Spokane Veterinarian Treats Ear Infections For Your Pets

 Is Fido shaking his head, scratching at his ears or does he have, “That awful smell, again”? Is Kitty digging at her ears? Is she scratching the hair off the back of her ears? They have ear problems that need to be cared for soon. Information from veterinary pet insurance companies indicate that ear infections are the number one reason dogs go to veterinarians and the eighth most common reason cats are seen for veterinary care. There are many causes for ear problems in our pets. They range from bacterial and yeast infections to parasites, hormonal problems, foreign bodies, allergic, tumors, cysts, ear polyps, breed predisposition and/or self-induced trauma.

The healthy ear constantly produces a mixture of secretions commonly called “ear wax”. There is a natural movement of the earwax outwardly in the normal ear that produces a natural cleaning of the ear canal and the removal of the earwax. The earwax contains various waxes and fatty acids, many of which inhibit the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Restoring the normal function of the ear is what all therapy is directed toward.

One very common complication of an ear infection is that shaking of the head can lead to the formation of a large blood blister in the flap of the ear. These are called hematomas and they need to be surgically corrected. Another major problem when the infection has persisted for a period of time, is that the tissues swell due to the inflammation and the medications have a very difficult time getting to the problem area. These pets require initial treatment under general anesthesia and may require repeat treatment for long periods of time. It is therefore imperative that treatment be started as soon as possible and that the underlying cause is determined. Your veterinarian will strive to his or her very best to find the primary factors that initiated the problem, for if the primary factors are not defined, those factors that perpetuate the problem will keep the inflammatory process active. The problem can rapidly move from a relatively easy-to-treat acute phase to a chronic condition in which the ear canal narrows until it is nearly impossible to effectively in manage the problem. This leads to greater expense, suffering for the patient and owner, and leading, in the worst, intractable cases, to the surgical removal of the entire ear and the ear canal.

“You mean my pet can have allergies, like my children?” Allergies can be the primary cause of many of our pet’s medical problems. It only takes a very small amount of an allergen to cause a severe reaction. Think of the bee sting. Only very small amount of venom (the venom functions as an allergen if the person is allergic to bee stings) is injected at the time of the sting, but if the person is allergic to the venom, the results can be fatal.  Any foreign protein whether ingested or inhaled can be a potential cause of an allergic problem. The body also has the ability to take a non-protein and combine it with a protein in the body to form an allergen that will cause an allergic reaction. Allergic problems are not black or white but are a very complicated combination of factors which all work together in a negative way. Once the pet is sensitized to an allergen, it very likely will remain allergic to that allergen for the rest of its life.
Treating allergies also requires the cooperation of all individuals that have contact with the pet. Pets are very clever about obtaining food items. Some table foods are shared as a family ritual creating real problems and negating the therapy protocol. Only a very, very small amount of an allergen can destroy all your efforts.

Dietary allergies are of the “delayed” type, meaning the reaction may not occur until several hours or days after the allergen is consumed. The problem is slow to resolve because it can take 3 to 16 weeks for the body to clear itself of the allergens incorporated into the tissues. Dietary allergies often occur in pets that also have inhalation allergenic problems (allergy to pollens and molds), allergy to fleabites, mange mites, dust mites, and other continuing problems that can interfere with therapy. Therefore it is important to have your pet examined closely to rule out the possibility of parasites or other continuing problems that might be causing the primary problem. Your Spokane veterinarian will attempt to help you identify the causative agents and make a plan to remove them from your pet’s microenvironment. Your veterinarian will then provide medicines and other materials to control your pet’s specific problem, which should make your pet feel much better, be a better pet, and make you much happier.