If you’ve ever made costly trips to the vet, then home remedies for dog ear infection have most likely crossed your mind. We all love our dogs and want to give them the best care, but sometimes it becomes necessary to see if we can treat our dog with natural treatments and spare the expense of costly vet visits and medications with side effects.

Types of Dog Ear Infection

Before you consider dog ear infection at home remedies, you need to know a little background. First, there are two types of ear infections in dogs just as there are in humans. Your dog could be suffering from otitis externa which is a fancy way of saying an outer ear infection or he could be suffering from otitis media which is an infection of the middle ear.

Symptoms of Dog Ear Infection

It won’t take long for you to notice something just isn’t right with your dog. When he has an ear infection, he will most like shake his head as if something is bothering him. Other signs include scratching at his ears and whimpering when petted in the ear area. You may also notice that his ears are red and there could be an odor with a smelly discharge.

Home Remedies for Dog Ear Infection

There are several remedies that you can try to rid your dog of his ear infection. Some of these include using apple cider or balsamic vinegar, different oils, alcohol, garlic. Before you begin to treat your dog, you need to gently clean out your dog’s ears. You can do this by wetting cotton balls and gently removing any dirt and discharge that is in his ears. Once you have his ears clean, you can begin using your home remedies.

Vinegar

One of the most common home remedies is using Apple Cider Vinegar or Balsamic vinegar. These two vinegars seem to work best. To try this remedy, use a solution of equal parts vinegar and clean water. Dampen a cotton ball in the vinegar mixture and gently swab the mixture into the ear. Do not “flood” the ear with the mixture. Dog’s have trouble draining fluid from their ears and is one cause they get infections in the first place. Leaving fluid in the ears will lead to a worse infection.

Vinegar works for fungal infections and yeast infections. To soften ear wax, you can also use alcohol, but do not use this if your dog’s ears are bleeding.

Vitamin E Oil & Cod Liver Oil

There are different oils you can use for your dog’s ear. The oils treat middle ear infections the best and will help ease the pain. The two most commonly used oils are vitamin E and Cod Liver Oil. These oils are easy to get at an pharmacy or health food store. Simply break open a vitamin E or Cod Liver Oil capsule and drip the oil into the ear canal.

Garlic Oil

Garlic is a natural infection fighter and is a helpful home remedy for dog ear infections. To make this oil, press two cloves of garlic using a garlic press. Combine this oil with olive oil and let set for several weeks. Obviously, this is an oil you should make ahead of time and have on hand for times when your dog gets an infection.

Once the oil is made, swab the oil into the ear canal to help fight infection.

Prevention

Cocker Spaniels, Basset Hounds, Miniature Poodles and Schnauzers have higher rate of infections due to ears that hang down blocking air flow into the ear. Ear infections can be caused by bacteria, yeast, or an accumulation of ear wax or matted hair in the canal. A foreign object or tumor can also be the culprit but is rare.

To prevent infections, a weekly cleaning with an ear cleaning solution made especially for dogs is recommended. If your dog is a breed that has hair ears, it is best to learn to trim the hair or take him to be groomed regularly.

Treatment for Common Ear Problems in Dogs

There are many possible ear problems that your dog may have. Your dog can have ear problems that originate on the pinnae, the outer ear that you can see, or the external ear canal. This is referred to as Otitis externa. An infection or inflammation in the middle ear canal is otitis media and likewise, an infection of the inner ear canal is otitis interna.

You can usually tell when your dog has otitis externa, or outer ear infection because they do a lot of head shaking, persistent scratching of the ear, you smell an odor and/or see a discharge coming from the ear or you might see redness on some portion of the ear. If you see these signs, you can be pretty sure your dog has some type of external ear infection. To pinpoint exactly what type of infection your dog has, your vet will need to do an otoscopic exam and swab the ear to check for inflammatory cells, microorganisms, foreign bodies, masses and parasites.
It is harder to tell when your dog has a middle or inner ear infection. Again, an otoscopic exam will be performed so the eardrum can be checked for ruptures, discolorization, or any bulging due to fluid build-up or masses.

Below are the treatments of uncomplicated otitis:

Ear Mites: Treated by a thorough cleaning of the ear canal and then a topical treatment that kills the mites by suffocating them. If the infection is serious then a systemic treatment such as Fipronil (Frontline or Top Spot), Selamectin (Revolution), or Ivermectin (Ivomec) will be given.

Masses and Foreign Bodies: Barbed grasses can cause quite a bit of damage to the dog’s ear canal and are usually removed while the dog is under anesthesia. Masses in the ear are surgically removed when possible. The dog is usually given antibiotics and some form of a corticosteroid to help control swelling and pain. Remember, if you dog seems to be having problems hearing, it could be to a mass in his inner or middle ear canal that is causing blockage.

Ear Problems due to Skin Disorders: If the ear problem is due to a hormonal imbalance, your dog’s hormone level will be tested and they will be given trial treatments. Neutering or spaying is also an option. If the ear problem is due to allergies, elimination trials will be started to try to isolate the allergen and then eliminate it from his environment or diet. When the infection is due to bacteria, they are usually treated with a topical medication. If serious enough, a systemic treatment will be given.

If your dog has stenotic ear canals (narrow), you can keep infections at bay by frequently, but gently cleaning your dog’s ears. It is important that you thoroughly dry the ears each time. Excess moisture is a breeding ground for all types of bacteria thus inviting problems.

When you dog is repeatedly getting ear infections due to excessively hairy ear canals, the excess hair will need to be plucked. The excess hair does not let the earwax and oils be removed naturally, causing a build-up and an infection will result.

Dogs that swim regularly or have access to lakes, ponds, rivers etc, will need to have their ears checked regularly to make sure that their ears are drying properly after swimming so that they don’t get swimmer’s ear. If you notice that your dog’s ears are staying wet for long periods of time, you will have to take the time to dry the ears so that they don’t become infected.

Be sure to be alert to signs of head shaking, excessive scratching about the ears, odor or discharge from the ears, redness or even possible deafness. These are all signs that your dog could be having ear problems. The sooner you identify the problem and take proper action, the less complicated the problem will be and your best friend will love you for your love and attention.