Ear infections in dogs

18 August 2022 - 6 min read
Basset hound with big ears
Basset hound with big ears

You smell it. You can smell it as soon as you walk in the room. You look at your dog and your dog looks at you, you both know – it’s the ears.

For those of you who don’t know what this is like, cheers. For those of you who do, I feel your pain.

Skin problems, particularly ear infections, are one of the most common issues we see in veterinary practice. Itchy, red, scaling, crusty dogs (and cats) are brought in by their owners daily.

I often get what I like to call ‘repeat offenders’, meaning pets that are seen for multiple ear infections over time. These pets are uncomfortable and their owners can be sad or frustrated. But why? What’s actually going on in those ear canals and how come it’s so common for these pets to be seen again and again?

In this article we’re going to look at why ear infections happen in our pets, why they can be super frustrating for owners, and how together we can make it less so!

Dog ear wax colour chart

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Symptoms of ear infections in dogs

First off, it’s important that pet owners know how to spot a potential ear infection. You may notice more obvious signs, such as:

  • Redness of the outer ear flap (called the pinna)

  • Discharge (can be many colors: yellow, green, gray, dark brown, or even red!)

  • Odor

  • Ear scratching

  • Painful ears

There can also be subtle signs that might point to an ear infection:

  • Head shaking

  • Rubbing head/ears against surfaces

  • Some sensitive pets may just act ‘off’ or even be less interested in food

But what does that ear wax color mean?

A little bit of debris or discharge in your pet's ear without pain, redness, or odour can sometimes be a non-issue.

But there’s a fair few ear wax colours that can absolutely suggest a bigger problem:

  • Pale yellow to light brown – May likely be normal build-up without infection, and can be cleaned at home as long as there are no other clinical symptoms.

  • Dark brown – This often accompanies a musty smell, and often indicates a yeast or bacterial infection. These dogs will need medication and ear cleaner from your vet!

  • Yellow to green/milky – This type of discharge usually goes along with a more offensive odour (the one I mentioned at the beginning of this article… if you know, you know). We get worried about significant bacterial infections in these pets, and they should absolutely be seen by your vet.

  • Red – Sometimes people mistake the dark brown yeasty debris above for red or blood. However, bright red discharge or blood in your pets ear can indicate a multitude of issues like a growth, severe infection or wound. These pets also need prompt veterinary attention.

    Dog ear wax

Causes of ear infections

So how did we get here? Owners ask me this question about ear infections almost every time and it’s a good one, though loaded.

The most simple way I like to explain it is to remind owners that the ear canal is just an extension of your skin, the largest organ of the body. It starts with something that causes irritation of that skin barrier down in the ear canal. We’ll come back to what kind of something that could be in a moment.

When the skin becomes irritated, your pet will shake/scratch/rub causing damage to the normal barrier that healthy skin has. With continued irritation and damage, bacteria and yeast that normally live on the skin and don’t cause problems, will then have the chance to overgrow and cause an active infection.

It’s a slippery slope of irritation, inflammation, and organism overgrowth – or what we know as an ear infection. This means that typically ear infections are not something that are passed animal to animal, or animal to person.

Here’s a list of common things that can kick start this irritation in the ear canal:

  • Foreign bodies ( like grass seeds, other plants)

  • Skin growths or tumors

  • Water/moisture (common after swimming, bathing, grooming)

  • Parasites (Ear mites)

  • Underlying allergies: flea allergy, food allergy/sensitivity (chicken) or environmental allergy (pollen or grasses)

There are certain breeds that are more at risk of developing ear infections simply because of their anatomy. Dogs with flopped over ears, particularly those with long, pendulous pinnae (ear flaps) are predisposed to trapping moisture down in those long ear canals.

This includes breeds like:

Additionally, some breeds are also predisposed to developing ear infections as they are more likely to be suffering from underlying allergic skin disease. Commonly treated pups include:

If your pet has underlying allergies contributing to ear problems, it’s really likely that they will continue to have repeat ear infections on and off unless we figure out what they’re allergic to and how we can avoid or manage those allergens.

This takes some time and dedication on everyone’s part, but if it’s done well can decrease the number of trips you and your pup are taking to the vet down the road.

We can’t cure a pet of allergies, but our hopes are to decrease the frequency and severity of symptom flare ups long term, including ear infections.

Can I treat my dog’s ear infection without a vet?

Cleaning your dog's ears at home in cases of non-problematic build up is absolutely ok. If your pet has some paler to light brown waxy debris with no redness, odour, pain or itchiness associated, it’s likely fine to clean that out.

The important thing is using an appropriate cleaner and knowing how to clean your dog's ears safely!

All dogs have an L-shaped ear canal, which is a common reason ear cleaning as well as treating infections can be tricky.

To clean your pup's ears, you’ll need some cotton gauze or cotton pads and some safe ear cleaner. I do not recommend pet owners use cotton swabs to clean their pets ears as it is very easy to stick them too far down the ear canal and risk damaging or puncturing the eardrum! Some of my favorite safe cleaners that owners can use at home for general ear cleaning include products such as Virbac’s EpiOtic or Dechra’s CleanAural.

Vets typically don’t encourage using things like hydrogen peroxide or apple cider vinegar to clean dog ears. These solutions are harsh and can cause significant irritation to the ear canal.

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When to see the vet

If you notice discharge in your pet's ears that is yellow, green, red, or dark brown, your dog should be seen by your vet

In particular, schedule them a visit if you notice redness, pain, itchiness, head shaking, scratching, or odour. These can all be indicators that active infection is present and requires attention.

Your vet will look down your dog’s ear canal to evaluate the skin and eardrum. They’ll also be looking for any foreign bodies or growths along the way. It’s essential to make sure that the eardrum isn’t ruptured prior to putting most cleaners and medications into the ear canal.

Your vet will also take a sample of the debris to look at under a microscope to confirm there’s an infection and if so, what types of organisms are present. This impacts what medications will be chosen to treat the infection.

Ear mites also require a sample to be checked under the microscope for diagnosis. Your vet will often prescribe an ear cleaner (which may have different ingredients to ones you have at home) as well as a medicated topical ear ointment. These ointments include anti-fungals, antibiotics, and an anti-inflammatory like a steroid.

In severe cases, oral antibiotics and/or steroids may also be necessary to treat more deeply seeded infections.

Online pharmacies dispense the same antibiotics and steroids your vet would normally give you, just at cheaper prices. Find out more about online pharmacies here.

Ear infection is the fifth most common condition we see dog insurance claims for at ManyPets. There were 4,182 claims in dogs in 2021 at an average cost of £158.65. But actual cost of treatment can be a fair bit higher as dogs may get recurrent infections.

Don’t skip your rechecks! When your vet recommends your pet be seen for a recheck after treating an ear infection, stick to it. One of the keys to success is checking the infection is resolved prior to discontinuing the medications used. This recheck, believe it or not, often saves people more visits and money later on.

Do cats get ear infections?

Cat scratching its ears

Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten kitties. While we typically see more ear infections in dogs, our feline friends can be affected too.

Clinical symptoms for cats are usually similar to their canine counterparts. This includes debris/discharge, redness, itching/scratching, head shaking, and odour.

Causes also include things like parasites and underlying allergies. I tend to see more ear mites in cats than in dogs, particularly rescued kittens or stray cats.

Luckily treatment of ear mites is usually quick and effective. In cases of recurrent ear infections, we start to think more about ear canal growths or allergies. Diagnosis of infection will be made similarly using a scope to look down the canal, and taking a sample to look at under the microscope.

Cleaning cat ears is a bit more challenging and comes with a few more risks than dog ears. Generally speaking, I recommend wetting a cotton pad or ball with a safe ear cleaner and cleaning the outer flap/canal as best you can (i.e. do not fill the canal and massage as you would when cleaning a dog's ear).

If your cat requires a deeper clean, having trained veterinary staff perform this is ideal as cats can have complications and side effects if not done appropriately.


Veterinary surgeon Dr Kirsten Ronngren joined ManyPets in 2022. Alongside her extensive experience as a vet in small animal and feline-only clinics, Kirsten is passionate about online content creation. Kirsten’s a regular on ManyPets’ social media and video content with her no-nonsense attitude to keeping our customers’ pets happy and well.