What causes my dog's smelly, itchy ears with dark, crumbly gunk?

Poor Pookie! It sounds like she has a pretty serious ear infection. Most of the time these are accused by bacteria and/or fungus and mites can occasionally be to be blame as well. These conditions can be very uncomfortable and require veterinary care. Your vet can clean the ears out very well and prescribe oral and topical antibiotics and possibly steroids if needed to relieve some of the pain and itching. In the meantime, you can clean Pookie’s ears with an ear cleaner available in pet stores. This is unlikely to cure the condition, but can help get her some relief. An E-collar or “cone” can also help prevent further trauma. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

I recommend purchasing a dog ear cleaner at your pet store and cleaning the discharge from his ears. Put some cleaner on a cotton ball and massage the fluid into the ear canal. Rub it around to loosen the debris and then wipe it out. Take a dry cotton ball to remove any cleaner left in the ear. I clean ears daily to start, then as the discharge decreases then clean only when needed. If Maxo has ear mites or a severe yeast or bacterial ear infection this will help but specific prescription medication will be more effective. When you can take him in to your veterinarian for an ear exam. They will look at the ear discharge under the microscope to determine the cause of the problem. Then they can give him the right medication. Ear medication often contains a drug to stop the itching as well as something to cure the cause of the infection and that would be more effective than just cleaning his ears. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Maxo.

It sounds like Scarlett may have an ear infection. You will need to take her into the vet first thing Monday. The vet can diagnose the ear infection, what's causing it (ear mites, yeast, or bacteria), and can prescribe the correct medication to treat it. Best of luck.

If you are noticing a lot of redness in the ears, the most common reason for scratching at them are infections, allergies to food/environment, or parasites like fleas or mites. To determine this, a veterinarian can obtain an ear swab to look for the presence of bacteria, yeast, inflammatory cells, or a mixture of everything. Usually an ear flush that is treated with something antimicrobial and anti inflammatory will help quite a bit. Some of these are over the counter while others are prescription only. You will also have to fit Mushy with an e-collar to prevent further itching during the healing process. He won't like it but it is for his own good! In terms of cleaning the ears, periodically you can use some q tips and an ear flush to wipe out the ears. You don't have to worry about puncturing the dogs ear drums since their ear canal is curved. You would have to be bending the q-tip to cause damage. There are several videos on Youtube on how to clean ears if you need to see someone do it first. Let me know if there is anything else that I can assist with.

Poor Mocha sounds very uncomfortable. Yes it is possible she has ear mites, but ear problems such as hers can also be caused by bacteria or yeast. The only way to cure her ear problems is to have her seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose the cause of her symptoms and can prescribe medication to treat it. I would take her into the vet today, as leaving ear problems can lead to hearing loss if left untreated. I hope this helps!

If the q-tip comes out black, then there is an excess of ear wax and likely an infection. The infection can be caused by bacteria, yeast, or even mites. Ear infections in dogs are very itchy, and often require prescription medications to help clear them quickly and manage the itch. The first step in treating an ear infection is breaking down the large chunks of wax and getting them out of the way so that medications can get to the surface of the ear. I like ear cleaners like Dechra Malacetic Ultra Otic that are antibacterial and antifungal. If you clean Remington's ears twice a day for a couple of days and he is still itching, he will need to go to the vet for prescription medications.

If your dog had ear mites, he would be really itchy. However, there is a possibility that Otis has a yeast or bacterial ear infection if he has discharge from the ear. Yeast infections smell a bit like beer, bacterial infections often are stinky. Both are painful. In order to diagnose an ear infection your vet will need to examine the ears with an otoscope. Unfortunately just looking at a photograph is not helpful. If your dog appears to be irritated by his ears, best schedule an appointment with your vet. for an exam.