| MISTAKE | SUGGESTION |
| Failure to provide the veterinarian with a good case history of your dog's condition | Make a list that includes: Frequency of ailment, does it affect one ear or both, is it seasonal, does your dog swim, how often do you bathe or groom them, any respiratory infections or skin allergies, what food or treats are they on & do you alter their diet, what is their water intake & apetite (change)and was there any previous treatment? |
| A deep oncospic exam of the entire canine ear canal and ear drums was not or could not (uncooperative patient) be performed by the attending vet. | Sedation is a viable option to perform a complete exam. And the added bonus is that a thorough cleaning of the ear canal can be done prior to examination or the start of medication. |
| A dermatologic(skin) or neurologic(dog's head tilt, facial expressions) was not performed as well. | It is important to understand that the ears could be a symptom of a larger picture and not in themselves the main cause - although the main discomfort for your dog. |
| Failing to perform ear cytologies ( testing & studying the cell pattern via lab testing. | An ear cytology can help reveal the agent causing the canine ear disease. Test range from allergenic, yeast, bacterial panels and more. Knowing this will help formulate a more effective and long term treatment program for your dog. |
| Refilling the same medication without without occasional retesting or identifying and controlling the root problem. | Remember that only refilling your dog's prescription does not account for the changing nature of ear disease, including a build-up of resistence to the medication, opportunistic secondary infections and treatment of the stem cause to stop the cycle. |
| Failure to flush or clean the ear thoroughly before treatment of your pet's ears. | Make sure before applying treatment that the medicine can get to the skin and where it has to be. If it sits on top of the discharge it is virtually useless. Cleaning & drying your dog's ears before treatment is essential although irritating at first. |
| Using only oral antibiotics to treat canine ear infections. |
Always treat with topical ointments as well when using oral antibiotics in ear disease cases. Oral antibiotics work to stem bacteria growth and secondary infections but in a sustained lower concentration. Topicals add a high dose concentration that is needed in the canine ear canal. |
| Treating chronic Pseudomonas infection with short term antibiotics. |
A minimum of 8-10 weeks of antibiotic therapy is required to achieve success in chronic pseudomonas along with a culture senstivity analysis which identifies what antibiotics to which your pet is sensitive or resistent. |
| Certain breeds, specifically Cocker Spaniels are not treated aggressively enough. | Cocker Spaniels have a high propensity for this syndrome and should be treated aggressively. Additional prevention methods are needed and if necessary surgical ear canal resections(performed by board certified veterinary surgeons)should be considered in this breed.
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| Absense of a long term home management program. | Ear infections in dogs become chronic at a drop of a hat. Prevention methods should always be maintained: Clean you pet dog's ear once or twice a week. Air dry ear daily for a short time. Make sure ears are thoroughly dry after bathing or cleaning. Maintain frequent examinations by your vet to closely monitor treatment. |
