Ear infections are one of the most common problems that are seen in dogs. This is commonly seen in certain breeds who have floppy ears—doodles being one of them. “Luckily, ear infections are easily treated and prevented” says TeAnna at Ruffledale Pet Resort and Spa who sees ear infections regulary. In this article we’ll cover causes of ear infections, symptoms, and treatment.

Causes Of Ear Infections In Doodles

There can be many causes that can contribute to a dog ear infection. Most commonly they are caused by moisture, yeast, allergies, bacteria, hormonal imbalances, inner-ear hair growth, ear mites, shape of the ears, swimming, and injury or foreign bodies.

Many Goldendoodles have ear infections due to the structure of the ear. The long, hairy ears often prevent sufficient air flow inside the ear. These warm, damp and dark areas under the ear flaps can trap dirt and ear wax, which makes it easy for bacteria to spread.

Dog Ear Infection Symptoms

Shaking head often

Odor coming from ears
Constant scratching of the ear, itchiness
Swelling, or ear flaps filling with fluid
Redness in the ear
Discharge inside the ear (yellow, brown, black, or bloody)
Crusty or irritated ears
Pain and soreness

Preventing Ear Infections in Your Goldendoodle

The best way to prevent ear infections is to clean them. Below are a few simple steps on how to clean your doodle’s ear:

Get Ear Cleaner from the pet store or your vet. This ear cleaner contains an antifungal and antibacterial ingredient to help prevent your Goldendoodle from developing an ear infection.
Grab a handful of cotton balls. These will be used to gently wipe out any ear cleaner from your dog’s ears.
Use the cleaner and squirt into your Goldendoodle’s ear canal. As soon as you put the ear cleaner in your dog’s ear, they will want to shake this out. You will want to hold on to their ear flap to prevent them from shaking everything right out.
Once the ear canal has the solution in it, place a cotton ball at the opening of your Goldendoodle’s ear.
Gently massage the base of the ear. This is helping break up any waxy and debris that is in your Goldendoodle’s ear.
Gently use the cotton ball to wipe away any excessive ear cleaning that is coming out of your Goldendoodle’s ear.
Continue this process a few times until there is no more brown waxy debris on the cotton balls.
After your Goldendoodle’s ears are clean, you can let them shake their ears. This will help get any extra cleaner out of their ears.