Ear infections are one of the most common dermatological conditions we see in dogs and cats. Most infections if caught early are treated relatively easily with a good cleaning and some drops. Some pets however suffer from chronic or recurring infections. This can be due to many things including underlying allergies, hair and debris in the external canal, a growth or tumour in the external canal or sometimes a ruptured tympanic membrane (eardrum) resulting in a middle ear infection.
For these pets with recurring infections, we will often recommend video otoscopy. Under general anesthesia we are able to visualize the abnormalities much better and thoroughly clean and flush the ear canal.. The improvement afterwards is often dramatic.
Removing hair and debris from horizontal canal using video otoscopy and forceps.