If you are like me and millions of other pet owners you want to make sure your pet is safe and healthy. One of the things we generally don’t think about with our pets is their ears. The most common health related issues among dogs and cats are their ears. If you were to ask your vet what they treat most often at their clinic, they would probably answer you the ears. When you have a dog or cat it can be difficult to see the true infection.

In fact most of the infected ears are deep in the inner ear canal. This doesn’t mean you should give up in checking their ear from issues though. A good policy when you own a dog is to check their body, ears, teeth, feet, and other sensitive locations after letting them play outside. They can get into danger when you aren’t looking or carry in some travelers. The ear infections usually start as a result of bacteria working its way into the ear canal.

If you are up on pet hygiene you may be able to see these little parasites before they decide to take up residence in the inner ear. Parasites, especially bacteria are very small. It is best to use a magnifying glass, and you may still miss them. Another leading cause of bacteria in the ear is water.

When you wash your pet either once a month or when they need it, you should take extra care not to get water in the ears. You can clean the ears out with a wash cloth to the exposed part, working at getting the dirt out. This is the safest and gentlest method. Some outer ear issues you could see with your pet are burst blood vessels or blood clots. This is usually seen with itchy ears, smelly, reddened, bloody, or crusty. They may also be inflamed. These are of course on the external ear. The smell, itch, or blood could also be an infection deep in the ear. It is best to clean out the ear to determine the origin. If it is from within the ear you should seek a vet right away.

They will offer three methods of fixing the issue. The first is a topical cream or ointment that is used on the outside of the ear. It is an antibiotic to kill the bacteria before it gets deeper in the ear. Sometimes the antibiotic is not too successful, so vets may offer an oral antibiotic. Combined with the topical cream this can be very successful in helping the ear heal.

Flushing the ear with water at a high pressure can work. The pressure is not high enough to hurt the ear, but to flush out puss and other build up. Humans have a similar procedure for removing ear wax. It is best that flushing the ear be done by a professional. Most pets need to be sedated in order to lie still for the procedure.

The last method of helping your pet is surgery. If the other options have not worked or your pet has seen a great deal of infections in their lives there could be an underlying cause that you don’t realize. Some dog or cat ears can grow with a defect or just have a small inner ear. This can cause a build up of debris like bacteria. The scar tissue which can result from multiple ear infections can also trap the bacteria to the point of causing severe pain for your pet. When this happens surgery to remove the scar tissue or to correct the imperfection in the ear canal is suggested.

Your vet should explain the entire procedure to you and the benefits you pet can gain. With most dogs or cats after the surgery and healing process you can see a significant change. First your dog or cat will no longer be in pain. They will be happier after the surgery. They may also have an improvement regarding their hearing. They may answer you more often or come when you call at a softer voice. Also, you will be protecting your pet from future dog Illness, dog sickness and your cat too.