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My dog's ear hurts, has black liquid wax, but no odor. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog has a black wax build up in ear that is liquid. I went to clean his ears and barely touched it and he screamed. It's only one ear and it does not have an odor. And he has not been scratching his ear.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 16th, 2017

It's not normal for a dog to have a wax build up in their ears, and this build up could actually be due to ear mites. It sounds like the ear is very painful to him, and I would have him seen by a vet right away. It's important to have any ear problem checked out by a vet as soon as possible, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. The vet can diagnose what's causing the pain in his ears and build up, and treat him for it.

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    Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    He probably has an ear infection which can be very uncomfortable. I would recommend to take him to see your vet. He might decide to take a swab to see what' s the exact cause or just prescribe son ear drops. He will probably give your dog some pain relief too since he does seem to be in discomfort.

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