Now H(ear) This…
Scratching, head shaking. Head shaking, scratching. My dog was in serious discomfort and keeping me (and him) up last night. What’s that odor? The ears look and smell a mess. A visit to the veterinary hospital the next day confirmed an ear infection. Sorry Buddy, we’ll get this treated for you ASAP.
––by Dr. Timothy Hodge, D.V.M.
Ear infections can be acute/sudden or chronic inflammatory/infectious conditions of the ear canal. Signs of ear infec- tions are itching and scratching, ear pain, shak- ing of the head, possible head tilt, discharge and odor from the ear canal. The earflap, also called the pinna, may be crust- ed, ulcerated and red. A blood filled swelling of the ear pinna called a hematoma can occur. Occasionally, neurologi- cal signs, such as head tilt, twitching of the eyes and abnormal gait or walking can be seen if a middle ear canal or internal ear canal infection is present. It is estimated that the incidence of ear infections is about
examination, but was not overly appreciative. The veterinary
Dogs like Lucy, who love the water, are often more susceptible to ear infections. Photograph by Laura Allen Studios.
nurse collected a sample from the ear canal for evaluation under the microscope to deter- mine the material pres- ent. The nurse smeared the sample onto the microscope slide and stained the slide to allow for visualization of the cells and organisms from Buddy’s ears. The nurse also made a second slide using mineral oil to evaluate for parasites. Luckily, no ear mites or
15-20 percent of dogs and six to seven percent of cats seen at vet- erinary hospitals. Ouch! That’s a lot of ear pain and infection. What might be the cause of Buddy’s ear infection? Primary
disorders that have a direct effect on the ear canal are numerous. Parasites (think mites, fleas, tics, etc.) cause direct irritation to the ear canals. Environmental allergies known as atopy, food allergies, contact allergies, and foreign bodies such as plant fibers are the most common causes. Skin cell disorders, autoimmune disease, hormonal diseases and cancer can also be primary causes of ear infections. Conditions that alter the environment of the ear canal, mak-
ing the ear more susceptible to infection and inflammation pre- dispose the ears to disease. Swelling of the ear wax glands, mass- es or tumors, narrowed ear canals, etc., favor bacterial and yeast growth and cause excessive production of wax, fluid and pus. As these changes occur, the width of the ear canal is affected and ventilation is decreased. The ear canal cannot properly dry and the humidity increases and thus a more favorable environment for further bacterial and yeast growth occurs. So, how did the veterinarian and his team correctly diagnose
Buddy’s condition? First, Buddy was given a complete physical exam, paying special attention to the ears. The veterinarian com- mented that there was a large amount of discharge present and the ear canal was red and inflamed. Buddy was a good boy for the
70 THE NEW BARKER
parasites were found. However, there were large numbers of yeast and bacteria present. So, Buddy has a combination infection to be addressed. The veterinarian, however, was also more concerned with
Buddy’s ear swab sample as it showed a large amount of inflam- matory cells and rod shaped bacteria. This was indicative that rod shaped bacteria could easily have antibiotic resistance. So, a sam- ple was collected from Buddy’s ear and sent to an outside lab for culture, to grow the bacteria and test it against antibiotics to see which will, or will not, kill that particular bacterium. Buddy’s ear was cleaned at the veterinary office. He did need
a mild sedative to allow for good cleaning and to not cause him pain or discomfort. Then, the veterinarian prescribed a special ear cleaner to use at home, as well as topical ear medicine to treat the yeast and bacteria. The ear medication that was prescribed also contained a steroid to reduce the swelling and inflammation of the ear canal. Buddy was also treated with a Therapy Laser to reduce the swelling and inflammation quickly. About five days after the visit to the veterinarian, the cul-
ture results showed an infection with bacteria called Pseudomonas. The veterinarian was happy that a culture was performed, as this bacterium was resistant to a lot of common antibiotics. The one that was prescribed as topical treatment was a good choice and showed sensitive to treat rod shaped bacte- ria. However, due to the severe nature of the infection and the high concern of resistance, an oral antibiotic was started based on the results of the ear culture.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
