Dog's face drooping and ear rubbing: Is it an ear infection or stroke?

I'm sorry that Joel is having this problem! Middle or inner ear infections can sometimes affect the nerves that control some of the facial muscles, so it's certainly possible that this is what you're seeing. Your veterinarian will do an otoscopic exam to see exactly what's going on inside the ear, and will get him started on an appropriate treatment plan depending on what is found. In some cases, facial nerve issues that are secondary to ear infections will resolve when the infection is treated; in other cases, some of these issues can be permanent. Your veterinarian should be able to give you a better idea of what to expect after Joel's exam today.

Oftentimes when a dog is rubbing his ear it can be because of an itch caused by infection. If the infection travels to the inner ear it can effect the dog's vestibular system (the system that helps a dog keep his balance). I would recommend taking Sonny to your vet to check for an ear infection or other inner ear problems.

If the ear is droopy and she is shaking her head she probably has an ear infection. Because of the head shaking and probably scratching as well, blood vessels in the ear are exploding, causing blood and fluids to fill the pinea ans swell. This condition is called "ear hematoma" and needs medical or surgical treatment. The ear infection needs to be treated as well as it is the primary cause, usually ear drops from the vet will solve this, in some cases systemic antibiotics are prescribed as well. Regarding the the droopy ear I personally prefer the medical treatment (steroids for 4 weeks) over the surgical one, unfortunately most vets will still opt for the surgery.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does sound like possibly an ear infection. Usually, face swelling is not a commonly encountered sign of an ear infection so if his face continues to get swollen before tomorrow when you can have him evaluated by your veterinarian, consider having him evaluated tonight to make sure it is not something more concerning than an ear infection. In the meantime, try to limit his activity in case he has associated pain. Good luck! I will keep my fingers crossed that everything turns out well!

There is something called Old Dog Vestibular Disease, that causes dogs to suddenly appear to be totally unable to balance, be nauseous, spine in circles, or even be unable to stand. This happens for no particular reason, and usually improves over a few weeks with patience and supportive care (anti-nausea medication and fluid/nutritional support as needed). It is important to check for middle ear infections (which requires the otoscope at the vet clinic), general blood work and thyroid levels, and do an exam to make sure she doesn't have signs of other neurologic issues that would suggest a brain tumor. So, I'd advise keeping her safe tonight by blocking stairs, removing water boils, etc and taking her to the vet tomorrow to be checked out.

It's probably an ear infection, often it cannot be seen from the outside. Ear infections are very common in dogs, it is usually caused by either yeast or bacterial disease. the treatment is usually simple and straightforward, you will have to take Penelope to the vet and get the ears checked, then a prescription ear drops will be prescribed according to the infectious agent.

Hello. I am so sorry that Sully is not well. Unfortunately, you may need to be some additional diagnostics to find out if & how all these symptoms are related. The temporal muscle atrophy, & difficulty opening the mouth may be due to a nerve sheath tumor, or masticatory myositis. And, it is concerning that an ear infection is taking several weeks to clear up. If you can consider a MRI, that would definitely show what is going on in that part of Sully's head. Until you know this, it will be very hard to improve things. Antibiotics & steroids are appropriate therapy, but we just cannot recommend much more without more information. Good luck with Sully & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.