Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Otitis externa is a disease regularly encountered in veterinary practice. It is estimated to be the most common disease in the external ear canal of dogs and treatment is often delayed due to unfortunate pet owner ignorance. Owners tend to assume that scratching of the ears and head shaking are natural behaviours in their dog and may be neglecting the problem unknowing of how severe it actually is.

A literature study has been carried out to examine the causes of otitis externa in order to present a collection of measures that can be used in the treatment and prevention of the disease. In turn these measures can be advised to the dog owner and used in the home environment to make the best qualifications for healthy ears in the dog. The causes of otitis externa have been divided into predisposing, primary, secondary and perperuating causes. These include for example anatomical predisposing factors, such as long pendulous ears, primary causes of allergic dermatitis, bacteria and fungi, and otitis media.

Treatment of otitis externa in dogs requires a thorough investigation of the different causes and factors affecting the disease, in order for the veterinary staff to prescribe an individually adjusted treatment plan that is successful. As a part of the result in the study, treatment is described as usually consisting of a topical treatment applied in the external ear canal of the dog. It is crucial that the owner is educated in the correct applying technique in order for the treatment to be effective. The preventative measures presented in the literature study include ear cleansing, which also requires a special technique and has an important role in the treatment of otitis externa, and removal of excessive hairs from the external ear canal. These precautions can be carried out at home by the pet owner, and thereby decrease the risk of the dog developing otitis externa.