Question :

My dog had an ear infection and went swimming. Now he is waslking in circles and seems in real pain.I cleaned his ears after swimming with a drying agent and have repeated it tonight. Is there anything else I can do to make him feel better?

Answer :

I suspect tha your dog suffers from a middle ear infection:
- the original infection probably damaged the ar drum
- the bath allowed water to penetrate the middle ear
- the infection can now spread to the middle and inner ear

The middle ear contains the organs responsible for keeping the patient’s balance. The signs of middle ear infection are:
- Pain
- Head shaking
- Head tilt
- Circling
- Loss of balance
- Abnormal eye movement (called nystagmus)

You are making matters worse by applying topical ear treatment.

I recommend that you seek veterinary opinion. It is likely that the vet will recommend:
- Ear flushing under general aneasthetic. (Note that gaseous aneasthesia and intubation is necessary to avoid secondary pneumonia: the flushed fluid can go to the lungs via the eustachian tubes)
- Systemic (by mouth) targeted treatment instead of topical (in the ear) treatment
- Re-ex every week

Best of luck, Julien

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