05/10/2026
๐๐พ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ? ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ช๐๐ซ!
This morning, one of our lovely patients came in for her routine vaccination. While she was here, her owner mentioned that she had been ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, despite having them cleaned regularly.
So, we decided to take a closer lookโฆ ๐ฌ
A sample was collected from her ears and examined under the microscope and we found some tiny unwanted visitorsโฆ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐! ๐ท๏ธ๐
Ear mites (Otodectes cynotis) are tiny parasites that live in the ear canal and can cause significant irritation and inflammation. Although they're more commonly associated with cats, ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ผ!
Signs to keep an eye out for include:
๐พ Persistent ear scratching
๐พ Head shaking
๐พ Dark brown or black, crumbly discharge
๐พ Red or irritated ears
๐พ An unpleasant smell
๐พ Sensitivity when the ears are touched
๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ผ, ๐๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐?
Many ear problems can look very similar from the outside. Mites, yeast and bacteria can all cause itching, redness and discharge but ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐.
By taking a sample and examining it under the microscope, we can look for, ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ helping us work out what's actually causing the problem and choose the most appropriate treatment. ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Regular cleaning can help maintain healthy ears, but if your pet continues to scratch, shake their head or develop discharge despite cleaning, it's worth getting those ears checked.
In this little lady's case, cytology gave us the answer and meant we could get her started on the right treatment. โค๏ธ๐ถ
Sometimes the smallest patients are the ones hiding in your pet's ears! ๐ฌ๐ท๏ธ
