PET TALK: Dog’s ear canal is trouble just waiting to happen

Dr. Daniel Eubanks
   Dogs’ ears can be fascinating. Along with the eyes, ears play an integral part of a dog’s facial expression. In fact, their ears can reveal their entire personality.
   Consider the laid-back, happy-go-lucky Basset Hound’s long, floppy ears. Contrast this with the intense, “ready” expression of the Boxer with its cropped, erect, no-nonsense ears.
   Or compare the white Standard Poodle’s frivolous pom-poms on their ears with the straight-up erect ears of an austere, business-like German Shepherd.
   The ears, along with the eyes and the tail, reflect so much about a dog’s nature, his attitude, his mood and intent.
   But as far as I am aware, no other part of the dog’s anatomy is as ill-conceived as the ear canal.
   I’m not talking about the ear itself, which is called the “pinna.” I’m referring to the ear canal — the funnel-shaped megaphone connecting the pinna with the eardrum.
   Despite the aforementioned diversity of dogs’ ears, the ear canal is boring — it’s exactly the same in every dog. Unlike the human ear canal, which is a short horizontal tube, the canine canal consists of this same horizontal component which then bends ninety degrees upward into an expanding vertical component, at the outside of which is the pinna.
   It’s like a funnel with the straight bottom portion bent ninety degrees to horizontal.
   The consequence of this design flaw is that dogs frequently develop ear problems — much more so than people.Human ear infections, typically children, are middle ear infections, are bacterial in nature and respond well to appropriate antibiotics.
   Not so with dogs. Their ear problems are almost always in the external ear canal. This ranks among the top ten most common reasons for dogs being presented for veterinary care. And it’s all about the anatomy.
   The funnel shaped, vertically oriented canine ear canal is anti-gravitational, allowing no route for drainage. Put a floppy ear covering-up the top and you now have a warm, moist, dark place. Add a little earwax and it’s like putting a petri dish with agar into an incubator.
   Earwax is an organic substance that serves as a nutrient substrate for growth of microorganisms. These are neither contagious nor exotic organisms — just garden-variety bacteria and fungi (yeast).
   The warm, moist, dark, nutrient-rich ear canal is an ideal environment for resident microorganisms to flourish. The bottom line is that the dog’s ear canal is trouble just waiting to happen. Not only is ear infection very common, but also tends to become chronic and recurrent because the anatomical cesspool never goes away.
   Owners and veterinarians alike become frustrated after spending lots of time and money, only to experience the same mess over and over again.
   Mixed bacterial and fungal infection is not the only condition affecting dogs’ ears. Allergy can manifest itself with otitis and ear mites can parasitize the ear canal. However, these maladies are not the result of faulty ear canal anatomy.Treating otitis in the dog begins with cleaning-out the ear canal and administering an appropriate eardrop concoction. This usually contains antibiotic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory agents.
   Follow-up maintenance treatment requires periodic use of ear cleaning/drying preparations to combat the moist dirty environment provided by the ear canal. This is usually doable at home on an “as needed” basis.
   Keeping the canal clean and dry is the key. Patience, understanding and cooperation are required to avoid the frustration and seeming futility of chronic ear problems in dogs.