My puppy's floppy ears are itchy. How do I stop the scratching?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to say exactly what is causing the itching the and scratching in the ears without examining Luna first but it could be due to a yeast or bacterial infection or perhaps just a ball of ear wax stuck down in her ear canal. If the itching is more on the outside of the ear than on the inside, it could be due to a flea allergy. Fleas like to hang out by the ears, neck, and tail base region. If you've been cleaning out the ears frequently and she is still itching, you may want to have Luna examined by your veterinarian to check for an ear infection, fleas, and to get a better peak down in the ear canals. Your veterinarian may take a sample of the material in each ear to check for an infection. Luna may need ear antibiotics or other medications as needed. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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/

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. Given her young age, I would suspect that if that is the case it could be due to flea allergies. Another possibility is something like mange. This is something your veterinarian would check with a physical examination and basic diagnostics like a skin scrape and cytology. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

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 thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ear mites generally are noted first with signs of thick, dark discharge which appears a bit "crusty". However-the lack of these symptoms does not mean all is well with the ears of your pup. Dogs can get frequent ear infections, just like we can. I can tell from your photos that your pup has hair that grown down into the ear canals-this will be part of the problem. Those hairs trap debris, water from bathing, extra wax, etc and act as a great reservoir for bacteria to grow. I always recommend to my clients to have the hairs "plucked" by their groomer when they go or to come in to the office so that we can do it. After the hairs are cleared and the ears are cleaned, I like to do an exam of the ear canal and to take a swab of the ears to see what kind of yeast and/or bacteria are present there. It is important to have this exam performed by your vet to verify that your pet's eardrum is intact and not perforated. Likely your pet will get prescribed some antibiotics if your doctor finds it necessary, as well as pain medications or something for that awful itch. After everything is well controlled, it is usually easy to get my owners on a good ear cleaning regimen to keep ear infections at bay. I hope this helps! My best to you and your pup!