My dog's ears are itchy and smell sour. Is it an ear infection?

Poor girl. She may have an infection that is deeper in her ear canal. This typically won't be as visible to owners, but we can often see evidence of it during an otoscopic exam. However, there is typically a mild odor to the debris. If the infection just started, the odor may not be as evident. The fact that she is also sensitive to the touch, means that the ear is bothering her, which is usually due to an infection. I would recommend taking Molly in to your vet to have a full otoscopic exam done to gather samples of any debris present so that we can find out once and for all if there is truly an infection and then treat it appropriately depending on the type of infection (i.e. bacteria, yeast) present. You can continue cleaning her ears with whatever ear cleaner you have on hand for pets. You mentioned you placed drops in her ears so I'm not sure if this is medication or cleanser. I hope that Molly's ears feel better soon! Best wishes and take care.

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.

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/

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy or fleas. The allergy could be a due to a protein in Molly's food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Molly will need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend she be on a good flea control too. It also sounds like Molly has an ear infection as well. She will need to go to the vet to have an ear cytology performed so they can determine what exact type of infection she has, i.e. is it bacteria, fungal or ear mites causing the issue. Your vet will probably recommend some ear medication and possibly an ear cleaner. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Snow may have an ear infection, which can be pretty uncomfortable for her. She should be seen by a vet to assess the severity of the condition and begin the appropriate treatment. Treatment may include oral antibiotics or topical antibiotics. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any questions you have!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Silky! The most common cause for scratching the ears and painful ears is an ear infection. The infection is either from overgrowth of bacteria and/or yeast. This can be from allergies or excessive moisture in the ears. I would recheck with a different vet with in the practice if you were unsatisfied with the first vet. Or go to a different hospital. The Vet should try, if the dog allows them, to look in the ears. They should use a Q-tip to remove some discharge and look at it under the microscope to identify the organism. They they can show you how to clean out the ears and provide you with an ear cleaner and medicated drops to clear the infection. Sometimes dogs with a lot of pain and inflammation deserve some steroids. I hope this helps and I wish Silky a speedy recovery!