Possible ear infection

Hi all

Tash loves swimming and does it on most of our walks. Have noticed that recently in the house she is consistently shaking her head from side to side and having a good old scratch at her ears.

She has been sick recently but think that was because she raided our bin after a Chinese take away and ate way too much Chinese (hope this isn't too bad for her).

She is fine in herself I think apart from being quite calm (which is always a worrying trait).

Do you think I need to take her to the vets as I am quite short on money at the moment. Will be taking her to have her annual injections soon, should I just wait till then and get the vet to have a look.

Last time I was worried took her to the vets for a lump which turned out to be a skin tag, doc said it would probably fall off in a few days (it did the next day). cost me nearly £50.

Jules

Yes it could definitely be something working on the ear. A trip to the vets im afraid! Ear infections can be nasty and really hurt (imagine the pain if you have ever had one yourself)

Aww poor tash, definitely a trip to the vets, best to air on the side of caution with ears

Can only echo those views above, a trip to see the vet for you with Tash. I have had an ear infection myself and know how painful it is in fact the words extruciatingly painful come to mind.

How long have her ears been irritating her? If it's been longer than a couple of days, a vet check is advisable.

As she swims regularly, she may have an infection; water can become trapped in the ears, creating a warm, moist environment which breeds bacteria.

Are there any of these signs?

Bad odor
Crusted/dry skin
Discharge
Redness
Swelling
Loss of balance

If there are, it's most likely an infection. Otherwise, it could be that something's trapped in the ear (dirt, grass, seed, hair, etc.). Either way, a vet will be able to examine her ear properly to determine the cause.

Yes I have to agree, daisy has damaged ears as she came to me with untreated ear infections :-(

hi all thanks, no none of those signs and doesn't appear to be in any pain. Got some ear drops, im trying those but will definitely take her to the vets if doesn't improve

Julia

Keep us posted, hope she's better soon x

Hope she feels better soon then!

Do let us know how she gets on x

Hope its nothing serious and clears up soon  x

thanks will do, got some ear drops and have put them in but she then went and hid in her basket and wouldn't come out so haven't been able to clean them as of yet. She's having her booster jabs next week so will get the vet to give her a good old check over then

I just went through ear infection treatment with Bacon. With his ear I noticed him scratching his ear quite a bit and when I looked in his ear there was a reddish brown buildup that looked like earwax in there. It smelled bad. Got some ointment along with ear cleaning solution from the vet. He was all good after two days.

Cleaning out the ear with ear drops would probably be a big help. It's a challenge to get in there though. I found it's best to squirt it in there quickly then hold the ear and squish the water around for a few seconds with your fingers before letting them shake out on their own.

I would also take to the vet if she continues to scratch and shake her head.

thanks will do everyone, she doesn't appear to be in any pain though but will get her checked out next week when she has her boosters xx

I'm having the same issue with Zeus, he's been shaking his head and scratching his ears alot but haven't seen any other symptoms (i.e smell from his ears, swelling, discharge). They are however red, because he keeps going at them.

Trying to get ear drops in are a challenge, at first he hated it, but now when you go near him with them he tries nipping at ya and growls. So, I put them in when hes asleep!

I'm not sure if its the carpet thats in the living room as its very old and Zeus is always scratching the areas he places himself onto the carpet (i.e. ears when he sleeps sideways and chin when he sleeps facing front), so I purchased a flea/mite spray (£15 from Pets at Home) and sprayed the whole room and his bedding etc, just incase it is that.

If it doesn't calm down in the next few days, then I'm going to take him to the vets also.

poor zeus, its awful isn't it. obviously if they were in pain we'd take them but when theyre not we don't want to waste money. tash is having her booster vaccinations on Tuesday so will get vet to give her a good look over

hi all, tash had her booster vaccinations today and a thorough check over by the vet. She has got a slight ear infection, the vet cleaned tash's ears (and got a lovely staffie face wash for her troubles) and gave us some ear drops.

Will be booking her in tomorrow for getting spayed next week, a little bit more serious but the correct thing to do.

jules

Thanks for all your help and advice xxx

Glad to hear Tash has a clean bill of health and her ears on the mend.x

Great news her ears are sorted

Glad to hear that Tash has got some treatment for her swimmer's ear. Dogs normally love having ear drops massaged into their ears - very comforting!

Definitely sounds like an ear infection. Has she got excess wax (black greasy stuff) in her ear? Is there any swelling or redness? Perhaps you could tell them that you suspect an ear infection and you just want drops then you might be able to see a nurse and it might be cheaper!

ah, in the summer me and Romeo are always fighting his ear infections. i have a store of ear drops and cleaners at the ready for the slightest signs

Glad it's all sorted!