Ear Care for King Charles Spaniel - A Guide to Healthy Hearing

Giving you unconditional love, the King Charles spaniel is a great companion, happy to snuggle on your lap and aptly named a lap dog. They love the outdoors and chase anything small that moves, as they have a strong prey drive. Their floppy ears are more susceptible to ear problems. Ear infections are caused due to a foreign particle or bacteria in the ear. Recent studies have revealed that King Charles spaniels very commonly suffer from Primary secretory otitis media (PSOM), also known as middle ear effusion or otitis media with effusion (OME), and deafness.

Primary Secretory Otitis Media (PSOM)

Causes
It is believed to be caused due to a dysfunction of the middle ear due to an increase in mucus secretion, a decrease in drainage, or both. The auditory or Eustachian tube maintains equal pressure inside and outside the ear and allows the mucus to flow to the nose from the middle ear. Any problem with the Eustachian tube causes a difference in pressure and fluid buildup in the ear.

Symptoms
There is severe pain in the head or neck which is indicated by holding the neck in a guarded position or tilting the head. The most common symptoms are scratching the ears, shaking the head persistently, excessive yawning (to equalize the pressure), and rapid eyeball movement, inability to blink or crying in pain. In certain cases, there may be facial paralysis with loss of hearing. The vet should pay attention to these symptoms to diagnose the precise ear ailment.

Treatment
Once PSOM is identified the line of treatment followed is making a small cut in the eardrum to flush the mucus.

Deafness

The King Charles spaniel is also prone to deafness which is congenital. This is caused due to a lack of receptors in the inner ear. The deafness can progress with age due to the degeneration of the auditory nerve.

Routine Ear Care for King Charles Spaniel

The floppy ears need routine ear care for a healthy spaniel. The silky fur tends to hold moisture which entraps dirt and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria which causes infection. Make sure to towel dry the ears completely.

Feel for mites and fleas that may have settled around the outer ear. Remove the fleas with a fine tooth comb and pinch out the mites without breaking them.

Pull your pet's ears and squirt some dog ear wash in the ear canal. Massage the base of the ear for a while and then wipe out the excess liquid with a cotton ball after a few seconds. Continue wiping until the cotton ball comes out clean and until there is no more dirt or wax. It is better to follow the ear cleaning routine outside, as your pet will shake his head to push out the solution from his ears.

Make ear cleaning a routine for your pet. Don't neglect the ears as this will cause great discomfort to your pet by making his ears itchy, painful, and prone to infection. The long silky ears develop a peculiar smell as they trap dirt and moisture. Clean the ears regularly to keep your pet healthy and smelling good.