Why does my dog have brown specks in his ear and what to do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | neutered | 7 months and 13 days old | 57 lbs
Hi I just saw these brown specks in my dogs ear. What is this?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 17th, 2017
It is difficult to tell from the picture but it could just be some discharge from his ear. You could try to clean his ear with an dog ear cleaner and see if it helps. Otherwise, have him examined by a vet to determine if he has an ear infection. Your vet can do a cytology and look at the discharge under a microscope to determine the type of infection and then prescribe medications to treat.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on September 2nd, 2018
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Without examining the discharge under a microscope it is difficult to say for sure if this is just normal build up of wax or infectious. If you are getting brown discharge and no redness, I commonly see this with yeast infections. I would recommend using a cleaner such as Zymox Otic Cleanser (can be found online) and clean the ears for 7-10 days. If there is no improvement, then I would recommend having Brodie examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on August 22nd, 2018
Hi there. These are common signs of an ear infection. I would recommend taking Flash to the vet for an exam, as you will need prescription ear drops from your veterinarian to treat it effectively. He/she can take a sample of the brownish discharge and examine it under the microscope to determine what kind of infection is present, and will prescribe an appropriate medication to treat it depending on what is found. In the meantime, you can try using an over-the-counter ear flush labeled for dogs to gently clean out Flash's ear. This will not treat the underlying infection, but it may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on August 5th, 2019
It's probably an ear infection, often it cannot be seen from the outside. Ear infections are very common in dogs, it is usually caused by either yeast or bacterial disease. the treatment is usually simple and straightforward, you will have to take him to the vet and get the ears checked, then a prescription ear drops will be prescribed according to the infectious agent.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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