My dog's ears are red, smelly, itchy. Should I worry? How to clean?

Question

Hello, I noticed that the inside of his ears is really read and doesn't smell good, I avoid water xonxyact with ears every time he takes a bath. Is there something I should worried about or a way to clean the ears at home? I noticed that he is constantly scratching his ears. Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | neutered | 3 years and 1 month old

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

If you are noticing a lot of redness in the ears, the most common reason for scratching at them are infections, allergies to food/environment, or parasites like fleas or mites. To determine this, a veterinarian can obtain an ear swab to look for the presence of bacteria, yeast, inflammatory cells, or a mixture of everything. Usually an ear flush that is treated with something antimicrobial and anti inflammatory will help quite a bit. Some of these are over the counter while others are prescription only. You will also have to fit Mushy with an e-collar to prevent further itching during the healing process. He won't like it but it is for his own good! In terms of cleaning the ears, periodically you can use some q tips and an ear flush to wipe out the ears. You don't have to worry about puncturing the dogs ear drums since their ear canal is curved. You would have to be bending the q-tip to cause damage. There are several videos on Youtube on how to clean ears if you need to see someone do it first. Let me know if there is anything else that I can assist with.

My dog's ears are red, smelly, itchy. Should I worry? How to clean?

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