My dog has glue ear. Is myringotomy surgery needed for hearing loss?

Hello, The surgical procedure to cure chronic ear infections in dogs is called a TECABO, which is a bit different than the tube placements they use in people. If you're interested in pursuing this, a consult with a soft tissue veterinary surgeon would be the next step. Here is a link to learn more: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952082 I hope this helps! Thanks for using PetCoach.

Surgery is the "gold standard" for addressing aural hematomas. Draining it with a needle and syringe may provide a quick fix, but more often than not the ear refills with blood. Allowing it to resolve without treatment may take weeks and could lead to a deformed ear flap. Surgery can be done to clean out the clotted blood and stop the bleeding. A specific suture pattern is used to keep the ear flap from refilling and in shape. The underlying cause, usually ear infection, should be addressed as well to prevent excessive head shaking.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Bronte has such a bad ear infection. If her ear is as inflamed as the vet says it is, then an ear canal ablation sounds like it would be the most appropriate next step. I am surprised to hear that it is $5000. That seems quite high for this type of surgery. I would call around and ask for prices on a total ear canal ablation and see what you can come up with. I generally end up charging about $1600-2000 at our clinic. If the ear is not bad enough to the point where the ear canal is calcified, a lateral ear resection may be appropriate and should be a cheaper surgery than completely removing the ear canal. As far as medications are concerned, I would probably use pain medications, antibiotics, anti inflammatories and antifungal drugs along with topical therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Usually surgery is reserved to chronic very severe and untreatable ear infections. That must be the reason for it. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Unfortunately, some dogs do get recurrent ear infections, and from your description, it does sound like Taffy is getting another one. I would take her back into the vet for an exam. If ear infections continue to be a problem for her, I would consider doing a surgery called a total ear canal ablation and bulla osteotomy. This surgery involves removing the ear canal completely, thus eliminating ear infections. It is done on dogs who have continual ear infections where other methods of treating them have failed. It does leave the dog deaf in that ear, however. It could be that Tuffy is not at the point now where that surgery should be considered, but it would be something to keep in mind if she continues to have problems with recurrent ear infections.

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Pearl. A radiograph is a good way to evaluate involvement with the bulla, the bony part of the inner ear, & to evaluate for lysis, the destruction of the bony structures. Computerized tomography (CT) & magnetic resonance (MRI) are better than skull radiographs for determining the extent of the tumor's involvement. Median survival is the point where 50% of the patients with a condition are still alive. This also means that 50% of the patients may live longer. A lot longer. Your veterinarian may be more optimistic, because the pathologist is just reporting on published statistics. Your veterinarian knows more about Pearl's health & may feel that she has a much better chance of surviving longer than the median year reported. I would discuss this with your veterinarian & ask why he thinks Pearl may do well for 2-3 years longer. I hope this helps & all the best to Pearl. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are a number of ear cleaners on the market, both OTC and prescription-based. For heavy wax buildup I like Cerúmenes, which should be available from your vet. I’m not familiar with cases of dogs that have so much wax they need surgery to remove it, so I wonder if your dog actually has recurring ear infections. If this is the case it’s not unusual for them to need deep cleanings under anesthesia. In these cases usually allergies are he underlying cause and these must be controlled in order to get the amount of debris in the ears under control.