My dog's ear smells musty and he scratches it. Is it an ear infection?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 2 days old | 5 lbs
My dog scratches his left ear and kind of moans with releif while hes scratching it, there isn't any discharge and its not swollen and it doesn't appear to be painful to him he lets us touch it and hes not scratching constantly but it does have a smell to it. Like, not a putrid type smell its more of musty smell. Should I be concerned or does he just need to go have his ears cleaned at the groomers?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 3rd, 2019
Hello, thank you for your question about Max. Based on the symptoms you are describing it sounds like Max may just have some mild irritation in his ears. You can have his ears cleaned and continue monitoring him for any discharge/scratching/redness/head shaking. If any of these signs develop I would recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian so that they can look for signs of an ear infection. Hope this helps, good luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 6th, 2019
It looks like Max probably has a severe ear infection causing swelling of his ear canal. His other ear may be infected as well. I would recommend seeing a veterinarian right away as I would guess that this is very uncomfortable for Max. The vet might want to try taking a sample from the ear to check for bacteria or fungus, or might prescribe anti-inflammatories first to open up the ear canal.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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