My 4-month Yorkie puppy's ear is itchy and painful. What to do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Thumper! The most common cause for an itchy, droopy, warm ear is an ear infection. Even if you are not seeing discharge it could be deeper in the ear canal. The dog ear canal is shaped like an "L." You can't see the entire canal with out an otoscope. Ear infections are caused by an overgrowth of yeast and/or bacteria from allergies or excessive moisture in the ear. Another possibility is an itchy ear from allergies with out an infection. We diagnose the infection by swabbing the ear wax and looking under a microscope. If an infection is present an ear wash and drops are prescribed. Sometimes a course of steroids for inflammation/itchiness is also prescribed. I wish Thumper the best!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Oral medications (ie: antibiotics) do not work well for ear infections. Any medication to treat an ear infection should be used topically (inside the ear). Oral pain medication would probably be helpful but you would need to get those from your vet. In my opinion, if the ear is that painful you really should take him to your vet now for an examination so they can use the scope to look into the ear and also test the ear discharge to see what the infection is composed of (bacteria or yeast or both). They will also be able to see if the ear drum is intact. Some medications are contraindicated if the ear drum is ruptured. Cyclobenzaprine is NOT recommended for use in dogs. It has a very narrow margin of safety in dogs (and cats) and can cause significant central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular (CV) adverse effects. You should NOT use it. If you want to try to treat the ear at home, which I do not recommend, you can use this specific over the counter ear medication linked below. It is once a day and you do not have to clean the ear out first. It contains an anti-inflammatory (hydrocortisone) that should help with inflammation/pain. It is a small bottle so you will likely need at least 2 (if not 3) to do a full course of treatment. You must be sure to get the medication all the way down into the ear canal or it will not help much. If you chose to do this and there is no improvement in 4-5 days then you must take him to your vet for an exam. If he does seem to be improving then continue once daily for at least 14 days. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-ear-solution-with-5-hydrocortisone-125-fl-oz-2399174 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a lot of things redness and swelling could indicate. Sometimes it means there is an infection present such as a bacterial infection. It could indicate an underlying allergy of some sort (environmental, contact allergy, or to food). Redness around the ears especially could mean an ear infection is present. My advice would be to take her into see her veterinarian so this can be evaluated. Your veterinarian may check her ears for an infection and may recommend antibiotics or certain topical medications depending on what your vet suspects.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Silky! The most common cause for scratching the ears and painful ears is an ear infection. The infection is either from overgrowth of bacteria and/or yeast. This can be from allergies or excessive moisture in the ears. I would recheck with a different vet with in the practice if you were unsatisfied with the first vet. Or go to a different hospital. The Vet should try, if the dog allows them, to look in the ears. They should use a Q-tip to remove some discharge and look at it under the microscope to identify the organism. They they can show you how to clean out the ears and provide you with an ear cleaner and medicated drops to clear the infection. Sometimes dogs with a lot of pain and inflammation deserve some steroids. I hope this helps and I wish Silky a speedy recovery!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. For future reference I would not recommend peroxide as an ear cleaner as it can often make cause damage to the ear. If Jackie is still uncomfortable, I recommend calling back the veterinarian that treated him to discuss. Be sure not to give medications more frequently than prescribed, if two dose given less than 4 hours apart that may be too frequent. Some pain medications may cause restlessness, so it's important to discuss with his veterinarian to rule out other illness or medication side effect. I hope Jackie is better soon.

At 7 months old, most of her teeth should be in place, and teething does not normally cause ear issues in dogs. Possible causes for her itchy ears include bacterial or yeast ear infection, mites, fleas, or allergies. You can try a medicated ear flush like Dechra Malacetic Ultra Otic for a few days, as well as having Princess on a good flea preventative. If it doesn't get better, she should be seen by a vet for evaluation. The vet will probably do a thorough otic exam and an ear cytology to find the cause of the itch. Then appropriate medications can be prescribed.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Snickers! Ultimately he will be okay until tomorrow, I am glad he is getting seen in the short term. I wouldn't recommend giving him any human medications because your Vet may prescribe steroids which can not be combined with things like aspirin. You can try some benadryl to see if it relieves the itch and calms him. Otherwise I would hold tight for a day. You could purchase an ear cleaner but your Vet will give you one tomorrow. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ I wish Snickers a speedy recovery!