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What is an Ear Infection?

There can be several reasons why your pet may have an ear infection. It can be a simple isolated incident or it can be much more complicated.

Chronic ear infections can be frustrating to owners as they often tend to coincide with further medical issues such as environmental or food allergies, both of which can be controlled and maintained to help your pet live a comfortable life.

What happens during an ear exam?

Initially, your veterinarian will start with a physical examination of the ear with an otoscope- a tool designed to magnify the ear canal to the eardrum so one of our veterinarians can get a close-up view of what’s going on.

Next, they may take a swab of the discharge inside the ear and examine this debris under a microscope to determine whether your pet is suffering from an overgrowth of bacteria, yeast, or both. From there, one of our veterinarians can then determine which course of treatment is best for your pet. Remember just because your pet had an ear infection before doesn’t mean that it will be the same kind of infection the next time.

Ear infections are very painful and uncomfortable for your pet and must be treated by a veterinarian. We strongly encourage you not to apply any over the counter ear drops or medications into your pet’s ear prior to bringing them in for an exam. This can be very harmful to your pet if the infection has damaged the eardrum.

Please contact Lomsnes Veterinary Hospital if you have any questions about treating your pet’s ear infections.

 

Written by Amanda, RVT

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