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My dog has an ear infection. Can I use over-the-counter meds?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 9 years and 6 months old

My dog has what I believe is an ear infection. Her ears smell and she is contantly rolling around on her head. She is nervous of the vets and wont let us muzzle her to go there (bad experience with previous vet) Is there anything I could buy over the counter? Preferably orally as she wont allow us to touch her ears

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on June 25th, 2017

Poor Bailey! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. It does sound like she probably has an ear infection of some kind, from what you describe. Unfortunately, I'm afraid there is nothing you can get over the counter that will be helpful - ear infections require prescription medication to treat effectively, so there's really no way around taking her to the vet. I would recommend calling and talking with the vet before bringing her in, to make a plan for the best way to have her seen with minimal stress. It sounds like she may need to be sedated in order for the vet to examine her and clean and medicate her ears safely - this can be done easily with a quick injection in most cases. Once she is asleep, the vet can do a thorough exam, clean her ears, and apply medication to treat the infection.

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