Why are my dog's pale ear flaps itchy and sensitive to touch?

Poor guy. Unfortunately it sounds like Cooper has an ear infection that will require a vet visit, especially if he won't let you touch his ear. The vet can prescribe some pain medication (if requested) to help calm him enough where it will allow you treat his ears at home. The vet also has to prescribe some ear medication and cleaner once they test his ears to determine what kind of infection is present. Most ear infections respond well to treatment within 7 days. I would recommend just leaving them be for now, until you can get Cooper in to the vet. I wish you all the best with your pet Cooper and I hope that his ear infections resolves soon! Take care.

I am so sorry that Cooper is so uncomfortable. Mites are microscopic, so you won’t see them with a naked eye. At 7 months old ear mites are the most likely problem but a bacterial, yeast, or combination bacterial and yeast infections are also possible. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. After a diagnosis has been made then medication to solve the problems and improve his comfort will be started. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I would recommend having your vet look in to the ear canals with an otoscope. Sometimes there is discharge deeper in the ear canal that can not be seen from the outside. If that is the case the Vet can use a Q-tip safely to remove some of the wax and look under the microscope to see if it is a yeast or bacterial infection. Some dogs will shake and scratch with even mild overgrowth of bacteria or yeast. Otherwise she may just be itchy due to allergies and you can try an antihistamine. See the links below. I wish you the best! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/claritin/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/

Hello. The irritated skin could be due to scratching of the head. This can be due to mites, or fleas, or ear infections. I would try checking for fleas and getting a flea product (usually they will treat mites as well), and also clean the area. If it continues to get worse you may have to get a skin scraping performed to look for different types of mites. If it has any discharge or looks wet at all it may need antibiotics. Otherwise try cleaning it just with water and if it heals up don't worry. Good luck with Blanco.

At 7 months old, most of her teeth should be in place, and teething does not normally cause ear issues in dogs. Possible causes for her itchy ears include bacterial or yeast ear infection, mites, fleas, or allergies. You can try a medicated ear flush like Dechra Malacetic Ultra Otic for a few days, as well as having Princess on a good flea preventative. If it doesn't get better, she should be seen by a vet for evaluation. The vet will probably do a thorough otic exam and an ear cytology to find the cause of the itch. Then appropriate medications can be prescribed.

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/

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!