| Ask The Vet -
Q&A |
Question
My dog has an ear infection (something that he has had
before and has aurizon drops) but my vet's will not give me another
prescription unless they see him first as it is more that their
3 month deadline (I find this unfair as it will cost me £20
plus for the pleasure of telling me what I already know. Is there
anyway that I can get a prescription without him seeing a vet? After
breeding dogs for a number of years I know what an ear infection
looks and smells like.
Vanessa Davis - Pembrokeshire, Wales |
Answering questions:
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS from
Vet
Help Direct |
| Answer |
Hi
Vanessa,
Ear
infections, as you know, are common in dogs but they can be very
difficult to get rid of and can easily turn into a very serious
and painful problem. There are several reasons why it is absolutely
essential to see a vet:
1)
Infections, particularly long standing ones, commonly cause ear
drums to rupture. The only way to establish if the ear drum is intact
is for a vet to look down the ear with an auroscope. If your dog
has a ruptured ear drum giving ear drops can cause a head tilt and
loss of balance.
2)
As your dog’s previous ear infection was less than 3 months
ago it is possible that the drops did not completely get rid of
the infection last time. Your vet may need to take a swab to check
on the type of infection and its resistance to different antibiotics.
3)
A different type of ear drop may be required, there are several
on the market and some infections are better treated with tablets.
4)
The ear canal may need flushing to get rid of debris that has accumulated
prior to treatment; this can only be assessed by a vet with an auroscope.
5)
Recurrent ear infections are often caused by an underlying skin
allergy; your vet may need to begin investigating this possibility.
When
ear infections are not treated properly and end up ‘grumbling
on’ they can cause narrowing of the ear canal, rupture of
the ear drum, middle ear disease and highly resistant bacteria can
emerge. With these long term ear infections, serial ear flushings
under general anaesthetic are often required and, in the worst cases,
major surgery is sometimes necessary to completely eradicate the
infection; unfortunately even this is not always successful.
Sorry
not to provide an easy solution for you; my advice is to get your
dog to the vets ASAP to get the best treatment started as soon as
possible; this could end up saving you money in the long term.
Kind regards,
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS www.vethelpdirect.com
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Disclaimer:
'Ask The Vet' is not intended to be used for as a substitute for
visiting your vet. If your dog is showing any sign of poor health
or discomfort please contact your own veterinary surgeon. If you
are not sure how urgent the condition is use www.vethelpdirect.com
to help you decide. Any opinions given in the answers to these questions
are Ms Samuel's, they may not necessarily reflect the views of the
veterinary profession in general or any other individual veterinary
surgeon. |
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