Why is my dog's ear itchy and sensitive, but has no odor?

Hello. Molly has an ear infection, but you will need to see your veterinarian to diagnose what the causative agent is & whether there is an allergic component to this. Ear infections can include the presence of a foreign body like a grass awn, or it can consist primarily of bacterial or yeast organisms. Using the wrong medications may delay healing, & if the eardrum has ruptured ( which can occur in severe infections ) even more care is needed during treatment. Hopefully, you can have Molly's ears examined soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor girl. Any discharge from the ear, especially if it is smelly and causing irritation to the pet, is signs of an ear infection. You will need to take Molly to your vet for an ear exam and can then get prescribed much needed ear medication for her to clear up this infection. There are many homemade remedies that people try for ear infections, but they really don’t work very well. The best thing to do here is to to see your vet so that this infection isn’t prolonged and treated quickly. I do hope that Molly’s ear infection resolves soon. I wish you all the best moving forward. Take care.

Hello. I am glad that you had your veterinarian take a good look in Moka's ears & no infection or foreign material was seen. However, she might have a very mild or allergic condition in her ears. Your veterinarian could swab the ears & submit the sample for a culture & sensitivity, or your veterinarian can prescribe a short course of a steroid to see if this calms the signs. If so, then a plan can be discussed as to the best treatment to keep Moka healthy & pain free. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Oh my, poor Esme! There is no doubt that her ear is significantly inflamed. Even though she is not itchy, my main suspicion is that the redness, scaling, and warmth are inflammatory reactions to an ear infection or allergies. Some dogs are quite stoic when their ears are uncomfortable and may not itch with these conditions. Regardless, I strongly recommend taking Esme to her vet for evaluation. The vet will be able to examine her ears thoroughly, including the lower portions of the ear canal that are not visible to the naked eye. The vet will also be able to microscopically evaluate any discharge present in her ears to determine if infection is present. From there, medication can be prescribed to either treat an infection or to treat this significant inflammation. I hope this helps and that Esme feels better soon!

If your dog had ear mites, he would be really itchy. However, there is a possibility that Otis has a yeast or bacterial ear infection if he has discharge from the ear. Yeast infections smell a bit like beer, bacterial infections often are stinky. Both are painful. In order to diagnose an ear infection your vet will need to examine the ears with an otoscope. Unfortunately just looking at a photograph is not helpful. If your dog appears to be irritated by his ears, best schedule an appointment with your vet. for an exam.

If you are noticing a lot of redness in the ears, the most common reason for scratching at them are infections, allergies to food/environment, or parasites like fleas or mites. To determine this, a veterinarian can obtain an ear swab to look for the presence of bacteria, yeast, inflammatory cells, or a mixture of everything. Usually an ear flush that is treated with something antimicrobial and anti inflammatory will help quite a bit. Some of these are over the counter while others are prescription only. You will also have to fit Mushy with an e-collar to prevent further itching during the healing process. He won't like it but it is for his own good! In terms of cleaning the ears, periodically you can use some q tips and an ear flush to wipe out the ears. You don't have to worry about puncturing the dogs ear drums since their ear canal is curved. You would have to be bending the q-tip to cause damage. There are several videos on Youtube on how to clean ears if you need to see someone do it first. Let me know if there is anything else that I can assist with.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Jax has not had his ears checked by a veterinarian for an ear infection, then he could still have one causing the continued sensitivity near his ears. Your vet will need to look not just at the outside of the ear (the pinna) but inside the ear canal with an otoscope to get a good view of what is going on. A sample of any debris in his ears should be taken to confirm the presence of an infection. If his vet has already rechecked his ears and he is free of infection, then he may still be guarding his ears as this once was a painful or sensitive area. This may be true if he just got over a recent infection. I hope this helps!