It's a Dogs Life ..... Ear Ear
Dr Jules Wilson MRCVS of the Maunu Rd branch of the Northland Veterinary Group HAS THIS SAY...
Dogs have very interesting ears: some are upright, some are floppy, some are hairy, and some are smooth inside. Some are big and some are small, but we all know it's not the size that matters.
The dog's ear is like a mini funnel or down pipe channeling sound down to the delicate ear drum. Inside the workings of the dogs ear are the organs of balance, the snail like organ of hearing and also, just a short space away, the brain.
This all should tell us that ear problems are potentially life-threatening and should be sorted out as soon as they are detected.
At this time of year there are lots of mould spores and pollen in the air, lots of dogs go swimming and there are lots of grass seeds to be found in the fields.
All this spells TROUBLE for a dog with one or even the usual two ears.
When you look into a healthy ear the lining of the ear canal should be pale white/pink and there should be no smelly discharge there. Anything else should be considered abnormal and so worthy of investigation.
Dogs with floppy ears often pick up grass seeds, twigs, potatoes, pencils etc in their ears. Dogs with wide open upright ears gather lots of pollen and mould spores on their ears (very useful things for caring small objects as you can see). Dogs that swim a lot often get "swimming ear", dogs with skin problems often get "smelly ear syndrome" (as the ear lining is an extension of normal skin.
In short if your dog has an ear or two that smell horrible, are filled with foul tasting yukky stuff (as compared to the normal pleasant tasting stuff) or if your dog spends all night whacking his head with his feet and keeping you awake then IT IS TIME TO TAKE THAT DOG TO THE VET AND GET THOSE EARS SORTED OUT before your dog goes deaf, has seizures or opens his own second-hand potato shop.
Seen in the early stages ears can be very simple to sort out. If left until later in the course of the disease it may take major surgery to sort out those erroneous ears. A stitch in the ear is worth two in the bush.
Issue 6
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