1: Cleaning Dog's Ears and Cleaning Cat's Ears ..please note that some pets hate bottles and the way the liquid feels when squirted into the ear canal..for these pets you can put the liquid on a cotton ball or gauze in another room...place in the ear and massage in order to express the solution from it...then clean as advised..REMEMBER many dermatologists believe that too frequent ear cleanings can also predispose to inflammation so make sure to consult your vet about how often to clean ears...many also think that unless cats are having issues, even if they have waxy ears, that we do more harm cleaning than not cleaning....
2: Causes, Signs, Symptoms of Ear Infections
3: Dogs Prone to Infections
4: Ear Mites and Cats...we love topical Revolution for ear mites in cats...it works faster than the meds that are instilled into the canal and treats the entire cat...we use Nexgard Combo as well but it does not seem to work as well as the Revolution... we use Milbemite or Acarexx esp in those too young for Revolution or those cats getting other topicals
What is Otitis Externa? It is the acute or chronic inflammation of the external ear canal and surrounding structures. The physical and microbiological state of the canal are altered by a combination of events so that inflammation occurs and subsequently, infection.
What is the cause of OE? The primary factor causes inflammation in the canal and ceruminous gland secretions increase. The ear is now a favorable environment for yeast and bacterial overgrowth.
How does OE present? Pruritis or itchy ears, smelly ears, inflamed ears, pain and discomfort..Clinical signs: head shaking, head/ear rubbing, ear scratching, ear discharge, ear redness
Acute OE is a sudden and severe onset of inflammation and infection which can lead to chronic OE if the underlying cause is not determined and treated. This is why we always state that unless allergies are kept under control these infections will continue to recur. Food elimination trials are indicated for all cases of allergies in the ideal world because we cannot tell from clinical signs what is the cause of the allergy.
Three Important Elements: 1: Inflammation: there is an increase in ear secretions which are essentially food for the yeast and bacteria and this can create/exacerbate stenosis 2: Stenosis/Occlusion: this traps the secretions, reduces air circulation, reduces topical treatment effects 3: Microorganisms: yeast and bacteria are always present BUT they start proliferating under these conditions
Treatment Goals: 1: reduce inflammation 2: reduce stenosis, occlusion 3: kill the bugs
Here is OE simplified: WHAT: we need to determine what is occurring and WHY: we need to determine what is causing the inflammation, or the Primary Factor..therefore we will 1: diagnose and treat the Primary Factor 2: treat the inflammation normally with a short course of steroids if not contraindicated 3: eliminate infections and Perpetuating Factors with topical ear meds and cleaning the ears at home..There are many ear cleaners on the market and online that do not work...please make sure to use a reputable product backed by science and recommended by dermatologists like Epiotic Advanced which can be used for routine cleaning, cleaning before instilling ear meds and after bathing to help dry the ear.....there are many bacteria that form a biofilm and these biofilms reduce topical treatment efficacy...products that can be used for reducing the biofilm are Triz EDTA and Tris-NAC..Tris-NAC is available in the US and may be more effective that just Triz EDTA alone according to a study...Triz-ULTRA is a good product for slimy, purulent infections like Pseudomonas...Douxo Micellar is good for dry, crusty, ceruminous exudate...Cort Astrin and Synotic are good for those itchy ears without infection and Cort Astrin can also be used after swimming..
Primary causes: Why is this happening to my dog? Food allergies, Environmental allergies, Endocrine diseases like Hypothyroidism and Cushing’s, foreign bodies, mites/parasites, cancer, seborrhea, keratinization defects..these are the cause of the ear infection or inflammation; Allergies are by far the most common cause
Secondary causes..they all revolve around the type of infection that’s present. Yeast and bacteria, one or both..and some consider these Perpetuating Factors
Perpetuating causes: these keep the problem going on and on and on...these are chronic inflammatory changes... Perpetuating causes are situations within the ear, itself, that promote infection and inflammation and they work to make our job harder to resolve that infection and what make our battle uphill.. ....gland overgrowth; cysts, scar tissue and chronic changes, biofilm with bacteria, middle ear infection, swelling and narrowing of the ear canal, bony changes in the ear canal, calcification of the ear canal...
Predisposing causes: these are the risk factors: very hairy ears, swimming, topical reactions from too much cleaning, long floppy ears, abnormal anatomy, increased wax
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PODCASTS/Written Info Too
Ear Infections Part 1
Ear Infections Part 2
Ear Cytology
Aural Hematoma
Ear Cleaning
Ear Masses
Polyps