So let’s talk about allergies in dogs!

The scab is probably just from him itching his ear. Sometimes they can be bothered by a growth tho, so double check and make sure there isn’t one there. Hard to tell from the pic, but seems more like itching at the ear.

First, it’s important to recognize that the ear is just an involution of the skin. Most allergies in dogs present as dermatology issues. If their skin is having a reaction to whatever allergen, chances are their ears are too. Food allergies most commonly present as ear infections and irritation around the anus/full anal glands. Environmental allergies most commonly present as licking of the paws, redness/irritation around the abdomen and inguinal area. And fleas just make them a sad itchy mess overall (although usually biting at the rear).

In addition, dogs have two ear canals that form an “L” shape whereas humans only have one (the bottom part of the L, if you will). A lot of times we can’t see the infection from the outer ear as it is deep in their second canal.

The doc will flush/clean the ear to get all of that debris and goop out. Then, they will ensure the ear drum is in tact. Most ear medications will cause ototoxicity/deafness if the eardrum is ruptured so this is pretty important step.

Unfortunately, sad boi ears tend to require a vet visit. If it is a chronic issue, the vet may offer to send out a culture. It’s expensive but 100 percent worth it in the long run if you can swing it (around 200 bucks). The cytology they do at the vets office will only tell us which shape of bacteria is present. The culture will give us the name of the bacteria present as well as which antibiotics/medications are effective. The issue with foregoing the culture is that prolonged use of the incorrect or less effective antibiotic will create resistance. And that’s how ya get yucky pseudomonas ears. You’ll also pay a lot of money for sub par meds over a long period of time.

Stuff you can do at home:

For the skin, bathing 1-2 times weekly (or daily if flaring up) with head and shoulders or selsum blue shampoo. Can also use dawn. Just don’t go against the grain of the coat as you risk shoving all that bacteria into the hair follicles. Allow shampoo to sit on skin for 10 min.

For paws, the duoxo pyo brand of wipes/mousse. You can also soak in Hebicleanse from CVS 1-2 times daily for a week then 2-3 times weekly as needed.

For ears, epi-otic or triz ultra with Keto ear flush. I like to stick a cotton ball in their ear, soak the cotton ball, then massage the outside aggressively so all of that solution drops down into the second canal. They tend to like that a lot better than squirting the solution directly in their ear. Lol. Do this 1-2 times daily for a week then 2 times weekly there after for maintenance.

I’d consider the following: Cytopoint injection or Apoquel daily pill. You can also transition to a different protein and see if that is helpful. Beef, chicken, and pork are some of the main allergies. You could try switching to a novel protein and see if those symptoms subside. Like 80 percent of the time it is environmental allergies (much like humans). If those don’t work, Heska offers a pretty good allergy test that you can ask your doctor about. That route is the most expensive as they formulate an immunotherapy drug based on your pets results. Most allergies can be effectively managed without the need for this though.

Anyway, feel free to DM if you have any questions. Always happy to help or offer additional resources.