The dog is shaking its ears: what to do and how to determine the cause

A dog is an active pet, constantly on the move. Each pet has a set of movements and actions that it performs every day. Often these include scratching with the hind paws, shaking the head, and sudden movements. There is no need to worry if the dog does all this regularly, but not too often.

However, everything changes when the animal begins to behave restlessly, twitching, shaking its ears, constantly itching and even whining. This way the dog shows the discomfort he feels in the ear area.

Why is this happening

Ear diseases

After sleep, dogs shake their heads and scratch, which is normal for them, as well as some earwax. But if your pet shakes its head and ears constantly, and there is an unpleasant odor coming from the ears, this should alert you.

Animals suffer from ear diseases much more often than we think. The dog often shakes its head violently, but the owner does not pay attention to it. The pet has no choice but to suffer in silence. After all, he cannot say anything, but only points out the problem with his behavior. If a dog whines, his temperature rises, his ears swell, and there is an unpleasant odor coming from his ears, this indicates that the animal has an otolaryngological disease.

Otitis media is common. This disease is caused by bacteria that cannot be completely eliminated from the animal's body. In the case when the body is able to give a strong immune response, microorganisms do not manifest themselves, but as soon as the body is weakened as a result of an unbalanced diet, the manifestation of the disease is obvious. A dog may also scratch its ears if it is allergic to a certain food product.

If a pet “caught” an ear mite, then a very strong inflammatory process develops. The animal is itching and shaking its ears. Dogs that have an open ear canal, as well as lop-eared breeds, are susceptible to such diseases. A black ear inside may indicate the presence of a tick.

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With fungal infections, red-brown discharge appears in the ears, which has an unpleasant odor.

Injury

Ear injuries are common in many dog breeds. This can also cause anxiety in your pet. Dogs with long, sensitive ears should be carefully examined after each walk for signs of injury.

Foreign object or water

This is the only non-disease-related case where a dog shakes its head. In such a situation, you should not do anything yourself, but immediately contact a veterinary clinic. In order to remove a foreign body, the possibility of movement of the animal should be excluded. Otherwise, the four-legged friend will behave restlessly and turn his head, as a result of which the foreign object may penetrate even deeper.

Another common cause of head shaking is water getting into your ears. This happens when it rains and when swimming in ponds. If the water is clean, then nothing bad will happen. However, if the water is from a stagnant body of water, then microorganisms may enter the auricle. causing various infectious diseases.

In all other cases, the answer to the question of why a dog shakes its head is the presence of a disease.

Prevention

Following simple rules will help protect your pet from ear diseases:

Carry out a daily inspection of the ears, pay attention to any changes in skin color, the presence of wax, odor, discharge;
do not allow water to get inside the ear canal while swimming, and if this happens, be sure to get it wet;
clean regularly;
do not allow hypothermia (especially for small breeds);
Avoid contact of your pet with stray dogs and cats (they are carriers of pathogens of dangerous diseases);
Carry out antiparasitic treatment regularly.

How to help an animal

Dogs tend to shake their ears sometimes, but we will now find out why a dog shakes its head constantly.

The first thing to start with is examining your ears. This needs to be done not only outside, but also inside, as if turning the ear out. If you find inflammation, purulent discharge or blackness, you should immediately visit a veterinarian, who can prescribe heating, ultrasound, and also prescribe drops and medications. For otitis media, antibiotics are prescribed. They may prescribe rinsing the ears, and if necessary, surgical intervention.

Ear mites can be treated with special drops. This is a long process. If there are other animals in the apartment, then they also need treatment.

If you are the owner of a dog with non-standard ears, then you should properly care for them. In addition, the owner must know how to act if the disease is caused by the shape of the ears.

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First of all, you should trim the hair from the ears and avoid tangles. Once a week, the ears should be cleaned with a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide. If you follow hygiene procedures and your pet’s ears are always clean, the likelihood of otolaryngological diseases will decrease.

Causes

Owners of dogs, especially representatives of long-eared breeds, are well aware of the frequency and sounds of their pets scratching, shaking their heads or twitching, so it is easy for them to notice when something changes.

It is very important at this moment to determine as early as possible what caused the changes in behavior. Depending on the various accompanying symptoms, this may be:

Water ingress.
Entry of a foreign body.
Mild skin irritation due to overgrown hairs.
Hypothermia.
Injury.
Infestation with parasites.
Development of infection.
Allergy.

In some cases, you can cope with the problem on your own by simply eliminating the irritating factor, but sometimes inflammation becomes a serious disease that requires careful professional treatment, which cannot be put off on the back burner.

You can understand that an animal needs medical attention based on a variety of signs:

Swelling of the ear.
Severe redness.
Temperature increase.
Obvious pain.
Presence of wounds and ulcers.
New growths become visible.
Copious discharge of unpleasant color and odor.

If any of the above symptoms appear, you need to go to the clinic, since if such a disease is started, it can end in complete deafness without the possibility of recovery or even inflammation of the cerebral cortex.

Why is delay dangerous?

If you suspect that your four-legged friend has an ear disease, then you should not postpone a visit to the veterinarian, otherwise there may be unpleasant consequences. Ear diseases have pronounced dynamics and progress quickly, which means that the dog will get worse and worse. The animal will begin to get irritated and behave aggressively.

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For various inflammatory and infectious diseases, if treatment is not started in time, the eardrum may collapse, and inflammatory processes will affect the brain. In any case, you should not self-medicate.

It is very dangerous if sea water gets into the ear. Salt water will burn delicate skin. In addition, microorganisms and mollusks can get into the auricle and live there for years, causing discomfort.

Ear diseases in dogs are accompanied by itching

Ear diseases of various etiogenesis are in most cases accompanied by severe itching, acute pain, discomfort, and other symptoms.

Ear diseases in dogs accompanied by itching:

otitis of various types;
ear scabies (otodectosis);
fungal infections;
eczema, ear hematomas (auricular hematoma);
dermatitis of various etiologies;
inflammation of the outer, middle, inner ear.

Knowing the symptoms of ear diseases in dogs, the owner will be able to react in time and help his pet. Timely qualified treatment will help to avoid the disease from becoming chronic, partial or complete deafness.

Otitis

Otitis in a dog is an inflammatory process that affects various parts of the dog’s ears (outer, middle ear). Causes: infection, lack of hygienic care, weakened immunity, water getting into the ear canal, hypothermia. Otitis often develops against the background of respiratory and viral infections. The disease has different genesis and etiology. It occurs acutely and chronically.

Important! Dogs are diagnosed with allergic, viral, fungal, purulent otitis media.

Fold-eared dogs, hunting breeds of dogs, puppies, young dogs, and animals kept in unsanitary conditions are predisposed to otitis.

With otitis media, the dog shakes its head, scratches its ears, experiences severe itching and anxiety.
Upon examination, the sore ear is red, inflamed, and swollen. There is a noticeable amount of wax in the ear canal.
There are gray crusts on the inner surface of the ear. Palpation causes acute pain.
At the beginning of the development of the inflammatory process, the dog’s temperature rises. Activity decreases. The dog may refuse food.

Internal otitis media is fraught with serious complications (deafness, loss of coordination). Inflammation, if not treated, will spread to the meninges, which can be fatal.

Treatment of otitis media is based on the use of general and local therapy. Depending on the root cause, form, stage of the disease, animals are prescribed:

antibacterial agents (Oxytetracycline);
antiseptic solutions;
ear drops (Otipax, Safrodex);
ointments (Amoxocitlin, Ceftriaxone, Cefazolin).

Before using local medications, the ear is treated with an antiseptic, the ear canal is carefully cleaned of wax, and the crusts are removed with a swab moistened with warm water and hydrogen peroxide.

Otodectosis, ear mites

Otodectosis (ear mites, ear scabies) is an ear disease of parasitic etiology caused by otodex ear mites (Otodectes cynotis). The waste products of parasites that multiply in the ear canal and ear folds cause irritation, inflammation, and allergies. The disease is most often diagnosed in puppies and weakened animals.

Infection with otodectosis occurs mainly through contact. The danger of the disease lies in the fact that from the moment of infection, the first symptoms appear after several days, weeks or even months. The duration of the incubation period depends on age, the state of the immune system, and conditions of detention. Against the background of otodectosis, dogs often develop viral-bacterial diseases.

Symptoms:

severe itching;
lethargy, drowsiness, depression, followed by anxiety;
unpleasant putrid odor from the ears;
loss of appetite, refusal to feed;
unstable temperature;
pain when palpating the sore ear;
scratches on the face, wounds in the ears;
serous, purulent-serous discharge from the ears;
the presence of dark brown, gray-brown crusts and scabs in the ears.

A pet with otodectosis does not understand commands well and refuses active games. The pet's behavior changes. Inflammation of the ear canal leads to partial or complete deafness. If the eardrum is damaged by a tick, meningitis develops.

In the treatment of otodectosis the following is used:

broad-spectrum antibiotics for general and local therapy in the form of drops, ointments, liniments, pills (Tsepam, Deternol);
insecto-acaricidal agents in the form of drops, sprays, aerosols (Advocate, Aurikan, Bars, Otokan, Acrosol, Ivermek);
antiseptic, disinfectant, hygienic solutions;
baby oils for softening scabs and crusts;
physiotherapeutic techniques;
antihistamines that relieve itching and swelling;
symptomatic medications (restorative, anti-inflammatory, analgesics);
alternative medicine (decoctions of medicinal herbs with anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, wound-healing effects).

Important! Even if a dog has only one ear affected by mites, treatment is carried out on both ears at the same time.

The duration of treatment is from 2 weeks to 3 months. The drops used in treatment destroy only sexually mature parasites. Therefore, the treatment course is repeated after 14-16 days. After treatment, the animal must be examined at the clinic and tested again.

Ear hematomas

Auricular hematomas in dogs occur as a result of mechanical trauma, bruises of the ears. They are cavities of varying diameters between the cartilage and skin of the ears, filled with blood.

Swelling, thickening, swelling, redness of the ear, high local temperature in the area of the hematoma, itching, tilting of the head to the side, exudate released from the ear are the main symptoms of ear hematomas.
The dog shows anxiety, shakes its head, rubs its muzzle against hard objects and the ground.

Hematomas are treated surgically in the clinic.

After opening and draining the hematoma, the cavity is washed with an antiseptic, a splint and a tight bandage with medications are applied, after which cold compresses and temporary drainage (Penrose tube) are used.
To prevent the dog from scratching or injuring the sore ear, use a protective collar.

Dermatitis

Dermatitis is a contact, acute inflammation of various structures of the epidermis of the ear. The disease can develop against the background of allergies, viral, bacterial, parasitic, respiratory infections, mycoses. Mechanical damage, improper care of the dog’s ears, systemic diseases, genetic predisposition, and an unbalanced diet are also causes of this disease.

Dermatitis is manifested by severe itching, inflammation, redness, scratching, wounds, and ulcers inside the affected ear. The pet becomes restless and constantly scratches the affected ear. Depending on the root cause and etiology of the disease, when examining the ears, lumps, scabs, rashes, and skin lesions are found.

Treatment is carried out comprehensively and is prescribed on an individual basis. In therapy, drugs for general and local use, antihistamines, glucocorticoids, antibiotics, fungicides, and insecticides are used.

Allergic reactions in dogs

Allergic reactions in dogs are a group of diseases that develop under the influence of various allergens.

Allergic otitis media is most often diagnosed in animals prone to allergies.

Allergies are caused by food, poor-quality feed, medications, ear hygiene products, and ecto-endoparasites. The disease can occur against the background of endocrine pathologies and hormonal imbalances.

Symptoms:

itching;
scratches, wounds, red rash, ulcers on the outer and inner surface of the ear;
accumulation of wax in the ear canal, dark plaque;
unpleasant odor from the ears;
unstable temperature;
swelling, redness of the ears;
behavior change;
discharge from the ears.

Therapy depends on the nature and type of allergen. Selected by a veterinarian on an individual basis. Antihistamines, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, disinfectants, and diuretics are used in treatment to relieve swelling.

Eczema of the ear

Eczema of the ear is a disease accompanied by inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal. Eczematous lesions occur acutely, less often chronically. The main causes of development are parasites, mites, foreign bodies, chemicals, accumulation of sulfur, blockage of the ear canal with dirt, secretions, the presence of eczema in other parts of the body, inflammatory processes.

Symptoms of ear eczema:

itching;
redness, swelling of the ear;
decreased activity;
weight loss;
behavior change;
scratches, wounds, blisters filled with liquid inside and outside the ear;
the appearance of exudate with an unpleasant odor.

The dog becomes restless, shakes his head, tilts his head to the side. With severe lesions, a chronic course, eczematous lesions increase in size, and warty growths appear.

The treatment is complex. It involves removing exudate, washing the ears with antiseptics, and using medicinal ointments and liniments. Wet areas are treated with silver nitrate and a 2-3% solution of picric acid.

Antibacterial drugs, complex multicomponent ear drops, corticosteroids (hydrocortisone, lacocortene), and antihistamines may be prescribed. Warty lesions are removed surgically.

Inflammation of the outer ear

Inflammation of the outer ear is one of the most commonly diagnosed ear diseases in dogs. The pathological process is localized between the opening of the ear canal and the eardrum.

Otitis externa is an independent disease or develops against the background of other infections and parasitic, viral-bacterial diseases.

Allergens, eczematous lesions, dermatitis, parasites, pathogenic fungi, injuries, ear bruises, tumors in the ear canal, decreased body resistance can cause inflammation of the outer ear in a bird.

Main symptoms: redness, slight swelling of the sore ear, itching, pain, discomfort, tilting the head towards the sore ear. When it becomes chronic, a sulfuric, purulent exudate is released from the ears.

Treatment consists of the use of general and local therapy. Disinfectant solutions, antibiotic-based ear drops, antihistamines, and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for rinsing.

Inflammation of the middle ear

Inflammation of the middle ear is an ear disease that most often occurs against the background of some kind of infection. The development of otitis media of the middle ear is preceded by inflammation of the external ear.

The animal experiences acute pain against the background of developed inflammation. It is difficult for a pet to open its mouth and chew, which leads to weight loss. The dog scratches its ears, whines when palpated, examines the ears, and shakes its head. At the initial stage, the temperature rises sharply. Discharge from the eyes and nose is noted. Earwax accumulates in the ears and an unpleasant, pungent odor appears. In a chronic, protracted course, inflammation affects the deep structures of the auricles.

Treatment of middle ear inflammation is similar to the treatment of otitis media. Therapy is selected individually depending on the stage, degree of damage, and underlying cause.

Foreign object in the ear

A foreign object getting into a dog’s ear, as a rule, occurs while walking or during active outdoor games. Plant seeds, dust, sand, small stones, parasite larvae, and insects can get into the ears.

Due to the discharge of the ears by foreign bodies, the dog shakes his head, experiences anxiety, discomfort, and severe itching, which leads to the appearance of wounds, scratches, and cracks, which, when infected, provoke acute inflammation and severe pain.

Treatment consists of removing foreign objects from the auricle. If inflammation develops, animals are prescribed complex antibiotics and symptomatic drugs that relieve the symptoms of the pathology.

Treatment with folk remedies

Non-traditional treatment methods are used not only in the initial stages of the development of various ear diseases in dogs, as a complement to the main therapy, but also for preventive purposes.

Treatment with folk remedies alleviates the condition of animals and speeds up recovery.

The use of decoctions of medicinal plants that have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing effects.

For washing and treating the ears, soda solutions, alcohol tinctures (propolis tincture), vegetable oils (camphor), strong black tea, solutions, liniments prepared according to special recipes are used.

Remember! Non-traditional methods of treating ear diseases are effective only in the early stages of their development. Before treating your pet with folk remedies, consult your veterinarian.

Ear mites or otodectosis

When a dog frequently shakes its ears, with light pressure at the base of the auricle, it does not give a reaction - the cause may be a mite inside the ear. A dog can pick up a parasite not only while walking outside. A tick will easily enter a home on a person’s shoes or on a cat’s fur.

When examining the auricle, you can see a red surface, in some places even small bloody spots. The parasite itself is almost invisible, but because it causes constant itching, the dog scratches itself into blood.

If the dog does not allow himself to be examined, you need to take a cotton swab, soak it in warm water and very carefully roll it in the middle of the ear. The result will be obvious if a tick lives there.

By sniffing the stick you can determine how long the disease has been progressing. The absence of any odor indicates that the tick is parasitic alone, and the ear is not additionally infected with fungus or infection. If there is an unpleasant odor, then there is no way to avoid using antibiotics.

For otodoctosis, use “Amidel gel” or “Mr. Bruno plus”. In the case of antibiotic use, Ivermek spray is most often prescribed. It is worth knowing that this product is quite toxic and is highly not recommended for use indoors. Treatment should be carried out once a week and it is better to do it outside.

When your pet has severe itching, it needs to be soothed. “Amit” is considered the best drug. It contains antipruritic components, an antibiotic and an acaricide.

Elimination of the pathological process

In case of ear disease, it is important to establish an accurate diagnosis and begin treatment immediately, because the dog’s condition may worsen. Then the treatment will be very expensive. The smell from your ears will begin to spread throughout the house. Due to the acute pain caused by the disease, the dog will become aggressive and irritable, especially if its ears are touched.

You cannot treat an animal at home. Practice shows that this approach is usually useless. You should seek advice from an experienced veterinarian as soon as possible. After all, if you hesitate and let the disease progress, it will become chronic, and only surgical intervention will eliminate the disease. The sooner the animal owner contacts the veterinarian, the faster the dog will recover.

A qualified doctor will help prevent your pet’s suffering by clearly describing all the symptoms that are bothering the animal. After the examination, the veterinarian will prescribe the optimal treatment method for the identified disease.

Preventive measures

The following recommendations will help you avoid ear diseases in your pets:

Animals should be combed thoroughly, not missing the underside of the ears.
The dog's ears need to be dried after bathing.
It is better to remove excess hair inside the ear by cutting or plucking. But this must be done carefully. It is better to ask the veterinarian to show how such procedures are carried out. If the vertical ear canal is not kept clean and free, otitis externa may occur.
There is no need to clean your ears too deeply. The surface must be wiped with a piece of cotton wool, which is moistened with a weak disinfectant solution. This should be done only with your hands and not with any objects.

Following these rules will allow your pet to remain healthy.

Diagnosis and treatment

The cause is determined by clinical signs, medical history, and laboratory tests. An amateur dog handler can detect a tick. Dry ear secretions are scattered on black paper and heated. The scattering parasites become noticeable.

Treatment begins with cleansing the ears. The dog owner will have to carry out this procedure several times a day. It is best to use hygiene lotion. Antihistamines are given internally - Suprastin or Tavegil, which relieve allergic symptoms. Surolan is instilled into the ear, which has acaricidal, antimycotic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects. Good results are achieved with the help of Aurican or Tetra-Delta. To avoid allergies to food components, you should switch to ready-made hypoallergenic food.

Chlamydia

Having become infected with this disease, the dog not only often shakes its ears, but also has watery eyes and a runny nose accompanied by frequent sneezing. This is due to chlamydia.

The parasite can enter the animal recently or parasitize it for a long period of time. As soon as the immune system weakens, chlamydia begins its vigorous activity. Its habitat is the mucous membranes of the larynx, ears, eyes and mucous membranes of the genitourinary system.

Tears may appear for a short time and then disappear. But the animal has been shaking and will continue to shake its ears, scratching them.

This disease can manifest itself in other ways. If chlamydia remains in the body for a long time, male dogs will experience frequent inflammation of the testes. And the bitches will not be able to bear offspring, each pregnancy will be terminated.

For chlamydia, it is good to treat the ears with tetracycline ointment. It is applied using ear sticks with great care. In combination with the ointment, it is necessary to take an antibiotic orally (erythromycin or tetracycline tablets).

Treatment should last at least one week; one procedure will not give a positive result.