First and foremost, it's important to regularly clean your dog's ears with a gentle ear cleaner. You can also use natural remedies such as apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil to combat infections. However, it's crucial to avoid inserting anything into your dog's ear canal, as this can cause further damage.
Dog ear infections will not go away on their own, and trying to treat them at home with natural remedies likely won't work—and may even worsen the infection. “If the ear issue has progressed to an actual infection, I do not recommend any at-home or over-the-counter remedies,” Dr.
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Never put anything into your dog's ear unless you have explicit veterinary instructions — home “remedies” or over the counter medications may not help your pet and may even make their discomfort worse. If your pet has stinky or dirty ears, see the vet.
Never use human ear or eye drops on your dog, unless prescribed by a vet.
They may use a medicated ear cleaner or apply a topical medication. In more severe cases, the vet may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications or oral antibiotics for your pet. Your vet will likely prescribe a topical medication to your dog.
No, antibiotic ear drops aren't available over the counter. These medications require a prescription from a healthcare provider. You can purchase some antifungal ear drops over the counter. But you should ask your healthcare provider before using this type of treatment.
Can a dog's ear infection go away on its own? In most cases, a dog's ear infection will not go away on its own.
They include gentamicin, framycetin, and polymyxin B. Oral Antibiotics: These antibiotics are taken orally and are used for more severe infections. They include amoxicillin, cephalexin, and metronidazole.
They will likely extract a sample from the infected area to look at under a microscope. From there, they can determine whether your dog has an ear yeast infection or bacterial infection – or both! Your vet will prescribe medication to treat the infection.
Dark brown or black—This type of earwax is commonly associated with yeast and/or bacterial ear infections. It's a good idea to consult with a veterinarian if earwax is this color. Brown—Light brown earwax is normal and expected. If the wax is accompanied by odor or inflammation, it can be a sign of infection.
Apple cider vinegar helps by acting as a cleanser and an anti-fungal and antibacterial agent. Dabbing this into your dog's ears sparingly can help to clean out the inside of their ears and treat the infection.
A pharmacist can help with an ear infection
Speak to a pharmacist if you think you have an outer ear infection. They can recommend acidic eardrops to help stop bacteria or fungus spreading.
Your pharmacist may also be able to recommend over-the-counter eardrops for your earache. But let them know your symptoms and ask for their advice first. Eardrops or olive oil drops should not be used if the eardrum has burst, and they will not help an ear infection.
You'll usually need prescription dog ear infection medicine, Pashaian-Grant says. Your veterinarian will take a swab of the ear discharge and look at it under a microscope to see if it's mites, yeast, or bacteria, and then prescribe the appropriate medication.
Many ear drops sold without a prescription are formulated to clean your dog's ears and help avoid infection. Some choices of medication are more affordable than prescription drops.
Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common causes of itching in dogs, just behind flea allergy dermatitis. These allergies may also result in ear and body scratching, ear and skin infections and foot licking.
Most dogs will scratch at their ears because there is a little allergic inflammation first, and then they develop infections as a secondary problem." While you can treat for temporary relief from allergies, you need to determine the causes and take appropriate action to make sure they can be managed effectively.
Helping with itchy ears
Add a few drops of coconut oil to your dog's ear and then massage around the area. This will help to clean out excess wax leaving your pup with clean ears. Now there is no excuse for them not to come back when you call!
Never put olive oil, vinegar, shampoo, or any other substance in a dog's ear. Also, avoid poking around with cotton buds in the ear, you will only work any wax and debris further in and potentially damage the eardrum.