What Causes Ear Dermatitis in Dogs?Many health conditions can trigger skin inflammation in dogs, some of the most common includes:
Fleas spread rapidly through a dog’s coat and their bites may cause skin irritation and itchiness. Dogs with an infestation of fleas tend to scratch, rub, and chew themselves intensively, which can lead to hair loss and secondary skin infections. If a dog is allergic to flea bite saliva, its signs may be more severe and more likely to develop into bacterial ear infections. Scratching could also be caused by ear mites. These tiny parasites feed on the wax and oil inside the ear canal, which can lead to ear inflammation, redness, and infection. Often, you’ll see a dark, crumbly discharge inside the dog’s ears. Cleaning your home regularly and year-round flea and tick management for your dog are just some of the steps you can take to prevent parasites from infesting your dog. To discover more, read
Common Signs of Ear Dermatitis in Dogs
Looking at your dog’s ears, you may notice:
Dermatitis causes a dog’s skin to become very itchy. To ease their discomfort, your dog may scratch and chew at their ears, shake their head, or rub up against furniture. This can further weaken their skin and lead to painful, open wounds. If your dog has ear dermatitis, it’s likely that other parts of their skin will be affected too, so make sure you check the rest of their body for other dermatitis signs and talk to your veterinarian.
A healthy ear should be pink (or black, depending on your dogs skin color), clean and sweet smelling with no redness or inflammation.
Youve been petting your dogs ears and noticed that the insides are rough and maybe grainy. You know theyre not supposed to be like this, but you dont know what the cause is.
A quick examination by a veterinarian will help root out the cause. In the case of infestation, youll use otic products that will help clean the ear and get rid of the problem. In the case of allergies, your veterinarian may put your dog on a special diet and medication.
Crustiness and roughness suggest either an infection with discharge, allergies or parasites. Ear mites will leave red, waxy gunk that smells foul, and fleas and flies will leave blackish grains from dried blood or dried feces.
Many people think that smelly dog ears are the norm and that dogs always scratch their ears–this is not the case.
Dexter’s Crusty Ears, and what to do about it ♂️ ♂️
Ear problems are one of the most common reasons why owners take their pups to visit the veterinarian. There can be several potential reasons why your dog may begin to form scabs on the outer edges of his ears such as allergies or injury. To help you determine what may be causing a scab in dog ears, we have put together an informational guide to help you determine the right course of action to make sure your furry friend is scab-free as soon as possible.