Ear Infection Otitis End-Stage Ear Disease in Bulldogs
Without proper prevention and care, irreversable end-stage ear disease is a likely outcome.
Bulldog Ear Infection End-Stage Disease 5 X MUST KNOW
- Ear disease is very common in bulldogs and may start at a young age.
- Bulldogs narrow ear canal, lack of self-cleaning canal, and allergies are the main cause
- End-stage ear disease is irreversible and requires total ear canal resection
- Early prevention with manual ear wiping, rinsing, and cleaning are critical
- Prevention includes Dr. Kraemer’s Bully Ear Disease Bundles
Members of this bulldog community prefer prevention over RX
Ear Infection End-Stage Disease in Bulldogs / CAUSE
Ear disease is very common in both English and French bulldog and often start at a very young age
The most common causes are:
POOR ANATOMY: The breed’s inherently abnormal narrow ear canal and the propensity to allergies
POOR SLEF CLEANING EARS: A poor self-cleaning ear canal due to a lack of proper cell migration and upward wax movement.
ALLERGIES: The breed’s propensity to allergies compounds the problem (i.e. the itch, pain, and inflammation)
Ear Infection End-Stage Disease in Bulldogs /PRESENTATION:
Ear infection in bulldogs can begin as early as a few weeks of age.
You will typically note
- REDNESS
- RUBBING & SCRACHING
- DISCHARGE: (purulent, dark, smelly, excessive)
- SMELL
- PAIN
- SWELLING
- NARROW STENOTIC THICKEN EAR CANAL
The main factors re ear canal abnormal anatomy and hypersensitivity to food allergen and the environment.
End-stage ear disease in bulldogs and French Bulldogs / DIAGNOSIS:
- OTOSCOPIC EXAM: polyp, tumors, hyperplastic ear canal, tympanic membrane
- CYTOLOGY: Bacteria and yeast
- CULTURE: Bacteria
- LOW POWER MICROSCOPE: mites
- IMAGING (RADIOGRAPHS, CT, MRI): Tumors, mass, growth
Ear Infection End-Stage Disease in Bulldogs PREVENTION:
Proper preventive care can reduce
- Infection (bacteria, yeast, mites)
- Pain & Discomfort
- $$$ Medical Treatment
- $$$$$ Ear Surgery
Because bulldog ears don’t self-clean like ours and like other dog breeds, early and frequent preventive cleaning is critical
Bulldog Ears Regular CLEAN, RINSE & WIPE:
Remember, there is a learning curve to becoming an expert.
Repetition will help you recognize even minor changes from the norm.
- V4B Bully WaxLess Aloe Ear Rinse
- V4B Bully Ear Cleansers Wipes
For Dr. Kraemer’s affordable bully END-STAGE ear disease preventive bundles click HERE
Members of this bulldog community prefer prevention over RX
Bulldog and French Bulldog Ear Cleaning HOW-TO
Your bulldog’s external ear canal starts vertically and then takes a sharp horizontal turn ending at the membrane (tympanic membrane). SEE DIAGRAM
Bulldog Irrversble Ear Disease / PREVENTION STEP BY STEP:
APPLICATION: Wipe the ear flap and inner folds
APPLICATION: Fill your bully ear canal to the top with a proper rinse making sure to coat the entire canal.
CLEANING: Take a cotton ball and stick it in as far as it will go using your fingers.
There’s no need to be scared, you can’t go past the curve of the canal and damage the eardrum with a finger or a cotton ball.
WARNING: On the other hand, Q-tips should only be used for the top part and ear-flap folds (pinna).
TWISTING: Twist the cotton ball around and bring it up for inspection.
INSPECTING: Don’t forget to survey the texture and color of the inner pinna (inner part leading to the canal).
BULLDOG & FR. BULLDOG EAR DISEASE PAIN:
Ear Infection in bulldogs and French bulldogs is painful, remember your pet feels pain just as you do.
Treating Chronic and/or severe otitis should always include pain management, anti-inflammatories, topical otic rinses, ear cleansing wipes, ear flushing, and re-check visits with your veterinarian.
Ear Disease in Bulldogs and French Bulldogs PREVENTION & TREATMENT:
RINSE: Topical Rinses like Dr. Kraemers
WIPE: Ear Wax and Debris Removal Cleansing Wipes like
EAR RX: Topical Ear Medication
PAIN RX: Pain Control Medication
SUPPLEMENTS: Pain control and anti-inflammatories
NON-RX PAIN RELIEF: Pain Control and anti-inflammatories Non-RX-like
OTHER RX: Anti Inflammetories and itch control RX
Dr. Kraemer’s Ear Infection in Bulldogs RULE OF THUMB:
Bulldog Otitis PREVENT & TREAT
Rinse and flush once or twice weekly.
Bulldog and Fr. Bulldog Otitis RINSE & WIPE:
In case of chronic or acute otitis with a persistent infection, consider rinsing daily or every other day with a rinse that has antiseptic properties like Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Yeasty Bully Antiseptic Ear Rinse.
RINSE: This bully antiseptic flush could help control yeast and bacteria, it helps to prime the canal and enhance the effectiveness of the topical otic Rx your veterinarian may have given you.
WIPE: Use wipes and a cotton ball to remove all the wax and debris like Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Ear Cleanser WaxLess Wipes
Ear infection otitis and end-state ear disease in bulldogs TIPS & WARNINGS
DR. KRAEMER’S BULLDOG EAR INFECTION TIPS:
Bulldog Ear Disease TIP #1 FISH OIL:
Omega 3 EFA Fish Oil Like Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Bully EFA fish oil Joint-Skin-Immune Chews has good anti-inflammatory properties and might help reduce otitis (inflammation).
Bulldog Otitis TIP#2 FOOD ALLERGY:
For chronic cases consider an 8-12 weeks trial of a strict hypoallergenic diet (hydrolyzed or novel) to rule out food allergy.
Bulldog Ear Infection TIP#3: ATOPIC ALLERGY:
An allergen blood test can be done to rule out atopic allergies.
Bulldog Ear Disease TIP#4 ANXIETY:
For non-cooperative and high-anxiety bulldogs, I suggest you ask your vet to prescribe an “encouragement RX” in the form of a prescribed tranquilizer. This should help to prevent injuries to both pet and owner, reduce stress, and minimize pain.
That way you are assuring a proper flushing and treatment application as well as a safe way for you to monitor therapeutic progress or lack thereof.
Bulldog Otitis TIP#5 ITCH:
Otitis in bulldogs due to allergies does not always present with intense itch.
Bulldog Ear Otitis TIP#6 LASER:
I highly recommend class 4 cold laser which I use daily in my practice as part of the short and long-term therapy and control of ear disease in bulldogs. Laser Therapy is inexpensive, has no adverse effects, helps in reducing swelling and pain, and enhances healing.
Bulldogs and French Bulldogs Ears TIP#7 SKIN:
Bulldogs’ Ears are an extension of their skin, thus skin allergies can extend to the ears.
Bulldogs Ears TIP#8 ALLERGY:
Bulldog and French bulldog atopic dermatitis are rooted in the breed genes. It’s easy to come to the erroneous conclusion that if only one ear is the effect it can not be triggered by an allergy.
It is entirely possible that your bulldog will suffer from allergy-related otitis external in just one single ear
DR. KRAEMER’S BULLDOG EAR INFECTION WARNINGS
Bulldog Ear Infection WARNING #1 ANTIBIOTICS:
Oral antibiotics are not recommended for otitis externa; they are costly, not very effective, and in fact, can lead to resistance. They should be avoided in most Bulldogs and French bulldog otitis externa cases.
Bulldog Ear Infection WARNING#2 OTITIS MEDIA:
Otitis Media in bulldogs (middle ear infection) can occur in chronic cases or/and with ear polyps and tumors. In those cases, we also might see neurological problems like head tilt, twitchy eyeballs, circling, ataxia (wobbly), and nausea. Your vet might recommend diagnostic imaging like an x-ray, CT, or MRI.
Bulldog End Stage Ear Disease WARNING#3 TECA:
If your vet is recommending a partial ear resection for what looks like end-stage stenotic ears, I suggest you seek a second opinion, When surgery is the only remaining option, it is most likely that your bulldog will need a total ablation with a lateral bulla osteotomy (TECA w/LBO).
Bulldog Ear Stenosis WARNING#4 SURGEON:
Bully total ear canal resection (TECA) is a very technical surgery, thus I recommend that you seek an experienced specialist to perform it.
In most bulldog end-stage ear cases the ear anatomy is completely distorted. There are also vital nerves and vessels to avoid, and the bulla needs to be scraped clean, leaving no bacteria behind. In the wrong hands, your bulldog puppy might end up with neurological problems and/or a chronic draining tract.
On the other hand, when done correctly by a skilled surgeon, your bulldog, and French Bulldog is going to be one happy dog thanking you for putting an end has been put to a miserably painful problem.
Bulldog Allergic Otitis WARNING#4 ITCH:
If your bulldog it rubbing and scratching its ear, start some itch RX and place a protective buster collar. The scratching can traumatize the ear pinna vessels leading to an “Aural Hematoma” (i.e. big blood pooling in the pinna) that usually needs to be surgically repaired.
In addition, scratch irritates the ear canal epithelial cells causing swelling and ulcers.
Bulldog Stenotic Ear WARNING #5 END STAGE:
The vicious cycle of chronic infection (yeast and bacteria), and inflammation (itch, swell, redness, and pain) can tragically lead to an irreversible state of first fibrosis and then calcification, mineralization, ossification (forming into bone) of the cells lining the ear canal.
When bone replaces normal epithelium, total ear canal ablation (TECA) with lateral bulla osteotomy (LBO) becomes the only viable alternative to rid the ear of the disease and ease your bulldog’s pain and suffering.
Bulldog Ears WARNING #6 OTHER DISEASE
can also be due to a hormonal imbalance like hypothyroid and hyperadrenalism (Cushing syndrome), tumors, polyps, foreign bodies like foxtail, etc, but those are less common than the other leading causes mentioned above.
Your veterinarian should be able to determine which one of the above is most likely the underlying cause of your bulldog ear canal disease (otitis) by conducting lab tests and otoscopic exams.
“AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE”
*This guide was compiled courtesy of Dr. Kraemer, a “MUST READ” manual for any current or future bully owner.