Dog ear infection is an infection that can affect three different parts of dog’s ear; outer, middle, and inner (also called otitis externa, otitis media, and otitis interna). Most dog’s ear infections are in the outer ear only and can be treated easily with home treatment. Infections of middle and inner part of ear are most often a result of the spread of infection from the outer ear.
The dog’s ear infection is caused by many reasons, such as parasites, allergy, or moisture trapped inside the ear that leads to yeast infection. The most common parasites that causes dog’s ear infection, especially in puppies, is mites. In some cases, dog’s ear becomes moist after bathing, grooming, or swimming. That moist can lead to overgrown of bacteria and fungi inside the dog’s ear. Dog that suffer from allergy is predisposed to ear infection since it is easier to get inflammation from the allergen. Dog with long floppy ears, such as Basset Hounds and Cocker Spaniels, have increased risk of ear infection.
Dog with ear infection usually seen scratching its ears, rubbing and shaking its head more than usual. The ear infection can irritate our dog especially because its itching. Dog’s ear infection symptoms are varied from brown gunk inside the ear, swelling and redness of outer ear flap, and discharge or odor from the ear.
Ear infection is a common problem that 20% of all dogs suffer from it at least one time in their life. Although it is not unusual nor life-threatening, we still need to treat it immediately to prevent any damage to ear or eardrums from dog’s excessive scratching. It can also get to more serious cases that could lead to deafness, facial paralysis, or disturbance of balance.
Dog’s ear infections can be simply divided to bacterial and yeast or fungal infections. Bacteria that normally in the dog’s ear, such as Staphylococcus, can overgrow if there is a change of ear environment that can promote the overgrown of bacteria or if the dog immune system is not good. Fungi are also normal inhabitants in dog’s ear and they also can grow out of control because of the same reasons.
One of the treatment for dog ear infection caused by fungi is Monistat. Monistat is an over the counter antifungal cream, also known as Miconazole. It can also be used for human to treat vaginal yeast infection. There are many good review of using Monistat to treat dog ear infection. We can also easily buy Monistat in nearby drugstore.
To use Monistat to treat dog ear infection, we have to put the Monistat inside our dog’s ear, which can be difficult in some dogs. So here are 3 tips to treat dog ear infection with Monistat
1. Make The Dog Relax
Before treating the dog with Monistat, we have to make sure our dog is calm and relax at the moment. It would be very tiring if our dog can’t stay still when we hold its ear. Not all dogs want their ears to be treated, so we may need to make the dog let us by making them comfortable. We can also make the dog accustomed to us treating its ear by having a routine ear cleansing habit. We may need to learn the right way to do that so we won’t hurt the dog or lead it to health problem caused by wrong way of cleaning the ear.
2. Choose A Good Location
The second 3 tips to treat dog ear infection with Monistat is to make sure we choose a good location when treating the dog with Monistat. There will be a mess caused by the drops of the Monistat or ear’s debris, when the dog shakes its head after getting the Monistat inside its ear. You can do it in a bathroom or outside so you don’t need or easier to clean up.
3. Putting Monistat inside Dog’s Ear
The last 3 tips to treat dog ear infection with Monistat is how to put the Monistat inside dog’s ear. To use Monistat to treat dog ear infection, we need to mix the Monistat with equal parts of Hydrocortisone cream. The Monistat or Miconazole stop the fungus from spreading, while the Hydrocortisone help to reduce itching or inflammation that can irritate the dog. We can easily purchase Monistat and Hydrocortisone in any drugstore. Mix a pea sized Monistat cream with the same amount of Hydrocortisone cream. Then add a few drops of water to the mixture and stir it until blended. Heat the mixture in a microwave for 15 seconds. Use medicine syringe to draw the mixture and slowly squirt it into dog’s ear. After that massage the ear to distribute the Monistat inside. You can do it a bit longer until the Monistat works since our dog may shake its head after that and send a few drops outside. You can do this once a day for a week. If the symptoms don’t clear up after a week, you have to visit the veterinarian for more professional treatment.
It is also important for us to prevent our dog from getting ear infection. We may need to clean dog’s ear after bathing, grooming, or swimming to remove moisture and prevent yeast infection. We also need to clean dog’s ear with approved ear cleaner, especially to dog with allergies. Do not use Q-Tip swabs as they can push debris deeper and rupture the eardrum. Also do not use alcohol or solutions that are irritating the skin. We can also control dog’s diet for dog with allergies.
Remember to always consult the veterinarian before administering any medication to our dog. If the symptoms don’t clear up after a week, we have to visit the veterinarian. The veterinarian may check the exact cause of ear infection, since the Monistat treatment can only treat the ear infection caused by yeast and not by bacteria. The vet may do microscopic examination of a samples taken from dog’s ear. In some cases, the dog may also need oral medications such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs. If the dog repeatedly suffers from ear infections, the dog probably has an immune system issue, such as allergies or other more severe issues.