I think my dog has an ear infection. She has been scatching her ear alot and shaking her head. Can i treat it myself or should i take her to the vet? How serious can ear infections be?
2007-03-26 16:13:51 · 7 answers · asked by Barrel_Racing_Cowgirl 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Ear infections can be serious. If your dog has brown waxy looking stuff inside it may be just ear mites! You can try this 1st.
1. Clean out the ear with Witch Hazel and then place some drops inside for ear mites. Only do this if there is the brown waxy look there.
2. If the dog is a Golden Retriever or has long ears that hang down it's probably a Fungus due to moisture. Then get it to a vet pronto.
3. Check for bad smell!
You do not want the dog to whip his head fast and hard, it will cause a major problem called a Hematomia. That is where the skin pulls away from the cartilage of the ear and it fills with fluid. That will be pain full and cause the dogs ear to become deformed.
If a untreated ear infection is let go the dog could become deaf.
If it's the brown waxy stuff try the ear mite treatment 1st. You can get one made by Hartz at any Walmart or try your local Farm and Feed stores.
Good luck!
2007-03-26 16:25:58 · answer #1 · answered by Grandma D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DON"T USE PEROXIDE IT WILL BURN ITS EARDRUM!
I have had some success using vinegar. Just a few drops in each ear once a day. You should take the dog to the vet to find out what is causing the problem(yeast,ear mites,etc.) and to make sure its ear drum hasn't bursted. I have a 13 year old Lab that has battled ear infections all his life (He's also had the hematoma due to this and it was $600 to get his ear fixed) You shouldn't use the ear mite medicine unless you know thats what it is because the yeast infections causes a brown residue also.
2007-03-27 00:20:01 · answer #2 · answered by kdlyn74 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to go see your vet and get some advice. Depending on what breed of dog you have their are different ways of handling ear infections. Bassets for example are prone to ear problems because of their big heavy ears. Terriers and other dogs, with "smaller" ears can also have problems. Your vet will know what your dogs exact problem is, have the medications you need to treat those issues and give you advice on continuing treatments that you will have to do.
Ear problems can be very serious and can become long term problems if not treated promptly.
2007-03-26 23:40:15 · answer #3 · answered by lwjksu89 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should definitely take your dog to the veterinarian. I thought my dog had a simple ear infection, so I tried to treat it at home. When I took her to the vet, it turned out that she had a yeast infection(not the kind humans get) in her ears. She's now almost 8, and she still has it because it took so long to get any treatment. Now we just keep cleaning out her ears to try to help, but it took so long to get treatment that she's actually gone deaf for the most part.
2007-03-26 23:32:58 · answer #4 · answered by laird6372 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Until you can get her to the vet, you can put peroxide in it, and squish it around in her ear to make sure it goes in deep. Smell her ear and if there is a foul odor coming from it , chances are she has an infection. I really would get her in to see the vet asap, cause the longer you wait, the worse it can get, and if not treated properly, there can be hearing loss.
2007-03-26 23:29:12 · answer #5 · answered by porkchop 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take her to the vet and get the proper meds for treating you pet. One thing not to overlook is the possibility of ear mites.
2007-03-26 23:18:32 · answer #6 · answered by jim_elkins 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would take her to a vet just in case cause it could be serious but it could be a minor infection
2007-03-26 23:17:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋