Cocker Spaniel’s ears are cute to look at. When groomed right, they usually are long, soft, and silky.

Why check for Ear infections?

Caring for the cocker spaniel goes beyond cleaning them with dog-friendly shampoos and conditioners. You also need to look out for its health. Cocker spaniel ears are especially prone to infections. All the fur cover does not really help your pet in preventing this from happening. Unfortunately, it does the opposite. So it is a must-have knowledge on what does a dog ear infection look like?

How to spot an ear infection in cocker spaniels

Now that you know that cocker spaniels are prone to infections, it is best to be aware of what must be done. Here are some possible ways you can spot an ear infection in cocker spaniels

Check your pet’s ears regularly

Monitoring your pet’s ears should be done regularly. This way, you will know if you can see anything out of the ordinary. To do this, you need to lift each of your pet’s ears. Check for the inner ears’ color for dog inner ear infection symptoms. If they are pink, they should be healthy. If your pet has an infection, the inner ears will be red and inflamed. This is one of the major signs of dog ear infection. Typically, there should be some wax, as well, but not too much. There should not be a cheesy or rank smell.

Check its ears right after a walk in the woods

While you may have checked your pet’s ears for the day, check again after it went for a walk in the woods. Why is this the case? During a walk in the woods, your dog may have gotten some twigs and grass in their ears and even all over their body. Check if your cocker spaniel has some debris in its ears. Be on the lookout for grass seeds and any form of sticky vegetation.

What are the signs of dog ear infection

How to Take Care of your Cocker Spaniel Ears

Monitor its ears often

The monitoring part is part of caring for cocker spaniel ear problems. It is best to prevent infections from happening at all. Regularly clean your Cocker Spaniel’s ears to ensure proper prevention of infection.

Brush its ears, especially after a walk

Just as mentioned above, your pet’s ears may end up with twigs and all kinds of debris in them. You would expect this from a healthy, active dog who had just gone for exercise. Do not let any debris linger inside its ears, though.

Trim inner and outer ear hair

A cocker spaniel’s ear can also grow really long. So you need to give both the hair on the outside and inside of its ears a trim. This will ensure that your dog’s ears will not get irritated by something right on it all the time.

Observe your dog’s behavior

Your dog will also help you figure out if it has something in its ears. There are many ear infection dog symptoms. Like, It will shake its head about as if trying to dislodge something. When it gets restless this way, you really need to take a long, close look for dog ear infections. If your pet is in great pain, it may tell you through yelps. You can figure out this by understanding your cocker spaniel’s body language.

Only remove what you can see

While you may be tempted to dislodge anything that you can find deep inside your pet’s ears, do not do so if you cannot see the cause of discomfort. Bring your pet to the veterinarian so that it can receive the best, safe care.

Ventilate the inside of your cocker spaniel’s ears

Cocker spaniels have long outer ears. So, they cover the inner ears most of the time. Experiment with different ways of airing the inner ears so that they do not become an ideal breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria. Always pick an expert pet vet to monitor your Cocker’s health and ask for some ear protection advice on your next visit. For now, you may want to tie the ears up gently with a scrunchie, for example.

Get diagnosed as soon as possible

While guesswork can provide you with an idea as to what is going on in your pet’s ears, it is best to have a vet diagnose its condition. This way, as well, you can get the ear infection treatment that your pet immediately needs. By taking away guesswork, a vet can help you respond to any illnesses developed before they can cause permanent damage.

Now, you know that your cute cocker spaniels need to get ear checkups regularly. They are like little children – prone to an ear infection. This is why you need to spot an ear infection in cocker spaniels as early as possible and be active in caring for your cocker spaniel’s ears.