For the past week I’ve had a lot of pain coming from my ears. The right ear hurts so bad that I tilt my head to see if it lessens the pain, and constantly feel the urge to scratch both ears. My owners have been complaining about a funny smell, but they don’t seem to know where it is coming from! Please help! (Hank, Golden Lab, 4 years, Mystery Bay)

Dr Alan

Infected ear canals are your problem, Hank. Those floppy ear flaps cover the entrance, holding in the heat and humidity, making a perfect environment for bacteria, yeast and fungus. Your body’s immune system sets up an inflammatory response which causes the redness your owner may see if they look at your ear canal. The odour is from the organisms growing in the canals. Sometimes your vet will have to give you an anaesthetic and thoroughly flush your ears, then dispense medication to get the problem solved. If left untreated, the ear canals can become so badly scared, deafness results in even young dogs. Also, ear canal infections can cause your ear drums to rupture infecting your middle and inner ear parts leading to really nasty problems. Tilt you head a little more to one side so your owners will notice something is really wrong and call the vet.