Otitis media in dogs refers to inflammation in the middle ear of dogs, which is mainly manifested by a large amount of secretions in the middle ear cavity, resulting in different degrees of earache, fever, dizziness, loss of appetite and other symptoms in dogs. Otitis media can be divided into acute and chronic types. The symptoms of acute otitis media come quickly and obviously, while the symptoms of chronic otitis media are hidden.
2. Common symptoms of otitis media in dogs
The symptoms of otitis media in dogs are different degrees of pain and foreign body sensation, which are mainly caused by ear canal swelling, inflammation and secretion accumulation. Under normal circumstances, there will be some clean secretions in the ear canal, but otitis media will lead to excessive secretions, purulent secretions, which can stimulate nerves and cause pain. The following are common symptoms of otitis media in dogs:
① Increased secretion of ear canal: There will be mucus, pus and other secretions in dogs' ears, especially dogs with acute infection.
② Bite pain: The dog's jaw is connected with the brain, and the middle ear is adjacent to the muscle. Therefore, the pathological changes of otitis media will not only lead to earache, but also cause headache and increased tension of infratemporal muscles, leading to toothache.
③ Dizziness, nausea and vomiting: Otitis media can affect the dog's sense of balance, leading to dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
4 fever: otitis media in dogs can cause fever, which is often the manifestation of acute inflammation.
⑤ Abnormal behaviors: Dogs often show abnormal behaviors in otitis media, such as shaking their heads, scratching their ears and rubbing their ears.
3. Differential diagnosis of otitis media in dogs
Otitis media in dogs are sometimes confused with other ear diseases, such as external auditory canal infection and ear mite infection. The following are several common differential diagnosis methods:
① The symptoms of otitis externa are obvious: the symptoms of otitis externa infection in dogs are itching and obvious swelling of the ear canal, while otitis media produces different degrees of pain and foreign body sensation.
② The symptoms of ear mite scabies are different: The main symptoms of ear mite scabies are severe itching and earwax removal in the ear canal, which is different from otitis media.
③ Differentiation of encephalitis: The main symptoms of encephalitis are loss of consciousness and seizure, while otitis media mainly shows earache and fever.
4. Photos of dogs suffering from otitis media
The pictures of otitis media in dogs mainly show swelling and swelling of ears, or excessive earwax and secretion in the ear canal. In addition, if the dog's otitis media has turned into purulent inflammation, there will be obvious pus outflow.
As shown in the figure below: