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My dog has wounds around his ears and dirty ears. What's the cause?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered | 75 lbs

Hi! A neighbor's pitbull visits my house on occasion. I call him Happy due to his joyful disposition. The last time he showed up he had these nasty wounds or ??? on his face in front of one ear and another behind an ear. He does not seem to be itchy as would typically be the case with mange. The inside of his ears are extremely dirty and I have been cleaning them bit by bit. I am not sure he has the best owner, but again has always had a sweet disposition. What do you think it is?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on May 25th, 2017

Ouch, poor Happy! He's lucky to have such a considerate neighbor! Based upon the location of these lesions, my best guess is that he has caused significant skin irritation as a result of scratching his dirty ears. Some dogs do not scratch as much when they are distracted by their surroundings and save the scratching for quieter times of the day. Dirty ears in dogs most commonly occurs as a result of ear infections (bacterial or yeast). Happy really needs to take a trip to the vet to have his ears addressed with appropriate medications and he may also need oral antibiotics to manage a possible skin infection around the ear. I hope that all goes well!

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    Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on

    Ouch, poor Happy! It looks as if he may have an infection going on from parasites, bacteria, or even fungus. Pitties can also be prone to allergies from food or environment, and it may be irritated enough that he is scratching at it when not around you. It would be best to try and find his owner and alert them to the issue so he can be brought in for proper veterinary care. If you can't find his owner, then speaking with a local humane society or animal control in your area to see if anything can be done to help him is best.

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