Why are ears so prone to infection?

[Deniselynn]

After being on here for so long, so many of us have had dogs with infections? Why is the ear so prone to infection? Is it because of the ear canal being so long? I suppose yeast has the opportunity to grow because the ear is moist?

[pblove]

yes, ears are dark, warm and moist, perfect conditions for bacteria to grow out of control.
Also, dogs with ears that flap over are more prone to infections because of less air circulation.
I think a LOT of the cases, it is allergy induced problems .

[*leenie*]

I know labs are quite prone to ear infections. but their ears flap over. My Emma LOVES having her ears cleaned..freak.. Most dogs hate it. I wonder if cropped ears don't get infected as much

[Deniselynn]

Good question Colleen. Molly is prone to them but that is because she is a walking loaf of bread.

[Samantha]

In alot of cases, dogs that have chronic ear infections are often dealing with a food allergy realted problem. I had labs growing up that had chronic issues for years. When I found out about the allergies and put her on hypo food, she never had another issue. I think 70-80% of ear infections are food allergy symptoms.

[*leenie*]

In alot of cases, dogs that have chronic ear infections are often dealing with a food allergy realted problem. I had labs growing up that had chronic issues for years. When I found out about the allergies and put her on hypo food, she never had another issue. I think 70-80% of ear infections are food allergy symptoms.

Hmmm thats really interesting.

[Sarah]

Tess had an infection in one ear a couple months ago, and the vet mentioned that ear infections are often a sign of food allergies. I'm not convinced that Tess' infection was, though, I think I got water in the ear when bathing her a week or 2 before I noticed the infection. (I bathed her for a show, and the next day at the show, she was scratching at her ear almost constantly. About a week later, an infection became obvious. Hmm.) Tess had had an ear infection not too long previous to that; 6-12 months. I think it was just a fluke, though.

Tully has had one ear infection, in one ear, in the 6+ years I've owned her. Elmo has never had an ear infection.

Long, heavy ears, or ears with a lot of hair in them are more prone to infection than smaller ears. It is a warm, moist environment. Food allergies are definitely a contributing factor, though.

[Allie]

Sidda had chronic ear infections due to environmental allergies, not food allergies.
Once we started to get the allergies under control (AND found Zymox!), she hasn't had many problems since.

[BabyReba]

reba is the only one of my dogs that's ever had an ear infection, and i know she got it from swimming and getting water in her ears. because it happened after swimming each time . . . usually within a couple of days of having been in the water.

[Siberian]

Sheba had a chronic ear infection when I got her. Took me almost a year to get rid of it. I had to use antibiotics, because she also had a punctured ear drum, and I couldn't use ointments because of that.


She was infection free for almost two years, and just got one now again
Not sure where from, since she hasn't been in the water for a while, and her food didn't change in the past several months.

[MyBluePit]

Shelby (Bully) is always getting an ear infection in her left ear. I treat her for about a week then gone, and then a couple months (maybe more) and it's back. I feed her Natures Variety maybe I should look more into this possible food allergy (along with her major skin allergy's ).

[Sarah]

If she's got regular ear problems and skin problems, it is definitely allergy related. Could be environmental, could be food, but I'd sure consider it worth changing the food. I'd probably have allergy testing done, though it's not cheap.

[dragonmark]

Do a google search for food trails.
That is the easy way to find the food that causes problems.
Most ear infections are due to food allergies but can also be
environmental. I have dogs with cropped and natural ears.
Both dogs with crops have had ear infections 1st one is a sensitivity to corn or wheat...the other was a weak immune after whelping pups.
The dogs with natural ears have not had any ear infections...go figure!

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