Six common causes of ear infections in pets

Uh-oh! You just noticed your pet’s ears are hot, red and filled with black wax or maybe even white discharge and they are shaking their head, holding their head to one side or scratching a lot at their ears. Your poor pal may have an ear infection.

Ear infections almost always happen for a reason. But what caused the bacteria or yeast (or both!) to infect your pet’s ear in the first place? 

One of these common causes are the most likely the culprit for your pet’s ear woes:

Moisture/Ear Conformation Yeast loves nothing more than a warm, humid environment, and dogs who swim a lot create these conditions when their ears get repeatedly wet. Similarly, dogs with heavy, droopy ears, like cocker spaniels, or with thick hair in their ears, like poodles, may also end up trapping moisture in their ears, creating the perfect yeast breeding ground.

Allergies If your pet struggles with multiple ear infections a year, it’s possible they have allergies. Allergies weaken the skin’s defenses, allowing yeast and bacteria to grow where they normally wouldn’t, including the ears. Food, environmental or even flea allergies can all lead to ear infections.

Ear mites These yucky bugs are unfortunately common in outdoor cats and newly adopted kittens, although they can occur in dogs too. They crawl their way into your pet’s ears when your pet buddies up to an infected pet. Preventing these irritating parasites is yet another good reason to keep your cat indoors.

Foreign bodies When something is stuck in your pet’s ear canal, the ensuing inflammation invites infection. This may sound like an unlikely scenario, but it’s actually quite common, especially during grass awn season. The spiky grass awns (also known as foxtails) like to stick to your pet’s fur and then can migrate to all kinds of problematic places, including the ears.

Masses Perhaps not as common but still worth a mention are masses inside the ear, like polyps or tumors. These can alter the environment of the ear canal, creating conditions ideal for infections.     Your veterinarian can help determine the underlying cause of your pet’s ear infection. Finding out and addressing the root of the problem will help your pet feel better sooner and prevent repeat infections.

At Urgent Paws Veterinary Clinic, we are open late and on the weekend to take a look at your pet’s ears and get their treatment started as soon as possible to limit their discomfort! Please give us a call at 403-341-2435 if you need your pet seen.