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My dog has a yeast ear infection. What's the best treatment?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 12 years and 10 months old | 45 lbs

How do I get rid of a yeast ear infection?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on September 18th, 2017

Yeast ear infections often need antifungal topical ear medications to help resolution. Most topical ear medications will also contain an antibiotic (not always needed) and a steroid, which will help with the itch the yeast can cause. I would recommend that you discuss the proper medication with your veterinarian. Many times yeast ear infections are caused by too much moisture in the ear (like after swimming in a pool or lake) or from inflammation caused by allergies (from fleas, food, environment, etc.). If Tiki has recurrent yeast ear infections, you may need to have her vet work up allergies as the primary problem. For minor yeast ear infections that aren't red, swollen, or itchy, you can try an ear cleanser to help remove the yeast. If you do this for a couple days and it isn't better, than she will probably need prescription medications.

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    Answered By Emily, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 7th, 2017

    Hello These look like a yeast infection. It could also be an atypical bacterial skin infection. It's less likely to be something autoimmune. Sometimes an oatmeal shampoo applied topically to the ear helps. Other times it requires a prescription strength medication to fix.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on September 27th, 2018

    Poor Hunter! It definitely sounds like something is making him uncomfortable. Sore ears and excessive head shaking are both very common signs of an ear infection, so I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to. He/she can take a sample of the discharge inside the ear canals for analysis to determine what kind of infection is present (yeast or bacteria), and will prescribe appropriate medication to treat it depending on what is found. In the meantime, you could try cleaning his ears with an over-the-counter ear flush for dogs such as Epi-Otic or MalAcetic. This will not treat the underlying infection, but may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.

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