If you own a bulldog, at some point, you will likely have to deal with it developing an ear infection. Bulldogs are especially susceptible to this painful condition, so today, we are going to delve a bit into the world of canine ear infections.

Ear infections should be dealt with quickly because they are very painful and can easily worsen to the point where the delicate internal structures of your dog’s ear can suffer permanent damage.

Read below to learn why bulldogs are so prone to ear infections, the signs and symptoms to look out for, and even some tips to try and prevent them from occurring in the first place.

What Are Ear Infections?

Ear infections occur when bacteria or a virus infect the ear. The ear is divided into an outer, middle, and inner section, and anyone of these can become infected. It is essential to learn to identify where an infection is located because that can influence its signs and symptoms, as well as the best method of treating it.

Which Breeds Suffer From Ear Infections?

While an ear infection can happen to any dog, regardless of breed, at any time in its life, some dogs will be more susceptible than others.Unfortunately bulldogs are very prone to ear infections.

For example, dogs with the following characteristics tend to suffer from recurring ear infections much more frequently than others:

• Those that have long, floppy ears, such as basset hounds or cocker spaniel
• Those with narrow ear canals, such as bulldogs or chow chows.
• Those with very thick fur around the ears such as Shih Tzus and Yorkshire terriers.

Symptoms Of A Canine Ear Infection

Ear infections have pretty distinct symptomatology, so detecting whether your dog has is a rather uncomplicated task. All you have to do is keep an eye out for the following signs and symptoms:

Your dog shakes its head excessively.

Your dog flaps its ears continuously.

Your dog frequently and violently scratches behind their ears.

Your dog experiences sudden hearing loss.

Your dog has visible redness near the ear’s opening.

Your dog’s ears are producing a foul-smelling discharge.

If you notice that your bulldog is uncharacteristically grouchy in addition to one or more of the signs mentioned above, they likely have some type of ear infection.

Types of Ear Infection 

The location of your bulldog’s ear infection will have a direct impact on the outcome. Therefore it is crucial that we learn to differentiate between the various types. 

External Ear Infection

External ear infections affect the outermost part of the ear. These are very common in bulldogs, and the symptoms include jerky head movements, scratching of infected ear, foul-smelling discharge, redness, and swelling. 

External ear infections are caused by bacterial or viral infections, as well as by mites.

When you take your bulldog to the vet with an outer ear infection, they will examine its ears with an otoscope to reach a diagnosis. Infections in the outer ear can quickly progress to the middle ear, hence the importance of going to the vet at the first sign to start treatment as soon as possible and thus avoid complications down the line.

Middle Ear Infection

Infections of the middle ear are almost always a direct consequence of untreated external ear infection. Symptoms are very similar in both cases, although once the infection reaches the middle ear canal, it causes significantly more pain and discomfort.

In some severe cases, a middle ear infection can cause damage to facial nerves and result in severe and painful swelling of your dog’s face. Another potential outcome of an untreated middle ear infection is the development of Horne’ Syndrome, a condition that can severely affect the appearance of your dog’s face.

Internal Ear Infection 

Once infection reaches the inner ear canal, it becomes extremely painful and can even begin to affect your dog’s sense of balance. As such, an inner ear infection can cause your dog to adopt an abnormal posture, suffer from dizziness, and lose coordination. Vomiting is also a potential symptom.

How Can You Treat Your Bull Dog’s Ear Infection?

The first step should always be to maintain your dog’s ear canal by weekly cleanings, because that way, you can ensure that any medication prescribed by your vet will penetrate the canal and be as effective as possible.

Your vet will likely perform an initial cleaning before you can apply any medication.

In the most severe cases, the ear canal can actually undergo physical changes due to chronic inflammation, and this complicates the healing process substantially. For this reason, an internal ear infection should be taken seriously, and veterinary attention should be sought as soon as possible.

How To Apply Ear Medication To Your Dog

In order to effectively treat an ear infection, we must ensure that the medication that has been prescribed by your veterinarian thoroughly douses the entire ear canal.

Therefore, you must gently fold their ears open and apply the prescribed number of drops, making sure that all the medication goes into the ear canal. Follow your vet’s instructions and never give your dog more or fewer drops than prescribed.

Your dog will likely get nervous and fidgety during this procedure, so feel free to provide them with the treat to distract them.

While holding their ears open, run your hand down the ear to their jawline and proceed to give the zone a gentle massage to further ensure that the medication reaches the deepest part of the canal.

Prevention of Hearing Problems

Canine ear infections are not contagious, so they cannot be passed on from one sick animal to another. They can, however, be caused by any number of bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Therefore, it is always important to do everything in your power to boost your dog’s immune system.

Nevertheless, if you own a bulldog, it is very likely that one point or another it will suffer from an ear infection, and you will have to treat it That’s just a fact of life for some breeds. But by sticking to a set of good hygiene and dietary practices, you can help your dog stay healthy and thus minimize the risk of infection.