What You Should Know About Ear Inflammations in Pets
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Also known as otitis, ear inflammation is a problem that can affect our pets from dogs and cats to rabbits and hamsters.
Why do pet owners like you need to know about it? That’s because the causes of otitis can range from a straightforward case of ear mites (otodectes) to a secondary infection that arose from a more severe underlying medical condition.
To make it easy, we have summarised the basic stuff you should know about otitis:
Types of otitis
Location, location, location. The terms below basically describes where the inflammation is located:
Otitis Externa - inflammation in the ear canal which can spread to the middle ear if left untreated.
Otitis Media - inflammation of the middle ear structures, which is often an extension of infection from the ear canal or a ruptured eardrum.
Otitis Interna - inflammation of the inner ear structures including the vestibular system, and also affect the eyes, nose and throat.
Their location is also indicative of the severity of the consequences your pet can potentially suffer from. The vestibular system located in the inner ears is responsible for providing a sense of balance and awareness of spatial orientation. That is why it is common for rabbits with severe inner ear infections to show symptoms such as sudden loss of balance, head-tilting, dizziness, facial nerve paralysis, and deafness.
That is why pet owners should not take ear infections lightly.
Causes of otitis
Left: A regular cotton bud. Right: A dislodged cotton bud head covered in ear wax retrieved from a doggy patient.
Parasite, bacterial or fungal infection
The most common of these infections being ear mites, which is true in cats and small animals such as rabbits and hamsters.
Physical damage or ruptured eardrum (from improper ear cleaning or trauma)
This is another common cause of otitis externa and otitis media. At Gaia Vets, we actively discourage pet owners from using cotton ear buds for cleaning as the cotton head may get stuck in the ear.
Blockage from build up of earwax, hair and dead skin
In dogs, otitis externa occurs when there is a change in the normal environment of the ear canal. This causes the glands lining the canal to become enlarged and produce too much earwax, which in turn can cause the canal to narrow.
Irritants
This can be a number of things:
- Foreign body in the ear canal e.g. grass blades
- Environmental or food allergens triggering a response
- Excessive moisture left in the ears e.g. from frequent swimming
Tumour growth/cancer
Underlying conditions or diseases
Guinea pigs rarely suffer from otitis but when they do, it is often due to secondary bacterial infections caused by respiratory diseases, e.g. pneumonia.
For cats, underlying conditions such as diabetes mellitus, diseases that suppress the immune system, e.g. feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), or autoimmune diseases.
Certain dog breeds with hairy ears are more susceptible to otitis e.g. cocker spaniel
Risk factors of otitis
As mentioned, pets with underlying medical conditions, allergies and/or suppressed immune systems are more at risk of developing ear inflammations.
Certain dog breeds with long ears are more prone to otitis e.g. cocker spaniels and golden retrievers. Dogs with very hairy ear canals such as poodles and terriers are also more susceptible to developing otitis.
Symptoms of otitis
Here are some general symptoms you can look out for in your pet:
Scratching or pawing at the ears or the head
Shaking the head more often
Dizziness or sudden loss of balance i.e. lack of coordination
Head tilting to one side
Loss of appetite
Lethargy or reluctance to move
Waxy or crusty residue in the outer ears
Discharge from ears
(Black or yellowish discharge for cats and dogs. If the discharge looks like coffee grounds it is a symptom of ear mites.)
Strong odour from ears
Redness in the ear flap