My dog shakes head a lot. What to do for ear issues before vet?

Poor Bella! Shaking her head and twitching her ear are very common signs of an ear infection. These can be quite painful and uncomfortable for dogs, just as they are for people. If your regular veterinarian can't see her for two weeks even after you've explained how uncomfortable she is, then I would recommend taking her to another vet instead - two weeks is not a reasonable time to wait for this problem. In the meantime, you can get some over-the-counter ear flush for dogs such as Zymox or Epi-Otic, and use this to clean her ears and remove any debris or discharge that may be present. This will not treat the underlying infection causing the problem, but it may help to make her feel a bit better until you're able to see the vet.

He may have an infection, inflammation, mites or something stuck in his ear. A gentle cleanser from the pet store can be applied to see if this will flush the ear and provide some temporary relief - alcohol free cleanser is recommended if the ear is very sensitive

Yes, it sounds like something is bothering her. Dogs have very long ear canals so what you can see just by holding up the ear flap and looking down there is not even 10% of the ear. It is best to take her to the vet so they can look down into the ear with an otoscope to see if there is something down there.

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.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Ear infections can affect the balance system which can lead to disorientation and a wobbly walk. Tomorrow for an appointment should be fine as what you are describing is not an emergency. When you see the vet tomorrow Pookie will be taken care of and will receive the most appropriate treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It sounds like Libby have a severe ear infection, and I would take her into a vet immediately. This will be very painful to her, and leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. The vet can confirm that she does have an ear infection, and can treat her for it. Please take her into an ER vet or find a vet on call to see her now.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having Dexter examined by a veterinarian to get a good ear exam in order to determine if anything is stuck in the ear canal or if there is an infection that needs to be treated. I would not advise trying to stick anything into the ear at home or trying to remove anything yourself as you could potentially damage the ear drum. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.