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My dog has yellow ear gunk, shakes head, and sore ears. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | spayed | 71 lbs

My dog has yellow stuff in her ear and she shakes her head and her ears are sore

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Amber W

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on September 3rd, 2017

It looks like Diamond has a pretty bad ear infection! Ear infections can be caused by yeast or different types of bacteria. Unfortunately without being see by a veterinarian there's not much you can do for an ear infection at home. It would be best to schedule an appointment for Diamond to see your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can make sure Diamonds ear drum is not damaged and take a swab from the ears to determine what type of infection is present and what medication should be used. I would schedule pretty soon as ear infections can be quite painful and the longer they go on the harder they are to treat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jessica Desrosiers
Veterinary Technician
Published on January 4th, 2019
If Diamond's inner ear is infected/has mites (which it sounds like it does from her symptoms you describe) she could be shaking her head enough to cause a hematoma (blood filling/pooling under the skin of the ear). This is very common when a dog shakes their head excessively. The best course of action is to get her to a vet ASAP so that the ear infection can be treated, and any large hematomas drained or treated as needed. Keeping her from shaking her head and pawing at her ears is best to prevent further irritation until you can get to your vet.

If you're having trouble affording vet care, this site can help give you a few ideas to make it more manageable as well: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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