Ear, ear...?

Ear disease is very common, and we see dogs and cats with anything from a mild to a severe infection.

I saw a patient today with ears full of wax, and they were really sore, so under sedation, we took some samples, and then had a look down with our special scope, cleaned all the wax out, and applied treatment. His ear drums were not perforated, so we can now safely proceed with treatment. His ears will be better in no time at all now!

Ear infections can get worse very quickly, causing damage the ear drum. There might also be a foreign body down there, such as a grass seed, or inflammation and irritation might be being caused by ear mites.

The sooner we investigate - the better.

It’s very dangerous to put ear medication into the ear if the ear drum isn’t intact, and if a foreign body is present, it must be removed very carefully.

At Woodham Lane and Chertsey Vets, we have specialist equipment, which means we can examine the ear canal and the ear drum properly.

By the way, my patient today - the one who presented with an itchy ear - well, I examined a sample of ear wax under the microscope, and found lots and lots of mites crawling around, I was going to post a video of it, by husband (Tristan the Vet), said nooooo! (...however, I will post it if anyone would like me to!!)

I had another patient recently with an itchy ear, I examined his ear under sedation and found that he had a ruptured ear drum! After the correct treatment, he is now fully healed and back to normal.

So if you notice your dog or cat shaking their head or scratching at their ear, or you see a discharge, or sniff an unusual smell; the important thing is to get it checked as soon as possible, as earlier treatment means the ear damage can be minimised, and allows a quicker return to normal.

Check out www.woodhamlanevets.co.uk for more info about pet care!

#cats #dogs #petcare #sarahthevet