Day & Evening Pet Hospital

Veterinarian Palm Harbor

Call: 727-785-7200
511 Magnolia Ave
Palm Harbor, FL 34683

Ear Infections in Your Dog or Cat

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Ear infections are one of the most common health issues in dog and cats that we see here in Palm Harbor, Florida.

If your dog or cat does have an ear infection, we will check for any underlying issues your pet may have to create such an infection.  Your pet may be allergic to things nearby or even a food allergy.  Pollen or dust may even play a part.  Ear mites may also be the problem.

If your dog swims a lot and has chronic damp ears this can also play a part in getting an infection (very common).

If your dog or cat have masses in their ear it is important that one of our vet techs gets them cleaned out for you.  We can also show you how to do this but you must be very careful of reaching too far down into the ear and not damaging part of their ears.  We also don’t want you to accidentally push the “gunk” further down into the ear itself.

Signs of an ear infection are constant scratching at the ears, shaking their head from side-to-side, you can actually see “gunk” in their ears, or their ears may give off a bad odor.

If your pet does swim a lot, it is important to dry their ears completely when they are done swimming.

If your pet has continual ear problems, it is important to find the underlying cause so their infections don’t return.

Come see us at Day and Evening Pet Hospital and we will help your pet with any ear problems and also can show you how to care for them on a routine basis.

Love,

Day and Evening Pet Hospital Staff

Ear Mites in Cats

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Unfortunately, ear mites are common.  They are external parasites that cause infections.

This can cause excessive scratching.

Your cat can be seen to scratch his or her ears so much that they can actually draw blood and injure themselves from all the scratching.  Some can scratch at their ears so much that they can really injure their own ear drums/canals.  With the mites being so itchy, they can even shake their heads back and forth to try to get them out.

This is pretty common in young cats as it is contagious–it can easily pass from mother to her kittens and/or from kitten to kitten.  However, any age of cat can get ear mites.  The mite can spread throughout the body if left untreated, though it is commonly found in the ear.

Some symptoms include:

  • itching ears, head, neck
  • shaking his/her head a lot
  • small brown crusty specks in the ear canal
  • scratches on the ears
  • crusting on the neck
  • black crusts in the outer ear

Your vet will give your cat a thorough physical and run certain tests.  He will take a skin scrape sample and an ear swab.

The treatment is routine and very well known.  Please bring your cat in immediately and we can help you and your pet live healthy.

Love, Day and Evening Pet Hospital

Pet Health Care – Ear Care For Pets

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Pet Ear Care

“Many pets suffer from ear problems”, said Dr. Al Paredes, Veterinarian at Day And Evening Pet Clinic. The most common problems include ear tissue infection, ear mites, and chronic ear infections from a lack of regular cleaning.

Signs of Pet Ear Diseases

“The signs of ear diseases are easy to spot,” said Dr. Paredes. “If your pet’s ears have a bad odor, if they are scratching or rubbing their ears, shaking their head or tilting it to one side, check the ears for signs of discharge, swelling or redness in the ear canal, or painful areas around their ears.”

The Causes of Pet Ear Problems

Parasites are a common problem, but ear mites are generally seen in cats who will scratch at their ears. Mites are not generally seen in dogs’ ears.

Both dogs and cats can have problems due to allergies from something they inhaled, ate or touched. Allergies create changes inside the ear and we often see secondary infections in the ear caused by the initial allergy.

Yeast and bacteria can also cause infection, and they are often seen along with allergies, hormonal changes, or moisture in the ears. Ear cleaning alone may not take care of these, so a good antibiotic is sometimes recommended.

General ear cleaning on a regular basis can keep ear problems at bay. Have your pet’s ears checked when they are at the vet clinic for an exam, and ask us about ear cleaning solutions for your dog or cat to keep their ear problems to a minimum.