A dog ear infection can cause a lot of discomfort in your pet and can also lead to complications if left untreated. The dog will experience extreme itchiness and the condition may evolve, being able to perforate the ear drum and cause deafness. If you notice an ear infection in your dog, you can apply some at home remedies. Vinegar or acetic acid can be effective in treating ear infections.
Dog Ear Infections
The most frequent dog ear infections are yeast infections. However, dogs may also have bacterial infections or ear mites.
The vinegar is an efficient remedy, as it will change the pH of the ear and will eliminate the bacteria and reduce the overgrowth of the yeast cells.
Vinegar for Dog Ear Infection
You can apply vinegar in your pet’s ear and this will be able to eliminate the infection. However, before applying vinegar you have to make sure that the dog’s ear drum is not affected. Applying vinegar in the dog’s ear when the ear drum is perforated may cause serious damage to the ear and even deafness.
If the ear canal is completely shut, you will need to consult the vet, as you cannot administer home remedies. Surgery may be required.
If the ear drum is not affected and the ear canal is open, you can safely administer vinegar.
You will need white vinegar or apple cider vinegar and a few vitamin C tablets (human vitamin C is suitable). The vinegar will normalize the ear’s pH and should eliminate the infection; ear mites will also be eliminated, as the acetic acid from the vinegar will kill them.
How to Administer the Vinegar for Ear Infections
Follow a few easy steps to administer vinegar for the ear infection:
1. First, you will have to trim the dog’s hair from the ear area, so that you can administer treatment more easily. Use a pair of clippers or scissors. If the hair is removed, the air will be access to the ear and this will facilitate the healing.
2. Dilute the vinegar. Never use pure vinegar; use 1 part vinegar, 1 part water.
3. You can apply the diluted vinegar using a syringe or a dropper. A syringe may be more efficient, as you will need to administer at least 100 ml of solution, not just a few drops. Pouring the vinegar may cause the vinegar to enter the dog’s eyes, which can cause irritation.
Hold the syringe close to the ear and administer the solution; you don’t need to introduce the syringe in the dog’s ear canal, as this may hurt the ear drum. Even if only one ear is affected by the infection, you should administer the vinegar solution in both ears of the dog.
4. After administering the diluted vinegar, allow the dog to shake his head. Then get a clean towel and clean the ear area.
In addition to this treatment, you can administer vitamin C to your pet. Vitamin C can reduce inflammation, which is common in canine ear infections.
Consult your vet if you suspect that the ear drum may be perforated or if the ear canal is shut.