up charging about $1600-2000 at our clinic. If the ear is not bad enough to the point where the ear canal is calcified, a lateral ear resection may be appropriate and should be a cheaper surgery than completely removing the ear canal. As far as medications are concerned, I would probably use pain medications, antibiotics, anti inflammatories and antifungal drugs along with topical therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Unfortunately, some dogs do get recurrent ear infections, and from your description, it does sound like Taffy is getting another one. I would take her back into the vet for an exam. If ear infections continue to be a problem for her, I would consider doing a surgery called a total ear canal ablation and bulla osteotomy. This surgery involves removing the ear canal completely, thus eliminating ear infections. It is done on dogs who have continual ear infections where other methods of treating them have failed. It does leave the dog deaf in that ear, however. It could be that Tuffy is not at the point now where that surgery should be considered, but it would be something to keep in mind if she continues to have problems with recurrent ear infections.

There are a number of ear cleaners on the market, both OTC and prescription-based. For heavy wax buildup I like Cerúmenes, which should be available from your vet. I’m not familiar with cases of dogs that have so much wax they need surgery to remove it, so I wonder if your dog actually has recurring ear infections. If this is the case it’s not unusual for them to need deep cleanings under anesthesia. In these cases usually allergies are he underlying cause and these must be controlled in order to get the amount of debris in the ears under control.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely an ear infection and I am afraid that there is likely an underlying allergy causing him to scratch a lot and continue to cause further trauma to the ear. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated as soon as possible as this is likely causing him a lot of discomfort. They would be able to diagnose this and start therapy. Medications such as steroids may help decrease the itch. You may use the e-collar to prevent further self-trauma. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The short answer is not necessarily. That is especially true if if Buddy's ear infection is severe and actually not sensitive to the ear cleanser or antibiotics used initially which would be required if they as I recommend that you have Buddy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Your veterinarian would be able to check what type of infection is present and treat accordingly. Usually this resolves with topical therapy. Good luck and have a good day!

You can ask your vet to try some other additional antibiotic courses before deciding to go through the surgery, some antibiotics i tend to use for this type of infection include: Marbocyl, Baytril, Metronidazole and TMS.

Usually surgery is reserved to chronic very severe and untreatable ear infections. That must be the reason for it. 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.