my dog is a black lab she keeps shaking her head like alot any thoughts??and when she sleeps she growls?

Question

my dog is a black lab she keeps shaking her head like alot any thoughts??and when she sleeps she growls im not exactly sure what her deal is she seems uncomfortable

Answer 1

As said it could be ear mites or an allergy. Any problems with the ears must be diagnosed by a vet and treated without delay because a simple problem may aggravate rapidly into a more serious problem which may be difficult and expensive to treat. Also ear pain will may your dog irritable and may make her snap when the ears are touched. You should not try and treat it yourself as this could make matters worse, any delay in seeking treatment could affect your dogs hearing so you really need to see the vet as soon as possible.
My Lab suffers from regular ear problems due to skin allergy's and I have to clean her ears 2 to 3 times a week with Clean Aural and use ear drops Evey 1 week in 4 to prevent infections.
I hope she is feeling better soon.

Answer 2

How old is the dog? Was he acting disoriented along with head shaking? Head shaking is common symptom of mites infection and obstruction but you would see him scratching the ear as well. With infection you usually can smell an odor. Im not familiar with foxtail so I can't offer any input there. Have you tried to look in his ears? I would take a damp washcloth with a mild soup and lightly clean the inside of the ears. Be sure to look at what comes out. If there's crusting discharge blood or something that looks like coffee grounds then you've got mites and/or infection. To be safe I would call your vet and see what they say. A canine seizure can also look like a head shaking fit in some cases. I hate to even say that without actually seeing what the dog is doing but I can't not say it and have it possibly be that. Best of luck to you both!

Answer 3

All of the answers are possibilities, and the best advice is to bring your animal to the vet. With the pet shaking the head and possibly doing so vigorously the pet can possibly develop and ear hematoma (which is basically a broken blood vessel that can swell quite big). There is no for sure dianosis that anyone can give because shaking of the head is implications of quite a bit of things, yes number 1 being Ear Infection, but can lead to serious health issues. Take your pet to the VET. If you have a VCA animal hospital near your area visit vcapets.com to print and $30 off coupon for your first initial visit if money is an issue!

Answer 4

Sounds pretty much like she has ear mites. You would have noticed if her ears smelled really bad (infections can smell very bad and are very noticable). Ear mites can be caused by her rubbing in the outside bushes or trees, and are so small that they may look like dirt or coffee grounds in her ears. They are little itty bitty bugs crawling around in her ears, that also feed off her, and as you can imagine, are very itchy. She is shaking her head because it itches, but scratching may cause pain if they are really irritated, and cause a bacterial infection that can be life threatening - or even deafness if left totally untreated.

Take her to the vet for meds, and don't clean her ears before the vet visit. They need to see and take specimens to make a good diagnosis and will prescribe an anti-mite ear drop. Depending on how advanced the mite infestation is, the vet may prescribe antibiotics too.

Be prepared to treat all the animals in your household that come in contact with your lab as mites are very contagious - even for people! If you use proper flea control in the future (e.g. Advantage, Advantix, etc.), it will also repel mites.

Answer 5

Black Lab Head

Answer 6

Sometimes the head shaking can be from ear mites making her uncomfortable. A vet can examine the ear and see the mites under a microscope to confirm or rule it out. Bacterial and yeast infections of the ear usually have smelly drainage so if there is no real smell, it might be mites.

Answer 7

Yup, like the others said it is most likely an ear infection. My dog had one and it was pretty bad for him. Try lifting your dog's ear and see if there is any buildup that is kind of a reddish brown, that's an indicator of an infection. Also, there may be a smell that can give it away. Look for these to give yourself an idea and definitely make an appointment at the vet.

Answer 8

Your black lab shakes her head, probably she has got Otitis or infection of the ear! Please consult a Vet before it is too late. If she is uncomfortable or having pain she would rather 'groan' than growl. If she groans in sleep it means she is in pain. Many times large breeds get arthritis. Ask your Vet if she can be given a pain killer.

Answer 9

She's growling at her ear because it's bothering her. She is very uncomfortable because it's hurting . My dog just had the same thing and the vet put her on medication and an ear flush and he's fine now.

Answer 10

depending upon where you live she could have ear mites or some type of ear infection. in areas where you have foxtail growing dogs often get the burs inside their ears.

as to the growling when she is asleep. dogs, like people, have dreams. she could just be chasing rabbits in her head.

still, i would have a vet look at her ears. ear infections can get pretty nasty and smelly.