Changes in the temperature of our dogs' ears may be due to situations beyond temperature. Specifically, cold ears in dogs occur when they are cold or develop hypothermia if the weather conditions are very adverse, and the temperature must be restored as soon as possible.
On the contrary, warm ears, in addition to high external temperature or being near a heat source, can indicate problems such as fever, allergies, infection and intoxication. Keep reading this article on our site to learn more about the causes and treatments of cold ears in dogs
Why do a dog's ears change temperature so quickly?
The ears are rich in blood vessels, whose temperature is linked to blood circulation. They are a heat-sensitive area whose temperature varies enormously depending on the temperature, since their skin is very thin and they are barely covered with hair. Generally, the ears of our dogs are at a somewhat lower temperature than the rest of the body, without this indicating that something is wrong with them.
Causes of warm ears in dogs
The ears may become warmer in the following cases:
- Fever.
- Infection.
- Inflammation.
- Poisoning.
- High temperatures.
- Heatstroke.
- Being near a heat source such as a space heater in winter.
- Agitation after intense exercise.
Causes of cold ears in dogs
On the contrary, if your dog has cold ears, you should think about the following situations:
- Low ambient temperature.
- Cold draft.
- Wet fur or skin.
- Sleeping outside in winter.
- Walking when temperatures are extremely low.
- If it snows or freezes and you are outside.
- If they have hypothyroidism due to reduced metabolism and the individual's ability to thermoregulate.
- Hypotension (drugs, intoxications, allergic reactions…).
- Prolonged anesthesia.
- Hypovolemic shock due to blood loss, trauma, internal bleeding, operations…
- Concussion.
All these causes of cold ears can lead to more or less severe hypothermia in the dog. Dogs of small breeds, those from warm areas, those with little hair, puppies or older dogs are more likely to suffer from it. This is because they have difficulty thermoregulating themselves or cannot in the case of newborns, or they lack sufficient fat, hair or skin coverage to protect them from the cold.
Are ears useful to know our dog's temperature?
Because they can vary rapidly depending on the environmental temperature, it may not indicate that our dog really has a fever or, on the contrary, hypothermia. To ensure that our dog has an optimal temperature, we must measure his temperature with a digital thermometer inserted into the anal mucosa, an area that more accurately reveals the temperature of our dog.
It should be considered that the normal temperature of an adult dog is between 38 and 39 ºC, they are very cold if they are at less than 35 ºC, symptoms of hypothermia may appear. Hypothermia will be evident if they drop below 32 ºC and it will be very serious when the temperature drops below 28 ºC, greatly endangering the dog's life.
Cold temperatures can also increase your dog's risk of developing cold-related illnesses, such as kennel cough.
Symptoms of hypothermia and cold ears in dogs
The first symptoms of mild or moderate hypothermia coincide with the signs that a dog is cold, being the following:
- Muscular stiffness.
- Cramps.
- Tremors.
- Dry Skin.
- Bradypnea (slow breathing).
- Respiratory difficulty.
- Clumsiness.
- Lethargy.
- Slow movements.
- Drowsiness.
For more information, we encourage you to read this other article on How do I know if my dog is cold?
If it is not treated quickly, the hypothermia will progress and will profoundly weaken our dog. In addition, glucose is beginning to be consumed at high levels in an attempt to regulate body temperature, depleting reserves. Dogs with severe cold or hypothermia will show a more severe depletion with the following clinical signs:
- Low blood pressure.
- Bradycardia.
- Anorexy.
- Hypoglycemia.
- Disorientation.
- Depression.
- Stare.
- Mydriasis (dilated pupils).
- Faint.
- Collapse.
- Sudden death.
In cases where dogs lose a considerable amount of blood due to internal or external bleeding they can go into hypovolemic shock due to that the blood volume (or total volume of blood) drops rapidly, causing the heart to not be able to pump enough blood and what is known as "triad of death" appears in the dog.and consists of hypothermia, acidosis, hypotension, bradycardia, and coagulopathy. These hemorrhages can be caused by accidents, traumatisms, operations, tumors or rupture of the spleen, gastric dilatation-torsion or digestive hemorrhagic diseases. In addition to all these clinical signs, your dog's ears will be cold.
How to treat cold ears in dogs?
As the temperature drops, in addition to lowering the temperature of your dog's ears, so does his blood pressure and heart rate, which can cause them to appear arrhythmias or cardiac and circulatory disorders Oxygen in the blood is also reduced, the metabolism slows down and a syndrome of multiple organ dysfunction may even occur.
Upon discovering that our dog has cold ears due to low body temperature, cold or hypothermia do the following:
- Maintaining a suitable environment to gradually increase the temperature, with lamps, electrical devices or heating.
- If the dog is wet, it should be effectively dried immediately.
- Warm him with blankets and coats, and if he is small hold him in our arms to provide him with our body heat.
- If it's cold, try to take your dog out during the hottest hours, keep him warm and prevent him from sleeping outside.
- At the vet, application of fluid therapy or warm enemas.
- Glucose management to prevent or reverse hypoglycemia.
You should take the dog to the vet before the appearance of any of the aforementioned symptoms, when you notice that his ears are cold and his body temperature has dropped to assess whether damage or alterations have occurred and solve them.
For more information, we recommend you read this other article on our site on How to take care of a dog in winter?
