Why is my dog scratching ears, shaking head, and tilting it sideways?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Siberian Husky | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 8 months old
Hello! I have noticed that one of my dogs started stratching and whining at his ears.. he then shakes his head and you can see as if one ear is being pulled down or he stays tilting his head sideways. I dont want to clean his ears because im afraid i will do damage or something worse.. what could be the cause of this? And how can i help him at home? Also why does the ear look like that?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on May 22nd, 2018
Poor Troy! Itchy, painful ears with the redness and discharge visible in the pictures are most consistent with bacterial and/or yeast ear infections. Some dogs are quite uncomfortable and will hold their ears in different positions. There are no effective over the counter medications to treat actual ear infections, so it would be best to take Troy to his vet. The vet will be able to examine him and perform an ear cytology to microscopically determine the type of infection present in order to pick the most appropriate medications. I hope this helps and that Troy is feeling better soon!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on May 12th, 2019
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Marco has an ear infection and should be seen by your veterinarian at their next available appointment. Your vet can examine the discharge from the ear canal and determine if the infection is primarily yeast or bacteria, and prescribe the appropriate medication. Since Marco has a head tilt, I am worried his infection is within his middle/inner ear as well, affecting the part of his brain that helps with balance (the vestibular system). He requires treatment for this to resolve. I hope this is helpful!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
My dog's ears itches so badly and he is forced to tilt his head on the right side. The colour of the inside of his ear is a little red and he had this like more 3 years now
My dog is shaking his head really hard, is then tensing on one side and back to shaking his head. I think it’s his ear so I massaged them a little and tried to clean them out but he kept freaking out and is now shaking his jead a lot more
Hi my dog keeps shaking his head and if I touch his ear he yelps a bit is there anything I can do to help him
My dog's ears look sore and he shakes his head constant he is a 3 year old staffie x I have had him 2days and got him from a friend he says its been like this for 9 month or longer
I have 3 dogs, all of them have red swollen ears on the inside, head shaking. one dog seems a lot worse then the others.
When I rub my dog s ear, he s hurt. He also shakes his head a lot. Since last week, he starts to eat very less compare to the usual.
My dog is having pain from his ear and faces sude ways with one ear up. Looks like something is bothering him. what could be botheringn his ear.
After my dog barks vigorously, he tilts one of his ears and shakes his head. He doesn't do it in any other circumstance. What can cause this behavior?
My dog is 88-year-old rescue dog and I'm wondering if he's OK. His head is slightly shifted and he keeps shaking his head. I'm wondering if this is anything major or nothing to worry about .
Hello My pet is having some issue with his ear from past 3 hour. He was happy and was very playful. I don't know why suddenly he started scraming and start shaking his head. When I tried to find the problem I did not notice anything. But one thing is
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
