What do you think can cause acute severe ear pain in your dog?
The severity, speed of onset, and circumstances are some of the key criteria to consider when assessing the big picture. Would you expect an ear infection to go without any signs and then suddenly have your dog screaming in pain? Maybe.
The typical signs of an ear infection might include:
- excessive head shaking
- scratching or pawing at the ears
- rubbing on surfaces
- head tilted to the affected side
- bad odor
- redness
- discharge from the ear
Obi exhibited none of these signs. There was no reason to suspect a problem until she started squealing in pain.
Obi’s story
Obi is a lovely female Cocker Spaniel who loves her daily country adventures. She likes to rush through undergrowth, looking for scents and following them. The vegetation to run through is plentiful–tall grass and barley fields. That’s where the critters are.
The fateful afternoon
That day, Obi went through her favorite routine, having a blast in the fields. Shortly after she returned home, though, she started to squeal in pain. She kept pawing at her left ear, whining, and ran away when her dad tried to see what happened. Terrified, Obi hid under a bed and kept on crying.
Trying to get your dog in a car and to a veterinary clinic under such circumstances is no easy task. Obi’s dad eventually succeeded and rushed to their veterinarian.
At the veterinarian
Obi was so hysterical, though, it was impossible for the veterinarian to examine her. She was too scared and in too much pain. The only way to having a proper look at Obi’s ear was sedating her.
Shortly after, now sleeping Obi no longer resisted examination. At the first sight, there was nothing wrong with her ears other than a very mild infection on both ears–nothing that should explain her reaction.
Determined to figure out the cause of Obi’s pain, her veterinarian kept looking.
The diagnosis
Peering all the way to Obi’s ear drum, he discovered what happened. All the way down there, stuck in Obi’s ear canal, was a small blade of grass. Regardless of its size, the sharp tip was rubbing directly against Obi’s ear drum. Ouch.
Easy fix
However dramatic the whole situation was, it was easy to solve as soon as the culprit was discovered. Carefully, with his forceps, the veterinarian pulled out the piece of grass out of Obi’s ear.
When Obi woke up from her sedation, she was perfectly fine. Thanks to Obi’s dad’s quick thinking and their veterinarian, the ordeal was over.
Make no mistake, though foreign bodies in an ear canal can cause serious trouble, particularly some of the more dangerous ones such as grass awns.
Source story:
Obi the Cocker Spaniel Had a Blade of Grass Stuck in Her Ear
Related articles:
Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Changes In Behavior
Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog: The Big Picture
Further reading:
Examining and Medicating the Ears of a Dog