Ear infections are common ailments for dogs and cats.
They can occur at any age and for a variety of reasons, including the physical structure of the ear, allergies, or an object embedded within the ear (petmd.com). According to the American Kennel Club, symptoms of ear infections include head shaking, pawing at the infected ear, odor, redness and swelling, and discharge from the infected ear. If your dog or cat exhibits any of these symptoms, you’ll need to make a visit to your veterinarian straight away. While common, ear infections need appropriate and timely treatment to avoid becoming chronic and/or leading to permanent hearing loss (petmd.com). Still, there are some things you can do at home to help make your pet more comfortable:
Chamomile Tea Drops
Ear infections often respond to warm or room temperature chamomile tea drops. Place the drops in the ear then fold over the ear flap and gently massage the outside of the ear.
Consider Probiotics
Probiotics can be beneficial to your pet’s health by helping to keep the immune system strong. Feeding your pet live culture plain organic yogurt is a natural way to give your pet important probiotics. Remember to avoid sweetened yogurts, specifically those with xylitol, as it is toxic to dogs and limit the yogurt to an occasional treat as the lactose may cause mild digestive upset. Plain Greek yogurt is a good choice as it contains plenty of live cultures and less lactose (akc.com).
Keep Your Pet’s Ears Clean
We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so try to keep your pet’s ears clean to prevent infections in the first place. Highly diluted organic apple cider vinegar may be used to clean your pet’s ear as the acid kills the yeast and fungi which could cause an infection. Mix ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar with one cup of water and apply with a dropper. Alternatively, consider using Ark Naturals Ears All Right. This natural botanical ear wash helps to inhibit growth of bacteria, virus, and fungi.
