I HEAR YOU, OR MAYBE NOT

EAR PROBLEMS ARE REASONABLY COMMON WITH DOGS, CATS LESS PROBLEMATIC BUT DOGS WITH THEIR HAIRY, FLOPPY EARS AND LOVE OF WATER CAN EASILY CONTRACT AN EYE INFECTION OR IRRITATION.

Signs you pet may have an ear problem.

There are of course the basic symptoms, the ones you can see like inflammation and damage, but most ear problems humans cannot see, like excessive hair, hair balls, ear wax (yes dogs have ear wax) deep ear infection and inflammation. So, how can you tell if something is wrong. »

Pets often mask pain, but they will rub sore areas, either with their paws or by rubbing their head on the ground, in more serious cases you may smell an infection. In many cases owners that do not see a problem do not think there is a problem, but with ears it is important that even if you suspect a problem you get to vet for a check-up.

Another indicator your dog could have a problem with hearing or going deaf is if the pet walks with a tilted head, exposing the good ear to noise so it hears better or to protect an ear from wind as it is infected and sore. This can also happen for older dogs going deaf or blind, they will tilt their heads to maximise hearing or sight.

Your vet will give you pet a ear health check when you have a health check visit, if your pet is pretty healthy you may have long stretches where you don’t visit the vet so you should periodically just take a peek inside your pets ear, if you see anything even slightly suspicious you know its time for a vet check.

Dogs that like the beach, or water, in are very outdoorsy and curious need regular ear checks, dogs find it very difficult to remove water from their ear canals due to their L shape.

Fun Facts

Did you know most puppies cannot hear when born as their ear canals are closed at birth and take around two to three to develop. Some say that puppies are born deaf which is probably technically true, but definitely short term.

Dogs can hear sounds up-to four times louder than humans and at frequencies humans cannot hear.

You can often tell what a dog is thinking by what their ears are doing, happy short eared, straight up high, scared, or worried, back, or behind, moving ears, curious. Of course, this is less obvious with long eared dogs as those ears tend to just flop around.