Otitis externa is inflammation of the external ear canal, and in dogs it is rarely a disease in its own right. It is usually the visible end of an underlying problem, most often allergic skin disease, that has been complicated by bacteria or yeast and kept going by changes in the canal itself. When chronic, it often spreads to the middle ear (otitis media), which changes how the dog is investigated and which drugs are safe to put in the ear.
Key facts
Otitis externa and otitis media (including foreign bodies) at a glance- Species and system: dogs (also cats); integument, ear.
- How common: one-year prevalence of 7.3% in UK dogs under primary care; one of the most common reasons dogs see a veterinarian.
- Cause: multifactorial, sorted into predisposing, primary, secondary and perpetuating factors (PSPP). Allergic skin disease is the most common primary cause.
- Classic presentation: head shaking, ear scratching, discharge, odor, redness and pain; chronic cases have narrowed, thickened canals.
- Key test: ear cytology, at the first visit and at every recheck.
- Otitis media: common in chronic otitis externa, and the eardrum is often intact.
- Not reportable; otitis itself is not zoonotic.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 15 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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