Why is my dog's ear discharge smelly, yellow, and causing shaking?

Question

Hi there my dog has smelly yellow puss in her ears we noticed it this afternoon she seemed fine in herself but tonight she has gone very quiet and is now shaking a little. Pet's info: Dog | Chinese Shar-Pei | Female | spayed

David Darvishian · Accepted Answer

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Minnie. Sounds like she is suffering from an external ear infection (otitis externa) most commonly associated with allergies. It is also possible that Minnie has gotten water in that ear, has a foreign body in there (hair, other) or has just developed a primary ear infection not associated with an inciting cause such as allergies. I would advise taking her to your veterinarian. They will gather a history, perform an exam including the ear and then based on their findings advise you on a diagnostic/treatment plan. Your vet will most likely do an ear smear and look at the discharge under a microscope. They will be looking for ear mites, bacteria, and yeast. A malodorous yellow discharge is indicative of a severe bacterial infection. Once a cause is identified a treatment plan can be tailored to treat that cause. Possible treatments could be ear cleaning/flush (with or without sedation depending on the severity), ear drops/ointments, oral medicines for infection, inflammation, and itching, sometimes an e-collar to prevent scratching of the ear, etc. It's important to stop the itching quickly since shaking of the head and scratching the ear can lead to a hematoma inside the ear flap. If allergies are suspected your vet can discuss management of whatever allergies they suspect. They may recommend allergy testing also to identify what the allergens are that are causing problems for Minnie. Early treatment is important with external ear infections since they can migrate past the eardrum and become a middle/inner ear infection. Good luck with Minnie

Why is my dog's ear discharge smelly, yellow, and causing shaking?

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