My dog's ear has pus, smells bad, and is swollen. Is it an infection?

Have him examined by your veterinarian. There may be serious infection and possibly an aural hematoma if she has been shaking her head. A hematoma develops when a blood vessel is broken in the ear flap due to shaking. This results in an ear that looks like a small pillow. Treatment is typically surgical. An ear infection can be diagnosed by examining a swab of the ear under a microscope. This can be done in the clinic. Infection can be caused by bacteria, yeast or a combination of both. The treatment will depend on the cause. "Simple" ear infections can be treated topically and usually resolve within 10-14 days. Place an e-collar (cone) on Nicki to prevent rubbing or pawing until she sees the vet.

It sounds like poor Mario may have an infection. Ear infections can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, or a combination of these, and can be associated with dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. Mario needs to see a vet to have an ear swab done. Your vet can look at the sample under the microscope and treat appropriately based on what is found. Your vet will also need to examine the ear with a scope to see if the ear drum is intact, as some medications cannot be used safely if the eardrum is ruptured. Ear infections can be very painful, and can sometimes progress to include the middle or inner ear, where they can cause neurologic signs or permanent hearing loss. Please book an appointment to have Mario seen as soon as possible to help get him feeling better.

Hello, thank you for your question about Max. Based on the symptoms you are describing it sounds like Max may just have some mild irritation in his ears. You can have his ears cleaned and continue monitoring him for any discharge/scratching/redness/head shaking. If any of these signs develop I would recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian so that they can look for signs of an ear infection. Hope this helps, good luck!

Sounds like Rugsy has a bad ear infection. These can be painful and if left untreated can damage the ear drum and progress further down the ear. He should see your family vet for an exam and ear cytology and to get the right medications. Pain medications and/or anti inflammatories may be helpful as well. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Draco is very cute! If you see pus, he's whining when he scratches his ear, he has a head tilt, and shakes his head, I would be very surprised if he didn't have an ear infection! It sounds like he has all the symptoms. Take him into a vet today to get this examined and treated. It's important to have any ear problem treated promptly, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sheriff. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian as I worry that he has an ear infection. His veterinarian will examine each ear canal with an instrument known as as an otoscope. A sample will be taken from each ear and evaluated under the microscope. This will confirm an infection and determine the best medication for him. In the meantime, you can clean both ears with an ear cleaner for dogs. I hope this information helps!

It sounds like Pluto has an ear infection and I would recommend to take him to the veterinarian as soon as you can. Infections can be painful, can damage the ear drum, causing hearing loss and can even cause calcification of the ear canal (which is very painful). The vet will look at a sample under the microscope to determine what type of infection is present and what kind of medication is needed. Pets have have chronic ear infections may have underlying allergies or endocrine disease which causes them to be more prone to getting an infection. Talk to your vet about exploring these options. I hope this helps and thank you for Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.