Ear infections are very very common in dogs and cats with almost 25% of the pets we see having an active ear infection that requires treatment. Not all of these dogs come in for ear problems, many times we find an low-grade ear infection on our physical exam. We diagnose ear infections with cytology...by taking debris and discharge from the ears, putting it on a microscope slide, staining it with colorizing liquids, and finally looking at it under the microscope.

Ear infections are common because of anatomy, allergies and breed predisposition, all other causes including hair in the ears, water in the ears, or lack of home care contribute only slightly to ear infections (although home care is critical in a patient with recurring ear infections).

1. 1.Anatomy-The ear canal of dogs is long and curved and provides a warm, damp, dark environment for microorganisms to thrive. Check out the picture below of the ear canal, it’s a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, and mites.
   

2. 2.Allergies-One study showed that 80-90% of dogs with chronic ear infections have allergies. Sometimes we need to consider treating these allergies to keep the ears healthy.
   

3. 3.Breed predisposition-Some breeds just get more ear infections than others especially the spaniel breeds, golden retrievers, and shar peis.
   

Treating ear infections involves three basic steps...determining the cause of the infection (bacteria, yeast, or mites), removing debris from the ear canal, and getting medication to treat the infection into the ear. Sometimes, especially with bacterial infections and allergies, we need to treat with systemic or body-wide medication.