posted by Tess on Dec 16
For cleaning mites or infections.
* Lavender 5 drops
* Tea Tree 5 drops
* Roman Chamomile 1 drop
Blend with 30 ml of chamomile floral water, Use a cottong swab with solution to gently clean the ear and mist the outside of the ear as well.
Originally posted 2006-11-20 16:09:04. We hope you have enjoyed this Post From the Past!
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posted by Tess on Nov 1
If your dog shakes his head too often, don’t just shirk it off as a funny habit. Dogs do not shake their heads without reason. If your dog shakes his head too often, you have every reason to suspect an infection in the ears.
Ear infection is common in pets. One of the most prevalent causes of ear infections is allergies. These allergies are caused by wet ears that become damp, hot and humid due to the fact that most dogs have ear flaps that cover the ear canal. Dog ears should be kept dry and should be cleaned regularly to avoid wax build up and excessive hair growth. Ear mites are another major reason for ear infections.
The natural appearance of the cartilaginous structure of the external ear is pink and feels flat when touched. Any thickening indicates presence of an infection. You should be able to see the ear canal clearly. While a small amount of discharge and wax is natural, any abnormal accumulation of debris or a foul odor indicates an infection. A yellow discharge points towards yeast infection and a black debris indicates dog ear mites.
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posted by Tess on Oct 27
Pet owners are often confronted with pet ear problems. Even though there reasons other than ear mites are the most common cause of ear infections in pets. Some major causes of infections in dog ears are:
* Wet ears that do not dry on their own
* Dog ear mites
* Skin diseases
* Allergic reactions
* Injury to the ear canal
* Insect bites
The structure of a dog’s ear is such that water gets entrapped easily in the ear canal. A dog’s ears naturally produce some amount of wax. This wax should be cleaned regularly as part of normal grooming. Severe instances of infection normally leads to excessive wax production that refuses to go away despite regular cleaning.
Moist wax is an invitation for yeast infection. If your dog scratches or rubs his ears excessively or shakes his head without any reason, it is prudent to inspect the ears for any signs of yeast infection. A particularly foul odor, redness, swelling of the external ear and an oily discharge are sure indications of a yeast infection.
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posted by Tess on Oct 24
Dogs have a keen auditory faculty. To help retain this extraordinary attribute, a dog’s ear canal is L-shaped to protect the tympanic membrane (ear drum) from any kind of injury. The typical structure of a dog’s ear means that a foreign substance that enters the ear or wax or debris that accumulates due to infections, has to work its way upwards rather than straight out, as is the case in the human ear. This makes it difficult for any thing going in to come out easily.
Common ear infections like dog ear mites and yeast infection lead to an increased production of wax, which has to be removed manually. Breeding of dogs has added to the problem in as far as drooping eared breeds are concerned. The drooping ears do not let the ears dry easily. Moist ears are a sure invitation for infections to establish roots.
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posted by Tess on Oct 19
Nature has provided man and animal alike with an immune system that can fight back diseases in many cases. But there are many ailments that the domesticated dog faces today due to the fact that it has been kept in an unnatural environment and bred for years. The breeding has given rise to changes that are not very conducive to dog’s health. One example is development of breeds with dropping ears.
The L-shapes ear canal protects the ear drum from foreign substances reaching the sensitive organ. However, this also means that whatever goes in the ear cannot come out on its own. Long droopy ears restrict easy flow of air. Large amount of hair that grows in the ear canal of Terriers, Poodles and some other breeds also inhibits air circulation. Water that enters the inner ear takes a long time to dry on its own.
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posted by Tess on Oct 13
Aural hematomas (swollen ear flaps) are a moderately common condition in dogs but less prevalent in cats. The cause behind aematomas is not exactly known but it is linked to excessive flapping of the ears. This makes breeds that have long ears more susceptible to the condition.
A hematoma is a swelling caused by a ruptured blood vessel after bleeding has occurred inside a tissue. Aural haematoma occurs when a blood vessel within the ear flap breaks and the ear flap swells with blood. The swelling can be partial or complete and in severe conditions may even block the ear canal totally. The ear flap can fluctuate, appear like a balloon and result in a significant change in the carriage of the ear.
Untreated aematomas may heal without any treatment over a period of time. However, this option is preferred only in cases where the dog cannot be given an anesthesia. Left alone, an aural hematoma can disfigure the ears giving them a shape that is commonly known as ‘cauliflower’ ears.
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posted by Tess on Oct 12
A dog’s ears were not meant to stink but they still do. Nature made all provisions necessary for maintaining health of all organisms, whether in the plant or animal kingdoms. If organisms are vulnerable to attack from external elements they were provided with external and internal systems to combat them.
A close look at the coat of a dog will make you realize its need to protect the dog from the vagaries of the climate. Had the human species not evolved the way it has, there would still be a hairy coat on us. A comparison between the ears of a dog in your house and those of a fox or wolf will let you understand the problems that man has created by interfering with nature by breeding and domesticating the wild dog. A wild fox’s ears are always upright because they were meant to be like that for proper ventilation. Breeding gave rise to breeds with drooping ears and excessive hair growth in ears, which brought in its wake dog ear problems.
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posted by Tess on Oct 11
Dog ear canals are L-shaped to protect the sharp hearing capabilities of dogs. This unusual shape is nature’s way of protecting the ear drum. But this shape is also the major reason why an ear infection is common in dogs. This is mainly due to the fact that the structure allows the ear mites moisture, ear wax and debris to accumulate.
When moisture and excessive wax accumulates in the ear, it can lead to severe infection of the ear, especially if there is also a prevalence of dog ear mites. Conventional medications that include antibiotics and antifungal drugs tend to weaken the immune system. Home remedies for dog ear mites, on the other hand, attempt to focus on the underlying cause without harming other functions of the body.
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posted by Tess on Oct 10
The treatment that is most effective for ear infections in dogs depends upon the severity of the condition. Home remedies for dog ear mites and regular grooming are effective methods to treat and prevent mild ear infections. Chronic and recurrent ear infections that do not respond to treatment may even require surgery. Vertical Canal Ablation and Lateral Wall Resection are designed to modify the anatomy of the dog’s ear to facilitate easy exit of fluids, much like as it is done in the human ear.
Total Ear Canal Ablation involves removal of the vertical and horizontal ear canal, the ear drum and part of the middle ear. It is the ultimate treatment when nothing else works. It removes the infected ear and allows fluid to be drained from the middle ear. The process involves removing the entire amplification system of the body and if this surgery is performed on both ears, the dog becomes deaf. To understand ear ablation, it is necessary to know the significant role that the structure of a dog ear plays in ear infections.
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posted by Tess on Oct 6
Dog ear infections mostly involve pathogenic organisms that are sensitive to antibiotics and are easily treatable. After an antibiotic treatment regime, most of the bacteria are killed but in certain cases the residual infection is of a resistant and literally immortal bacterium called pseudomonas. Pseudomonas is a special species of rod-shaped Gram-negative bacteria, resistant to every antibiotic known to the medical world. Gram-negative relates to bacteria that do not retain the violet stain used in Gram’s Method.
Dog ear infections are a common occurrence and there are certain factors that combine to cause infections in a dog’s ear. These are:
* The dog ear anatomy that does not facilitate easy expulsion of parasites, debris, wax or foreign substance that once enters the ear.
* The L-shaped structure of the dog that provides a moist and humid environment for bacteria and fungus to thrive upon.
* Long floppy ears that prevent air circulation for easy drying of ears.
* Allergic reactions.
* Thyroid dysfunction.
* Parasites like dog ear mites.
* Side effects of drugs.
* Unclean ears.
* Immune mediated and other medical conditions.
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