There are numerous types of otitis that can affect our dogs, but one of the most frequent that can be found is otitis by yeasts. Although we associate them with dogs with long, floppy ears, such as basset hounds, the truth is that they can occur in any dog. Sometimes they are difficult to eradicate and need a lot of patience and dedication, so from our site we want to provide you with the necessary information to understand why these otitises are so rebellious and what can be done to control them.
Has your dog been diagnosed with yeast otitis, and do you want to know who is usually responsible? Keep reading this article on Yeast Otitis in Dogs - Symptoms and Treatment on our site to learn more.
Yeasts implicated in otitis
Yeasts are microorganisms that we could define as a specific type of fungus, unicellular (formed by a single cell). The main one implicated in yeast otitis in dogs is Malassezia pachydermatis, which curiously lives naturally on the skin of dogs. This is called being saprophytic.
It is located mainly on the skin pads, chin, ears, armpits and groin, although we can find it distributed throughout the body. Under normal conditions, its presence is scarce and it goes completely unnoticed, its population being controlled by the normal flora of the dog's skin. When the natural defenses of the skin (lipids, fatty acids, normal flora bacteria…) are in balance, Malassezia cannot go beyond a testimonial presence.
How does the yeast Malassezia pachydermatis cause an ear infection?
When natural defenses drop their guard, the fragile balance of skin flora can be disrupted, leading to excessive proliferation of Microorganisms whose reproduction is highly controlled under normal conditions.
Thus, in the event that our dog has an environmental allergy to pollen (for example, from cypress), to dust mites, or an adverse reaction to food, the skin is without sentinels and this circumstance is used by the yeasts to proliferate without control, giving rise to yeast otitis.
As a general rule, to finish complicating the picture, yeasts are not usually the only ones to grow wildly taking advantage of the occasion, they are also accompanied by some bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp. Therefore, we can say that yeasts are secondary pathogens: they take advantage of a gap in the normal defenses of a dog's skin, to give rise to otitis.
Sometimes, the use of antibiotics to treat an illness in our dog (although it has nothing to do with the skin) or a prolonged stress, may be enough for yeasts to thrive, with no one to regulate their growth. Any immunosuppression can trigger these otitis.
Yeast Ear Symptoms
Although they are not exclusive to yeast otitis, there are several very striking signs that we can find in dogs suffering from otitis:
- Pasty ear discharge, similar to concentrated earwax, brownish-yellow in one or both ears, and with an unmistakable cottage cheese smell (others indicate "toasted bread" or "stale ham" smell).
- The skin on the inside of the ear cracks and cracks, it is easy to see what some owners define as " elephant skin ".
- If the otitis is not treated, we can see that we cannot find the entrance to the ear canal, between skin folds that suffer hyperkeratosis (thickening), giving the appearance of cauliflower.
- We don't always detect marked itching or discomfort, but dogs often shake their heads, scratch, or sometimes the inevitable otohematoma from intense scratching.
As it is secondary, we will surely find more signs of illness at a general level, such as paw licking, scratching of the flanks, a history of biting of the legs, sneezing, rheum…
Yeast otitis treatment
Yeast otitis can be controlled with various products, but until the cause that causes this overgrowth of them is found, our dog will relapse.
For example, if yeast otitis appears due to a seasonal allergy (to pollen), the most common thing is that our dog suffers from it two or three times a year, coinciding with the spring season- summer. Until determining what causes yeast otitis, the treatment of these otitis is based on:
- Cleaning the ear canal with a blotting cleaner if possible. There are products that combine boric and acetic acid, somewhat irritating, but sometimes necessary. The prior cleaning of all secretions on a daily basis is essential for the treatment product to arrive properly. If the yeast growth is mild, this cleanser may come to control the problem on its own. There are many other cleansers, based on squalene and other oils, but they are often less effective.
- After massaging the ear so that the cleanser penetrates and wait about 20 minutes for all the secretions to be eliminated, the remainsremoved with gauze and treatment is applied, which usually combines an antifungal (enilconazole, miconazole, clotrimazole) with some broad-spectrum antibiotic, since as indicated, these yeasts usually proliferate accompanied by bacteria. You can also take a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation in the area.
- The treatment time varies, between 7 and 28 days, it may be necessary to change to another product. Usually we will need to treat our dog twice a day, but every 24 hours can be advised.
Can't you control otitis by yourself?
On rare occasions, dogs suffer from occasional stress from which they recover and there is an overgrowth of yeast that they manage to control, sometimes with the help of a cleaner based on acetic and boric acid.
But if you have already suffered from otitis in the past and present a relapse, in addition to any of the other signs mentioned above, we can say that the underlying cause of these otitis is an allergy, atopy or a adverse reaction to food. Therefore, it will be necessary to find it and stop it so that yeast otitis does not occur again.
Help in the treatment of yeast otitis
Besides the treatment mentioned above, there are some tips that may be useful:
- The polyunsaturated fatty acids, (omega 3, 6, 9), usually help reestablish the natural skin barrier, although they need a more or less long period to act.
- When an adverse reaction to food is suspected, our veterinarian can prescribe an elimination diet, based on hydrolyzed proteins, with a minimum duration of 6 weeks to see results.
- If our dog shows signs of allergy to dust mites, we will be instructed on how to clean the dust with damp cloths and vacuum thoroughly, in addition to removing rugs and cushions. If the cause of the skin alteration and consequent otitis due to yeasts is an allergic dermatitis to the flea bite, the control of the same to prevent them from biting our should be strict.
However, while the cause is identified and controlled, it is essential to correctly cleanse the ear canaland subsequently apply the product of treatment, always with the help of another person to hold our dog and following the instructions that our veterinarian gives us on how to insert the cannula and how to massage the ear canal afterwards (something as important as applying the ear suspension inside the ear canal).
