Ear problems are one of the most common reasons that dogs are taken to veterinarians. They can be caused by infection, trauma, parasites, and various other reasons. The first sign of a problem is usually excessive wax production or discharge. Keep in mind that in many dogs a little discharge is normal: compare the ears to see if one is producing significantly more than the other. Head shaking and scratching is usually the next sign of a problem, and this is when yeast or bacteria has started to feast on the excess wax. Dogs with floppy, hairy ears, and dogs that swim may be predisposed to developing ear infections and ear discharge. At this stage you should take your dog to your veterinarian for a thorough examination and a course of treatment. Diagnosis by your veterinarian will usually include an x ray of the middle ear and a culture of the bacteria found in the discharge to determine the best treatment.
Once the infection has been resolved, take steps to prevent recurrence. If your dog is a floppy eared dog who is always playing in water either reduce his water time or make certain you clean and dry his ears after every time they enter the water. To clean your dog’s ear, take a moist cotton ball and gently rub away visible dirt from the ear lobe. Using a moist Q-Tip, next clean between the protruding cartilage of the ear, being careful not to probe the ear canal. Never put the Q-Tip in so far that you cannot see the tip of it. Alternatively, you can buy a proprietary ear cleaning solution which you fill the ear with to aid in debris removal. After this cleansing, it is recommended that you towel dry the ear and apply an ear-drying powder, which acts in a similar way to talcum powder, to prevent microorganisms from growing in the affected area. These products also aid in the prevention of odor. Integrate this as part of your normal grooming routine to prevent recurring problems.
Famous Dog Histories
Lassie
Lassie is undoubtedly the world’s most famous dog and is a character who has starred in many movies, TV shows, and books over the years. Lassie was created by Eric Knight and published as a short story in the Saturday Evening Post in 1938 and as a novel in 1940. All the “Lassie’s” were male collies and all the official Lassies are descendants of the original Lassie.
Rin Tin Tin
The nation’s first canine movie star was born in Germany. He was rescued from the trenches as a puppy and brought to the United States by Lee Duncan, an American pilot in World War I, who was also his trainer. First appearing in “Where the North Begins” in 1925, Rin Tin Tin went on to make 25 movies, sign his own contracts with a paw print, and at the height of his success was his studio’s major wage earner, earning approximately 5 million dollars, or the equivalent over 84 million dollars in 2022.
Laika
The first living creature to orbit the earth was a dog. Named Laika (barker in Russian) she blasted off aboard the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. With no way to bring her back to earth, she became the first creature to give her life for the exploration of space.
Did You Know
Dogs have about 100 different facial expressions, most of them made with the ears.
The Dalmatian is the only dog that gets gout.
A 50,000-year-old cave painting in Europe seems to show a dog-like animal hunting with men.
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