Dog's ear: structural features. Ear problems in dogs

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

If you are going to become the owner of a dog, then first of all you need to decide on the breed and consult with an experienced veterinarian. If you master the basic rules for caring for an animal, you can avoid a huge number of mistakes.

Today we want to talk about a dog's ear. This is an external paired organ, which is easy to inspect, but which the owners often forget about and begin to sound the alarm when inflammation is already evident. It is very important to prevent this problem, which means that all pet lovers should read this article.

Physiology

A dog's ear is similar to ours in structure. There are also outer, inner and middle ear. Let's take a closer look at each of them. The outer ear of a dog is the visible part where our knowledge of physiology usually ends. The shape and size of the shell can vary greatly, depending on the breed. Very often, this feature is decisive when choosing an animal. Someone will like a dog with big ears more, the other way around. The functional load is somewhat different, depending on the form. The erect ear of a dog islocator that picks up sounds. Long canvases are most often used by hunters, they serve not only as an organ of hearing, but also drive smells right up to the nose when the animal follows the trail.

The middle ear is the sound-conducting and sound-producing departments. They consist of the tympanic cavity and membrane, the auditory tube and bones: the hammer, anvil and stirrup. The dog's ear is equipped with a longer auditory canal and a huge tympanic membrane. This is what provides acute hearing. The inner ear is a membranous and bony labyrinth.

Advantages and disadvantages of the system

As already mentioned, the hearing of our pets is many times greater than the human. However, such a structure also has its drawbacks. This arrangement of the ear canal practically negates the ventilation of the ear. That is, any liquid cannot leave it and gradually causes inflammation. This causes difficulty in the treatment of diseases. Therefore, breeds of dogs with ears longer than the nose are at risk and should be routinely examined.

Otitis media

Almost everyone has experienced this disease, or at least heard about it. Simplicity in diagnosis creates the illusion that otitis media can be cured very quickly. However, this is not the case. Indeed, it is not difficult to determine that the ear is inflamed. If you know the symptoms, then suspect otitis literally from the first day:

• Soreness of the shell. When pressed, the dog begins to whine, press his ear to your hand.
• Changes andbehavior. The animal shakes its head, scratches its ear with its paws, presses it to the floor. Especially at night, it is very noticeable that the dog does not sleep, but walks around the house.
• If inflammation leads to a rise in temperature, then your pet may be, on the contrary, oppressed.

Diagnosis and prescription

Don't delay going to the vet. Any breed of dog with large ears is prone to inflammatory processes, so any deviation in behavior should be the reason for contacting a specialist. In severe cases, the lymph nodes can become inflamed, which can even lead to the development of encephalitis, that is, inflammation of the brain. However, in order to prescribe a full-fledged treatment, it is not enough to evaluate the external clinical symptoms.

Causes of ear diseases

Any therapy begins with a complete diagnosis. Veterinarians separate what causes otitis media into primary causes and contributing factors. In fact, in order to prescribe adequate treatment, we are most interested in what caused it in the first place:

• The most common causes are immunodeficiencies and weakening of the skin's barrier properties. Do not forget that the structure and functions of the integument of our body are the same everywhere.
• Hypersensitivity is also often the cause.

Not often otitis media of various etiologies are caused by ear mites, or in other words, otodectos. The activity of the parasite itself leads to constant itching. An animal with its paws injures the skin and infects, whichleads to the development of secondary inflammation. Foreign objects can also injure the ear and cause a similar reaction, such as pieces of cotton wool that remain after cleaning, particles of grass and dirty water that enters the auricle during bathing. Rarely enough, the cause of otitis media is disruption of the endocrine system and tumors of the ear canal.

Secondary disease factors

The start is made, one of the listed reasons led to the fact that inflammation began in the ear cavity. If you do not pay attention to it and do not provide your pet with proper assistance, then it will progress. Septic, or secondary, factors include all the huge number of microorganisms, bacteria and fungi present in the environment.

Now it is precisely on what exactly the ear cavity will be populated, that is, on the qualitative and quantitative set of pathogenic microbes that have settled in the ears of a dog, that the whole variety of external manifestations of otitis will depend, that is, the amount and color of purulent discharge, and as well as the duration of the disease. So don't try to diagnose yourself. At the first symptoms, take the animal to a veterinarian who will examine the dog's ears. Photos and descriptions on the Internet will never give such comprehensive information as the trained eye of a professional.

Treatment

If the disease is not running, and the dog is calm about such procedures, then most likely it will take only one or twovisit to fully heal your pet. However, it also happens that examination and cleansing manipulations are possible only with general anesthesia. The first procedure is cleansing. It is necessary to remove all accumulated secretions, clean the cavity from accumulated pus or other contaminants. For this, disinfectants are used. Then all the affected areas are lubricated with a special ointment, treated with a spray or drops are instilled. There is usually some relief after this.

Duration of treatment

This is a purely individual factor. For example, a large dog with short ears is less likely to infect them. Therefore, the improvement will happen much faster. The short-legged creatures with long ears, which constantly get dirt, dust and bacteria, suffer the most. Therefore, the duration of treatment depends on a huge number of factors and can end either with a quick victory, or with the need to periodically perform preventive measures for a certain time or even a lifetime.

Weekly treatments

To be sure that your pet's ears are completely he althy, it is enough to conduct an examination once a week. To do this, stock up on cotton swabs and discs, as well as a solution of "Furacilin". The latter is used if signs of redness are noticed, as a wetting agent for discs. If the skin surface is light, even, there are no signs of inflammation or suppuration, then it is not recommended to useno additional funds. Remove the sulfur with a clean stick and praise your pet for his endurance.

Instead of a conclusion

Ear diseases in dogs have many faces, and each of them has its own course. Moreover, for the owners of some breeds, it is simply necessary to know the subtleties of care and the first signs of the inflammatory process. This applies to basset hounds and dachshunds, beagles, poodles, that is, all short-legged representatives of the canine world that have long and heavy ears. If you regularly devote time to preventive examinations, then you will be able to notice the first signs in time and start treating your dog’s ears before it develops into a real tragedy.