Table of Contents
Is your dog suffering from an ear infection? If your answer is yes, don’t worry, I have got you. A dog ear infection is one of the most common issues that bother pet owners. If you haven’t faced this issue yet, there are high chances that you might be dealing with it in the future. And sometimes it may also start bothering you more frequently and home remedies for dog ear infection can be very helpful.
A dog ear infection mainly occurs because of the arrival of the fungus or bacteria in the ear and can lead to irritation and inflammation. When the infection starts spreading, it can easily spread from the outer ear to the middle or even the inner ear of the dog. Generally, an outer ear infection will cause irritation and an inner ear infection can cause some serious health issues such as head tilt, facial paralysis, and uncontrollable shifting eye movements.
So, there are a few home remedies for dog ear infection that you can try before visiting your vet. But before jumping to the home remedies, there are a few important aspects like causes, types, symptoms of dog ear infection that you should be aware of. So, without any further delay, let’s just dive into the main portion of the article.
Types Of Dog Ear Infections
Here are the three most common types of dog ear infection:
- Otitis Externa – This infection causes inflammation which can affect the outer surface of the dog’s ear.
- Otitis Media – This infection causes inflammation in the middle ear of your dog.
- Otitis Eterna – This infection causes inflammation in the inner ear of the dog. It mostly occurs when the Otitis Media is not resolved.
The Otitis Externa is known as one of the most common in dogs as it is the part that mostly gets exposed to external circumstances. Otitis Media and Otitis Eterna are most dangerous and can lead to some serious health issues.
What Causes Dog Ear Infection?
Here are some of the most common causes that can lead to a dog ear infection:
- Ear Mites – Ear Mites are the parasite infection and also a kind of mange. The young dogs are prone to mites as they are very contagious. You will notice that dogs with ear mites will frequently shake their head and scratch the ears. So, to identify ear mites, look for the discharge of the coffee ground that they leave in the ear. You may also notice a reddish layer on the outer ear.
- Environmental Allergies – The dogs affected by specific environmental allergies will have hot or itchy spots in the ear infection.
- Food Allergies – If your dog’s food is containing any allergic ingredient, most likely your dog will show the same signs as a dog with environmental allergies such as hot spots, itchy skin, and ear problems.
- Foreign Bodies – There are higher chances that your dog may pick up the bugs, water, dirt, or grass seeds in his ears. This will force your dog to shake his head to get rid of the debris. But in case, if it goes unsuccessful, he may suffer irritation and produce bacterias or yeast overgrowth.
- Moisture – Excessive moisture from swimming or bathing can be a huge reason for developing an environment for yeast and bacteria.
- Atommiuine Diseases like Vasculitis, Lupus, or pemphigus.
- Endocrine Diseases like thyroid.
- Lifestyle – Dogs who used to swim more often or lives near a lake are more likely to suffer from an ear infection if the proper ear maintenance is not given to them.
Symptoms That Indicates Your Dog Has Ear Infection
Being aware of what exactly you have to look for will be very helpful and easy in identifying if the dog is suffering from an ear infection or not. So, here are some of the most common symptoms of a dog ear infection:
- Redness inside of the ear
- Extreme itchiness or scratching
- Shaking head in a very extreme way
- Ear odor
- Rubbing the head on ground
- A build-up of dark yellow black discharge
Home Remedies For Dog Ear Infection
See, your vet is the only person who has the ability to determine and cure your dog’s ear infection but that doesn’t mean you can’t attempt to tackle the infection’s symptoms at home. So, here are the 5 best home remedies for dog ear infection:
Water And Vinegar
Antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make vinegar one of the most effective and best home remedies for dog ear infections. It can be very helpful in reducing the discomfort and itchiness when your dog is suffering from an ear infection. Here is the process to use vinegar and water in your dog’s ear infection:
Step 1: Take 1 part vinegar and 1 part spring or filtered water and mix them. Using apple cider vinegar will be a great choice.
Step 2: Now after that, take a cotton ball, soak it in the mixture and start cleaning the visible area of the ear.
A few things you must keep in mind:
- Make sure that you are using the unpasteurized vinegar as vinegar lost all its all beneficial qualities in the pasteurization process.
- If your dog’s ear infection is very serious and has caused cracks in the skin, make sure to dilute the vinegar. It will be very helpful in avoiding any additional pain.
Oils For Dog Ear Infection
There a lot of essentials oils that can be very helpful in defeating the dog ear infection. According to Natural Dog Health Remedies Calendula has some healing properties that can help in ear infections.
Melaleuca
Picking up Melaleuca instead of tea tree oil would be a great choice. Using tea tree oil straight on your dog’s skin can be extremely toxic for him. Apply melaleuca in the dilutes form for treating your dog’s ear infection.
Aloe vera Gel
If your dog has a painful ear infection, aloe vera can help you. Its soothing properties can be very effective in recovering from an ear infection. Take gel on the cotton ball and start rubbing it on the outer area of the ear.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains amazing antibacterial properties which makes it a great remedy for dog ear infection. It is also very gentle on the skin, so there is no need to worry about pain or any discomfort. You can apply it to your dog’s ear with the help of a cotton ball. You can also use a few drops of the melted coconut oil into the ear canal of your dog.
How Can You Prevent Dog Ear Infection
If you don’t want your dog to suffer from an ear infection again, there are a few ways that you can easily use to prevent the ear infection. The remedies that I mentioned above can help you in preventing ear infections. You can use coconut oil in your dog’s ear daily. It will help in cleansing and prevent mites. Regular cleaning with apple cider vinegar can also help you in preventing the ear infection of your dog.
After bathing or swimming, make sure to completely dry your dog’s ear. Make sure to put cotton balls in your dog’s ear during the bath. Eliminate all those food from your dog’s diet which contains allergic ingredients and can lead to infection.
When To Visit Your Vet For Your Dog’s Ear Infection
Most probably home remedies will help you in treating your dog’s ear infection but sometimes it will become a necessity to visit your vet. When you have tried home remedies but the dog is not getting any relief, most likely the infection has spread into the inner ear. In this case, visiting a vet ASAP is necessary.
Taking your dog to the vet early may stop the infection from spreading into the inner ear. If any foreign body has entered your dog’s ear then you should definitely visit your vet to remove it accurately.
