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I have a dog with a ear infection I need guidance of what meds to get.

Published on: July 28, 2022 • By: MitchMayhem · In Forum: Dogs
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MitchMayhem
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July 28, 2022 at 05:50am
My rat terrior is 7 and a half. He has a off again on again ear infection I believe where it smells and gets red and bothers him from time to time in 1 ear. I don't have ability to take him to a vet. Ate there meds I can get online to help him if so please let me know , I don't like seeing him in discomfort.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
July 30, 2022 at 08:03pm
How do you know that your dog has an ear infection?  And before you say 'but the ear is really red / thickened / itchy / waxy' it's worth explaining that for far more than 75% of dogs presenting like this, infection is not the cause, even if bacteria are present (they tend to move into the ears with lots of discharge and damaged lining).  This often explains why a course of antibiotics doesn't clear up such ears in the long-term.  Often ear disease is linked to inflammation of the ear canals, which tends to be caused by allergy or (much less commonly) an abnormality of the ear eg a lump.   In general (I know little about your specific dog), ear disease doesn't vanish with any sort of treatment.  Rather it is chronic (an ongoing, recurring problem - like arthritis or diabetes that needs to be managed effectively in the long-term and not just treated when it flares up).   Your vet's involvement is probably crucial and questions like, 'What do you think is underlying this?  Why do you think it is happening?' may be much more helpful than 'What drugs can you give me to get it to go away for a while'. I hope that this helps a little.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
July 30, 2022 at 08:08pm
When only one ear is infected, there is sometimes a grass seed, tumour or other abnormality down there (or commonly both ears are affected but one is worse than the other so the problem in the good side isn't noticed).  Scratching damages the ear-lining and damaged ear linings do get infected by yeast or bacteria.  But as I say, whether one or both ears are affected, the infection is hardly ever the cause of the issue. I hope that something here helps and would gently point out that providing veterinary health care can only be done by a vet in the UK and is considered an important part of good ownership.
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