Hi everyone!

Roy here (Dr. Goldman’s dog)! As some of you may know, I am just recovering from my New years celebrations and ear infection…

In my last blog I described how itchy and painful it was when I got an ear infection. I was also complaining about how my mom tortured me with swabbing my ears to see what kind of bugs were in there, but she did it to help me get better.

I was so itchy and disgusted to hear I had lots of yeast in my ears, but started to feel much better after starting the medicated ear drops.

We had a couple of elementary school students (future vets and vet nurses!) tour the clinic the other day and they were so excited to hear about how Dr. Goldman, my mom, helped me get better and she showed them ear cytology (i.e what we see under the microscope after we swab infected ears and use a special stain on the microscope slide). So I figured, I’ll quiz my readers about the different bugs!

Ready?

1. These guys appear as a snow man under the microscope. There can be one or two per slide or many as you can see on this slide. What are they?
2. These guys have a cigar shape and they are usually found in younger dogs and cats. They make the animal super itchy. I am itchy just looking at this picture. Have you guessed what they are?
3. There’s a big party on this slide! These guys will also make the animal itchy and uncomfortable. The ears might be smelly too. What are they?

Answers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Goldman’s takeaway: Ear infections can make your pet suffer pain and itching. Getting veterinary care early will help your pet get better faster. All ear bugs cause similar symptoms. So that’s why it’s important for us to get a swab of the ear to identify the cause of the infection. In many cases, if treated early, we can resolve an ear infection within 14 days or less. In more complicated cases or cases that have been going on for a while, we might need to do more tests, like swabbing for culture & sensitivity to identify the bacteria so we can give the medicine (antibiotics) that will cure the infection.

You can call 416.292.7804 or email vets@millikenvet.com to book an appointment with Dr. Goldman if you have any questions about ears, infections, or anything else for your dog or cat.

Milliken Animal Clinic | 宠物医院