My dog has scabs in his ears. Is it from swimming or an infection?

Question

My dog has got scabs in both ears and we dont know why ' he goes swimming weekly hydrotherapy and just had his last booster vaccination last week. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 85 lbs

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thanks for your question about Buster. It looks like those are possible excoriations, or scabs from Buster scratching at his ears. He could be doing this just from the mild irritation of a little water getting in his ears, or he could be developing an ear infection - usually an overgrowth of yeast or bacteria, or a combination of the two. Very occasionally we can see ear mites in dogs, but that's definitely less common. If Buster otherwise seems pretty comfortable and there's no odor or discharge in his ears, you can try applying an over the counter product such as this one, which can help fend off a very mild early ear infection: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-ear-solution# However, if you see discharge, more redness than is apparent in this picture, if there's an odor from those ears, or if Buster really seems uncomfortable, then you should bring him in to the vet to evaluate what's going on inside his ears. Hope this helps!

My dog has scabs in his ears. Is it from swimming or an infection?

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