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My dog's ears are swollen and red after a flea bath. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 13 lbs

Recently I gave all my dogs a flea bath (as the city we live in has seen an increase in fleas in the area) and my dogs seemed to be victims of it. That night I noticed my dogs ears had swelled up and become red and tender to touch. This has happened before and I had gotten rid of it with a little bit of benadryl. Now however it hasn't gone down. I don't know what to do and as I'm a college student my money is tight. Any advice is appreciated

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 8th, 2017

It appears that the opening to the ear canal is swollen, which tells me that there must be something irritating inside the ear canal. Usually this type of swelling is due too a long-standing ear infection and the swelling doesn't go down easily. You can try flushing the ear and/or putting some ear drops in there to give some relief. However, an ear that swollen may not be easily flushed and it would be best to have a veterinarian look in the ear to see exactly what the problem is. Below I've given a link that explains how to flush a dog's ear and a link for products that can be helpful for cleaning/soothing the ear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA0YRL4ho3I https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-ear-and-eye-care/dog-ear-washes I hope this helps.

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    Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Poor Cookie! If it has not responded to benadryl then you should consider making an appointment with your vet for stronger antiinflammatory injections, monitor closely for any increase in the swelling around the throat which would be a medical emergency

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