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Dog whines, scratches ears, and has red skin. Is it an ear infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Staffordshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 79 lbs

My dog whenever I pet him on the back of the head kinda on the upper part of his neck behind his ear especially after we have just come in from a walk he turns his head a strange way he has been itching his ears from time to time and kinda whinning when he does it could it be his ears are bothering him his skin has been a little red also he does have an appt on Monday to see the vet but why is he doing this and what should I do?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 12th, 2018

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hercules. I am happy to hear that he has an appointment with his veterinarian. I am concerned that his ears are bothering him. His behavior can be seen in dogs with an ear infection. Mention your concerns to his doctor. An instrument known as an otoscope to look deep within his ear canals. If there appears to be an infection, then his veterinarian to will collect a sample from each ear to evaluate under the microscope. This will confirm the infection and guide his veterinarian to the best treatment choice. In the meantime, you can clean his ears if you have an ear cleaner for dogs. I hope this information helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Maria DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 3rd, 2019

    Sounds like Khaleesi may have an ear infection. I would recommend calling your veterinarian in the morning to have it looked at. They can perform an ear swab to see if it is bacteria and/or yeast and that would help decide what medications we can use to treat it. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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