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My dog's ear is gunky and he's scratching. Is it an infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labradoodle | Male | neutered | 3 years and 10 months old | 35 lbs

Cleaned his ear last night when I noticed this. Checked again this afternoon and it's back. Noticed he's been scratching at his ear after I cleaned them. Is this an ear infection? Did he scratch himself? Need to know if I should use ear cleaner again or if he needs to see a vet. His other ear is fine. Thanks.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on July 8th, 2017

The discharge that you are seeing in Teddy's ear (particularly since it appeared so soon after an ear cleaning) is most likely due to an ear infection. Ear infections can be caused by yeast and/or several different types of bacteria, and can be quite itchy. Teddy will need to see his vet so that his ears can be evaluated and so that the discharge can be examined under the microscope to determine the type of infection present. From there, his vet will be able to prescribe the best medication to treat this infection. You can continue to use the ear cleaner once a day, but avoid cleaning his ears the day before his appointment if possible to allow his vet to perform a more accurate exam. Ear infections occur most commonly due to underlying allergies to food or environmental factors, but these causes are not always readily apparent. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Teddy!

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    This is probably an ear infection and he probably scratched himself indeed, but the only way to know for sure is to inspect the inside of the ear, it's recommended to let the vet do that to avoid doing any damage to the ear drum. I recommend taking Teddy to the vet in order to get treated.

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