Does my dog have a ear infection or mites?

Question

This morning my female dog was itiching her ear and she yelped really loud, I looked inside her ear and it was bleeding and had brown residue all over the inside of her ear, it has a bad odor as well, I cleaned her ear out well and put some polysporne on it. My hubby thinks she may have mites, but I think it an ear infection. Did i do the right thing to make her feel better until Monday when we see the vet? Is there another way i can relive the pain in her ear? please help me.

Our vet is closed today, and we will be going first thing Monday morning, I just want to make her feel comfortable until Monday.

Would a pet store carry ear infection soulutions? The pet stores are open today

Answer 1

Dogs don't commonly get ear mites, they do get various ear infections. DO NOT SELF MEDICATE!!!!! by doing so you can make the problem a lot worse and even cause seriosu harm including deafness.
Do NOT use water to clean out the ear and do NOT put any medications in the ear that have not been specifically prescribed by a vet.
Definately do NOT use OTC products.

Answer 2

It could be either, but odor is more commonly associated with a yeast infection than ear mites. Your vet will be able to tell you for sure as well as send you home with the proper medication.

If you don't have ear cleaning solution (sold at most vets and pet stores) you're probably better off with just a dry gauze for cleaning the ear out. Do NOT use plain water or alcohol! Water will stay deep in the ear and create an environment that will make the infection worse and alcohol will be painful and irritating to your dog's ear. Clean the ears twice daily. I wouldn't bother with the polysporin personally, but it probably won't hurt anything. You probably don't want to clean the ear the morning of your vet visit, especially if you are using ear cleaning solution, so that the vet will be able to get a sample for cytology.

Answer 3

It takes only a few ear mites to produce a severe hypersensitive reaction that leads to intense itching with scratching and violent head shaking. The ear flaps become red, excoriated (wears off the skin), crusted and scabbed. The canals contain a dry, crumbly, dark brown, wax discharge that look like coffee grounds and may have a bad odor due to secondary infection.
Treatment: once the diagnosis has been made, all dogs and cats in the household should be treated to prevent re-infestation. The ears must be cleaned, this is essential, dirty ear canals provide wax and cellular debris that shelter mites and make it difficult for ear medications to contact and destroy them.
Your vet is the only one who can prescribe the proper medication. Commonly used ones are: Nolvavamite, Cerumite and Tresderm. Tresderm contains a miticide, an antibiotic and steroid to relieve itching.
It is important to complete the ENTIRE course of treatment. If treatment is stopped too soon, a new crop of mites will re-infest your dog.
All you can do until Monday is gently clean the ears with either mineral oil or an ear cleansing solution recommended by your vet such as Oti-Clens, Epi-Otic or Oti-Soothe II and a cotton ball, never go deep into the canal unless recommended by your vet and never use alcohol, ether or other solvents.
Good luck, sounds like you are a very caring person and your dog is lucky to have you caring for her. :o)

Answer 4

Sounds like mites, if the brown stuff looks like coffee grounds. Poor puppy!

The most common symptoms of ear mites include excessive scratching of the ear, head shaking, constant rubbing of the ear against the wall or any objects, and a waxy, dark-colored discharge. The ear may also look darker than normal, crusty and usually smells bad.

If you think that your dog could have ear mites, get him to the vet as soon as possible. Early treatment is critical to prevent a more serious ear infection. Once your vet confirms the diagnosis of ear mites, treatment entails cleaning out the debris with an insecticidal preparation that will kill the mites. Your vet will also instruct you to continue on with the treatment at home on a daily basis. This daily treatment of ear mites usually goes on for about three weeks.

http://pugcenter.com/article23.php

Answer 5

Sounds like your dog has an ear infection. Ear infections will give off the odor. Keep her ears clean and DRY, moisture could cause the problem to become worse. (do not dig into the ear canal - this could force the residue further into the canal.....making the problem worse). You could put an antibiotic cream on the sore area (NOT IN THE CANAL ITSELF THOUGH). Clean, dry and the cream, should make her more comfortable until you can see her vet on Monday.
As far as pain meds go you would need to call a vet, they can advise what type and how much. (some vets are open until noon on Saturdays -- you could try to talk to one of them).

Here are some links on ear infections and ear mites that might help.

Ear infection:
http://www.healthypet.com/library_view.aspx?ID=27&sid=2

Ear mites:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=734

GOOD LUCK I HOPE YOUR BABY FEELS BETTER:
Brandie!
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Wild_About_Animals/

Answer 6

It can be Both try to get most of the ear cleaned out with clear water so you can see exactly were the bleeding is coming from, This didn't come over night so be careful If the bleeding is deep inside the ear take your dog to the vets. if the bleeding is just close to the outside of the ear keep an eye out (this means both ears) for infections Your dog could lose his hearing if the infection gets worst Pharmacy makes an oil (over the counter)for human ear ac-ks that may help until Monday hope he feels better good luck

Answer 7

It sounds more like an ear infection than mites. My dog gets chronic infections due to allergies. The tell tale sign is if it is only in one ear. It sounds like you're doing about all you can right now. Normally, I cleanse my dog's ear with alcohol, but if her's is bleeding, it may hurt more than help. Good luck!

Answer 8

If it is ear mites there will be a brown residue inside the ear and if its bad enough it will bleed. I would definitely take her to her vet before it gets worse.

Answer 9

You're right to believe it can be either and take her to the vet for confirmation and treatment. You're also right to keep her comfortable until you can get there. Make sure that you check the other ear as well, either of these conditions is often bilateral. Keep them both clean to keep the scratching to a minimum until you can get to the vet.

Answer 10

Not really. You could try gently wiping it out with a clean piece of gauze.I don't recommend using any alcohol or even ear cleaner in the ear.