Why does my dog have recurring ear infections that won't go away?

Question

My dog has had stuff growing out of her ears since she was a puppy. I’ve taken her to the vet to get her ear cleaned out, but the meds they gave me for the after care never worked. And they never told me what it was. Would somebody be able to possibly help diagnose what’s wrong with her? I will be attaching photos of the stuff growing out her ear. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 7 months old

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Maggie! This looks like quite a severe ear infection, from what I can see in the photo. Normally, we would treat this by taking a sample of the discharge to look at under the microscope, to see what kind of infection is present - it may be yeast, bacteria, or both. Then appropriate medication can be prescribed to treat the infection depending on what is found. So that is how we would typically treat a current, active infection like this. If her ear infections are not responding well to treatment or keep recurring once meds are finished, then this usually indicates that the dog has an underlying allergy problem of some kind (either food, or environmental). The underlying allergy will need to be diagnosed and treated in order to get the recurring ear problems under control, so that's what I would focus on once the current infection has improved. Your veterinarian should be able to discuss testing and treatment options for allergies, including allergy testing and immunotherapy treatment, daily medication such as Apoquel or Atopica, and/or a food trial with a prescription hypoallergenic diet. You could also seek a second opinion from another veterinarian in your area, or request referral to a veterinary dermatologist, if your current vet doesn't have any concrete suggestions on how to proceed with this.

Why does my dog have recurring ear infections that won't go away?

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