How to Treat Serious Canine Ear Infection
Ear infections are very common in dogs. While your dog may find relief from a simple ear infection after a few days of treatment with ear drops, severe infections require more intensive therapy. If left untreated, these infections can lead to permanent hearing loss, damage to the bones of the skull, infection of the brain and other serious complications.
- Have your veterinarian perform a thorough workup for your dog's ear problem. This should include a physical examination, a detailed ear exam, ear cytology and bacterial culture and sensitivity testing. In most cases, your veterinarian will need to sedate your dog in order to clean, sample and thoroughly examine the infected ear. Examining a dog that is jumping around due to fear and pain is dangerous for the veterinary staff and for the dog.
- Ask your veterinarian for treatment recommendations. For serious ear infections, your veterinarian will choose antibiotics based on the culture and sensitivity results. This assures that your dog receives the proper drug to treat the infection.
- Apply the prescribed ear drops according to the label directions. Most dog ear drops contain an antibiotic to treat the bacterial infection, a steroid to help calm the inflamed tissue of the ear and an anti fungal medication to control yeast. For very severe or chronic infections, you may need to treat the ear for an entire month or more.
- Give your dog an oral antibiotic pill or liquid if directed to do so by your veterinarian. Many serious ear infections, especially middle ear infections, require treatment with oral antibiotics. You may need to continue this treatment for several months.
- Give your dog any other medications your veterinarian prescribes. In cases where the dog's ear canal has become very narrow due to inflammation, your veterinarian may recommend a few days of treatment with oral steroids to bring down this inflammation.