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| Kelly's Wyatt enjoying his vacation at Lake Anna |
With the summer season right around the corner, we will all
be looking for a place to cool off during the blistering hot days. What is a better way to cool off in
Frederick, MD than swimming? While
swimming is a fun activity for all of us, and helps keep us cool in the hot
summer weather, it can cause some not so “hot” problems for your friend Fido.
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| Kelly's Sugar swimming at the lake. |
A dog’s ear canal is shaped very differently than ours; it
is longer and creates an “L” shape. The
unique shape of a dog’s ear provides the perfect environment for infectious
organisms like bacteria and yeast. Add
water to the equation and your dog’s ear is the perfect place for these
organisms to grow and thrive. When
bacteria and/or yeast are able to grow, they cause infection in a dog’s ears. Symptoms of an ear infection may cause your
dog to shake his head, scratch his ears, cry out, and have a dark rusty colored
discharge and odor. If you suspect your
dog may have an ear infection, contact your veterinarian for an appointment.
Cleaning your dog’s ears with a veterinarian approved ear
cleaner after every water activity will help to prevent future ear
infections. Ear cleaning is simple and
is done in three easy steps; pour the ear cleaning solution into the ears until
you see the solution start to pool, massage the base of the ear gently to break
up wax and debris, and then swipe the inside of the ear with a dry cotton
ball. See our video on Kingsbrook Animal
Hospital’s YouTube channel for a tutorial of how to follow these three easy
steps here.
So have fun and fight the summer heat with a refreshing
swim, but don’t forget to follow up with an ear cleaning to prevent painful ear
infections later.
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| Megan's Sophie enjoying the pool. |
