# dog ear canal surgery?



## poshweiller (Nov 17, 2006)

well it looks like my rottie will need this op as he keeps getting recurring ear infections and the treatment each time is around 40 quid for drops etc,the vet says he feels he will always suffer and i should consider ear canal surgery for him.has anyone had this done to their dog as i have heard they remove the whole canal causing the dog to be deaf?? obviously i will be having a long talk with my vet before deciding to go ahead or not,my poor guys ears get so painful he wails when there touched so probably will go ahead but if anyone has had this done to their pet or knows of anyone then i would appreciate some info!! cheers


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

This sounds like his ear canal is too small so can't keep it clear and with repeated infections due to the normal ear debry laying insitu too long chances are he's already deaf.

The surgery sounds horrific but most dogs I've know that have had it done do very well you hardly notice a difference other than they're happier due to them not being dragged down time and time again by the infection nor suffering the pain of said infection.

If it were my dog I'd got for it, if you've suffered the pain of an ear infection as a child you'll know what he's going thru and would give his eye teeth as they say to get it sorted good luck.


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## poshweiller (Nov 17, 2006)

cheers for that,he will be seeing the vet next week to discuss it so will elt you know my decision.luckily for me he is insured so they will foot the bill but if he wasn`t i`d pay it anyway.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

*TECA =total ear canal ablation. Weve had 2 cats done at the Sanctuary and would never have it done again due to total deafness and* *head tilts* *BUT may I add this is with free roaming cats and not dogs. If your dog is in uncontrollable pain due to ear infections then go for it but google the name and check out the alternatives first*


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## beardedlady (Jan 22, 2008)

my dog gets the same problem hers is due to a allergy which we are in the process of finding out what is causing it, when she went to the vets last week they also said about her ear canal being very small an that if she kept at it she would have to have the op she has had a buster collar on now for way over a month to stop her chewing feet an scratching her ears we are going through the process of different foods if that does not stop her she has to have tests done.hopefully they will find out with tests what she is allergic to an hopefully stop her scratching her ears an getting infections


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I've never had that operation done on a dog, but my Siamese cat had an aural ablation about 8 years ago and is fine. Her problem was polyps on the eardrum and my vet resisted this operation until there were no other options because of the possible side effects. The facial nerves run down the ear canal and if these are damaged during the operation then it can leave one side of the face paralysed. The worrying aspect of this is that the dog/cat can't blink on that side and there can be recurring damage to the cornea of the eye caused by dryness, so eye drops have to be constantly used - also because they can't blink they can't protect the eye from being damaged.

However, many years ago (like about 33 or something!) I had an Afghan Hound with a lot of ear troubles, which got worse and worse and included a lot of head tilting and gungey stuff coming out. It's quite common in large "hanging" eared breeds, because the ears don't get the ventilation like pricked ear breeds and it can cause recurring problems. She'd had so many broad spectrum anti-biotics that she had become resistant to most of them. Eventually she went into the vets to have the ear opened out - what the vet did was cut down into the bottom of the ear and stitch the skin back a bit, thereby opening out the earhole itself considerably. A swab test was taken to find the right anti-biotic to deal with the infection (the bacteria was resistant to all but 2 of these). A course of one of these anti-b's and the surgery cured the problem totally and she lived a long and very healthy life with no further ear problems.

Could your vet not try this first, rather than something as radical as an aural ablation???


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## poshweiller (Nov 17, 2006)

thanks for all your replies,i will be discussing with the vet the best way to treat his ears,i will be making sure that the surgery is the last resort.:2thumb:


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## Carol (Aug 2, 2007)

Hi

Saffy one of my dogs has had this done in both ears and she can hear better than I can.

So don't be put off, if the vet thinks it's for the better then have it done.


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## rakpeterson (Oct 10, 2007)

I saw something that may of been of interest to you yesterday on tv, some animal rescue/vet program.

There was a dog on there that had an infection in the ear and they couldnt sort it........

The vet looked inside the ear canal and obviously could only see as far as the ear drum, he was searching for foreign bodies of any kind ie, grass seeds etc.

It was all clear.

He then decided to wash the ear out with saline solution. I think he was going to remove the ear canal but whilst flushing it out, large amounts of puss were coming out but when he inspected earlier, none could be seen.

He came to the conclusion the infection was on the other side of the ear drum so using a rather large needle, he punctured the dogs eardrum and removed all the puss followed bty a course of anti-biotics.

The dog made a full recovery without the need for surgery but the only reason surgery was not performed was because he discovered the puss whilst rinsing the ear, if he hadnt, he would have operated needlessly. There was no mention of this causing deafness either.

Im not sure if it is releavant to your dog or not but maybe a possibility.

Hope things turn out ok for you and your dog.


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## loobylou (Nov 18, 2007)

Ive seen this operation performed only once or twice in eight years and it really is a last resort. The surgery itself can look quite brutal and radical BUT I think that seeing the dogs come out the other side being free of earache, for often the first time in years, makes it worthwhile. I would def have it done on my dog if he got to the point where he constantly had bad ears. Unfortunately it is often the only solution in some dogs as each time they have an ear infection, the canal becomes swollen and inflammed and often scarred, making the next one worse and so on.
There are risks involved so as you have said, do make tome to have a long conversation with your vet about it.


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Awww man i feel for you. I was told back in july that my rottweiler could possibly end up having the same op.

Apparently the way i was described to me is that their ear canal is naturally flawed in its design and all i can do is work hard to ensure that his ears are cleaned once a week to ensure the build up of wax does not occur.

I was given special cleaning fluid called CleanAural made by VetXX and so far so good. When he does develop infection we are given Canaural which is medicated heavily and it does the job after about a week.

Hes been like this since he was a puppy and also his ear canals are very scarred after having a whole heap of grass seeds down there from when he was under one and low to the floor.
Think heavily about it because its a hefty op.
Marina


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## poshweiller (Nov 17, 2006)

thanks all its much appreciated,he has had his ears cleaned with saline solution and all the pus cleaned out then daily drops and more saline solution,this is his 3rd bout of bad ears in a matter of months,he has very small canals and i have trimmed the hair away from round the top of the canal but nothing is working so far.he is now back to the stage of constant shaking his head and when he walks he does so with his head to the side.its so frustrating!!! :devil:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Yes i know. I remember our rottie had 5 infections in the course of 18 months.

Marina


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## poshweiller (Nov 17, 2006)

Marinam2 said:


> Awww man i feel for you. I was told back in july that my rottweiler could possibly end up having the same op.
> 
> Apparently the way i was described to me is that their ear canal is naturally flawed in its design and all i can do is work hard to ensure that his ears are cleaned once a week to ensure the build up of wax does not occur.
> 
> ...


 he has a cleaner for weekly and its canaural he gets too!


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## diverfi (Jun 23, 2008)

Having studying to be an audiologist, this thread is very interesting to me. If it ends up with the worst case scenario and your dog loses his hearing in one ear, you will be surprised at how amazingly quickly he will adjust to using his good ear. At the end of the day, if he's suffering with constant infection the loss of hearing in one ear will probably be a better option.
Hope you can sort this out for him and look forward to any updates.
Good luck, Fi.


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## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned allergy, and I would seriously consider trying allergy testing if I were you. We have done a grand total of zero ear surgeries since we started testing dogs with recurrent otitis as the only symptom of allergy, and even if we haven't totally controlled the issue, it has been much, much better than it would have been otherwise.

Also if you're using a cleaner - use it as often as necessary to keep the ears clean - if it's weekly, great, if it's daily, do that too! Anything to keep the wax out, wax is a great medium for bacterial growth.

And if your dog does end up doing surgery, remember there are 2 types - vertical canal ablation, which just removes the upright portion of the L-shaped ear canal, and total ear canal ablation which removes the whole lot. Only total canal ablation causes deafness, and is rarely required in this situation. VCA is much more commonly preformed.

Hope this helps
Debbie


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

vetdebbie said:


> Someone earlier in the thread mentioned allergy, and I would seriously consider trying allergy testing if I were you. We have done a grand total of zero ear surgeries since we started testing dogs with recurrent otitis as the only symptom of allergy, and even if we haven't totally controlled the issue, it has been much, much better than it would have been otherwise.
> 
> Also if you're using a cleaner - use it as often as necessary to keep the ears clean - if it's weekly, great, if it's daily, do that too! Anything to keep the wax out, wax is a great medium for bacterial growth.
> 
> ...


 where would we be without you Debbie. I find your knowledge very interesting.:notworthy:


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## poshweiller (Nov 17, 2006)

thanks all it gives me more info to hit the vet with!! i`ll update once i know what we are going to do.at the end of the day the dog is suffering which is causing sleepless nights etc for all in the house,we are all shattered and just completely deflated with it all.thanks for your help though its very much appreciated.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Good luck with whatever you decide. Whichever route you take, if you can sort it out you will have a much happier dog - you _will_ see a difference!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

You are def doing the right thing considering all options.I always find that going to the vets knowing the options available def helps in decision making so that everyone is happy with the outcome


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