My dog's ears are red and sensitive from scratching, but no infection

Question

I am quite experience with cleaning dogs and cats ears but this is a little new to me. My two year old Labrador Retriever German shorthaired pointer mix has some redness in her ears that looks like she's been scratching inside and her ears seems sensitive. They don't have the smell of infection, nor do they have a lot of the brown that you get when they're just really dirty or if ear mites have decided to make a new home. The little red areas are not on her ear but in inside it. What should I u. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 70 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

It's difficult to tell how red the ear is from the picture, but the inside structure of the ear appears normal, so that's a good sign that the irritation is not too advanced. It also looks like you have done a good job cleaning the ear. Red areas inside the ear indicate that something is irritating the ear. If both ears are affected, then I would be most suspicious of an allergy, which is a common reason for skin and ear problems. This would require long-term prescription medication, if allergies are diagnosed by a veterinarian as the problem. The other possibility is that the ears are getting irritated from frequent ear cleanings. If you clean the ears more frequently than once a week, then they can get irritated, which can ironically set-up an environment for infection. It's also important that anytime you wipe the ears, you are doing it gently with a soft material like cotton. I've seen ears get very inflamed from having their ears cleaned too roughly. If you are not smelling the typical infection smell, nor seeing the discharge, then it's likely that all is OK for now. However, red/irritated ears can be a start to infection, so it's good to treat this problem before it gets worse. The best recommendation I have is to have a vet exam her ears and try to identify the cause. You could also try to apply some soothing ear flush, or ear drops to the ears once a day and see if that helps. Below is a link to a product that may be helpful. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-ear-washes/vets-best-ear-relief-wash-and-dry-for-dogs I hope that helps and Jazmine gets better soon.

My dog's ears are red and sensitive from scratching, but no infection

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