Signs Your Dog Has A Severe Ear Infection: Tips For You

Posted on: 22 December 2016

As a dog owner, you try to do everything in your power to keep your dog as healthy and as safe as possible. However, just like with human children, sometimes, even with all of your concerted efforts, your dog gets sick or has other health problems anyway. One common, yet often overlooked, health issue that dogs may suffer from is an ear infection. Ear infections in dogs can go undetected for quite some time before diagnosis, meaning that an ear infection may become quite severe before being treated. Get to know some of the signs that your dog may have a severe ear infection so that you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to take care of your dog's health.

A Yeast-Like Smell Around Your Dog's Ears

Canine ear infections can have different causes. Some may be bacterial while others are fungal. However, both can cause a dog's ears to have an odor. Fungal ear infections, which often get quite severe, can produce a smell somewhat like bread yeast. Sometimes, bacterial ear infections can cause a similar smell, but they may also smell a bit more sour than a fungal ear infection.

If you get close to your dog's head and you smell something yeast-like, it is more than likely that they have an ear infection that requires treatment as soon as possible. An untreated fungal yeast infection in the ear could cause hearing loss and damage to the ear drums, and it could spread elsewhere in the body.

You Notice Thick, Dark-Brown Wax Often

Just like humans, dogs naturally produce earwax. This earwax is designed to prevent large debris from getting into the ear canal and is essentially a way for the ears to protect themselves and clean themselves. However, there is normal earwax and then there is the earwax that is a sign of a severe infection.

When your dog's ears are healthy, the wax will be clear, white, or maybe a little yellowish when you clean out their ears. Sometimes dogs produce small amounts of darker brown earwax when their ears are healthy as well. However, dogs with ear infections will produce copious amounts of dark brown earwax that is extremely thick and will coat and build up in their outer ear. If you clean your dog's ears and see this type of wax and then notice even more the next day or within a few days, your dog likely needs to take a trip to the veterinarian or the emergency vet clinic for treatment.

With these tips in mind, you can be sure that you are protecting your dog's ears and that you get their severe ear infections treated as quickly as possible. Check out websites like http://www.akronvet.com for more information.

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