Ear infections are painful. So repeated ear infections are a nightmare for your pet. The reason these infections are often ongoing is because the underlying cause of the infections is often not addressed. Once your pet’s infection has cleared, our priority will be helping to keep that infection at bay for as long as possible, often by managing allergies but sometimes even with surgical solutions.

Certain breed conformations can make our pets more prone to ear disease. Breeds that are especially prone and have unique anatomy include cocker spaniels, cavalier king charles spaniels, poodles and french bulldogs.

The ears can be a challenging area to remove growths because the ear canal is narrow, long and difficult to access. We will always first recommend a minimally invasive approach, which can include video otoscopy or laser removal of ear canal growths.

Not all ear infections are the same! When the ears become crusty and ulcerated, not only is that incredibly painful, but can indicate immune disorders may be at the root of the problem. Sometimes taking small cytology or tissue biopsies can help us identify these unusual conditions. 

By far this is the most common reason for the ear infections that we encounter. Often, the infection is treated with antibiotics, but because the allergy remains - it’s quick to come back again. Allow us to work with you on trying to figure out why your pet’s ears are itchy and work on a sustainable long-term strategy. 

The middle ear cannot be seen from the outside. Examining it really requires a mix of fine ear video cameras known as video otoscopes, as well as 3 dimensional scanning of the skull via CT. Ear infections can either arise from the middle ear, or can extend down into the middle ear. These infections are often silent until they cause disaster.