Dog ear infection symptoms: Can I treat it at home if vets are busy?

No, unfortunately, there is is nothing you can give Sissy until she sees a vet. That's because it's never safe to self treat your animal, as you may accidentally do harm to her. In addition, ear infections in dogs can be caused by bacteria, yeast, and ear mites, so in order to treat it properly, the cause of the ear infection needs to be diagnosed. I would take Sissy into the vet as soon as you can because it's very important to treat ear infections promptly. Leaving them untreated can lead to hearing loss.

Poor Baylee! I'm sorry that she has an ear infection. Unfortunately, this is not something that can be treated effectively without a vet visit. Ear infections are generally caused by yeast or bacteria, and require prescription ear drops to treat. There is nothing you can get over the counter that will be effective for this, so there's really no way around going to see the vet. Fortunately, there's no reason this would need to be an expensive visit - just the exam fee, and the cost of the medication. In the meantime, if she will let you, you can try using an over-the-counter ear flush like MalAcetic to clean her ears. This will not treat the underlying infection causing the redness and discharge, but it may help to make them a bit less sore and itchy until you are able to see the vet.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Leo. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. He will be examined. A special instrument known as an otoscope is used to look deep within the ear canal. Typically a swab is taken from each ear. This is evaluated under the microscope to confirm the infection and determine the cause. Dogs can have yeast, bacterial or mite infections. This helps to choose an appropriate medication and ear cleaner for him. Treatment will vary based on the severity of the infection. You can start by cleaning the ears at home if you have an ear cleaner for dogs. However, he will most likely need a prescription medication to clear the problem. I hope this information helps!

It's not an immediate emergency but it is definitely very uncomfortable and painful, if you have the option to take him today to the out of hours vet i would recommend doing that, otherwise take him to your vet first thing tomorrow morning.

This looks like a very severe infection possibly due to bacterial proliferation inside the ear canal. Unfortunately antibiotics and antiinflammatory drops are needed in this case to be able to resolve the problem effectively.

Poor Scout! If he is really lethargic or walking in circles then I would have him seen today as it could be an inner ear infection. But if he is otherwise acting okay except for shaking his head or pawing at it then yes, it can wait until tomorrow. Your vet will be able to determine the type of infection and put him on the proper ear meds if needed. I hope this helps!

Ear infections can be very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous (if they get bad enough) for your dog. The best thing you can do is take her to your vet so they can determine what type of infection is present and they can prescribe the appropriate medication. If you are unable to do this at this time the best thing you can do for Ruby it to purchase an over the counter gentle ear cleaner and clean her ears once or twice a day, depending on how much debris is in the ears. This likely won't fix the problem but may be able to keep it under control until you see your vet.