My dog's ear is irritated again. What causes it & should I see a vet?

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! This is likely due to an ear infection. I recommend that you have her 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 night!

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach! I am so sorry to hear that Snoopy's ear is red. It is very possible Snoopy may have an ear infection. Ear infections are most commonly due to underlying allergies such as environmental or food allergies. It is possible Snoopy has mites in that ear but less likely since only one ear is very affected. I would recommend taking Snoopy in to see your veterinarian. They will likely take swabs from both ears and look at a cytology of them (under the microscope) to look for infections. If this is the case, your veterinarian will recommend ear cleaner/ medication. Good luck! Here is an article that describes ear infections in more detail: https://www.petcoach.co/article/middle-inner-ear-infections-in-dogs/

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear about Arnie. Recurrent ear infections (usually otitis externa or external ear infection) are usually due to allergies, either seasonal or non seasonal, among a few other things including foreign bodies, anatomical problems, and even growths/tumors. All of this is most likely due to allergies- Atopy or inhaled allergies, flea allergy, and food allergy are all possible and ear problems (especially recurrent) are almost always associated with allergic skin disease. Your vet can take a sample from the ears and look at it under the microscope to diagnose the infection/cause in the ears. That's usually yeast, bacteria, and other causes such as ear mites. This will address the ear problem and your vet can present a sound treatment plan. As for the allergies, there are skin tests and blood tests to help determine the source of allergies. Again, diagnostics and treatment are often based on severity of signs, duration of signs, etc. Your vet can discuss this complex problem and advise many forms of treatment including ear meds, antibiotics, fish oil, allergy shots or oral drops to treat allergies, antihistamines, steroids, and others. If this is recurrent and severe, maybe it's time to talk with your vet about allergy testing. There are skin tests and blood tests to assess allergies. Some vets refer these cases to a skin specialist known as a veterinary dermatologist. Allergy shots or oral preparations can then be used to hyposensitize the immune system and dampen down the response to the allergens. Treatment involves oral antibiotics, anti itch medicines, ear treatments, immune modulating drugs, special diets, fish oil, allergy shots/oral drops, etc. I would advise checking out the following for fish oil and a skin supplement. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977951 Check out the Omega benefits and Cutaneo TruBenefits Good Luck!!!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The single most common reason a dog will get inflammation of it's ears is allergies. The inflammation then leads to infection which will create more inflammation, and the cycle continues. Parasites such as ear mites and fleas can lead to the reaction. A full otoscopic exam is needed to assess the health of the ear canals, and Mia's inflammation is severe enough she will likely need sedation to have a proper otoscopic exam and canal flushing. Testing for the types of organisms living in the canals that are causing or worsening the issue will be beneficial to cut the inflammation cycle as well as some anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by your Veterinarian. Additionally, if the underlying cause can be determined, lessening its effects or eliminating it altogether will mitigate the reaction and minimize future risk. For treatment success, follow-up appointments are crucial, generally done every 2 weeks or sooner if an issue is noted in the interim. I hope this helps and that Mia gets some relief soon!

It could potentially be an ear infection. I would recommend taking Diesel to the veterinarian to have them evaluate his whole ear canal to make sure an infection isn't deep in the ear canal. If you wanted to switch dog foods I would go to a salmon based formula to get some omega 3s in his diet. It is not a hypoallergenic food but it may help a little. Make sure you get the puppy version of the food and do a gradual transition to the new diet. I hope Diesel feels better and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there, It would be helpful to know what Elsa what tests were performed, what was diagnosed, and what medication she was prescribed. It may be that her ear infection is truly secondary to underlying inflammation from a food allergy (cutaneous adverse food reaction), and she may need a change in diet, or an environmental allergy and in need of chronic allergy medication to reduce her itchiness. Some dogs also require long term regular ear cleanings and topical ointment applications to keep comfortable. I would recommend scheduling a recheck appointment with Elsa's veterinarian to get to the root of her ear infections. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.