Head shaking, a dark discharge, a smell you notice from the other side of the room — then the same ear again six weeks later. This page is mostly about the second part.
A dog ear infection — otitis externa, in the notes — is inflammation of the ear canal, usually with bacteria or yeast multiplying inside it. You normally see it before you smell it: head shaking, a paw going up to the side of the head, a dog who pulls away when you touch that ear, and a brown or waxy discharge on the inside of the flap.
The appointment itself is straightforward: our dog vet looks down both canals with an otoscope, checks whether the eardrum is intact, then reads a swab under the microscope in our in-house lab. Bacteria, yeast and ear mites look alike from the outside and are not managed the same way. Ear medication is dispensed from our pharmacy during the same visit where we have it in stock.
The harder question is why it came back. One infection is an event; a third in a year is a pattern, and the cause of that pattern can sit outside the ear: humidity, water left in the canal after a swim, thick hair at the opening, or an allergy that shows in the ears first. That is why the moisture and the hair are looked at in the same appointment, and why grooming and ear care is part of the plan for a repeat case.
An otoscope shows how far down the inflammation goes and whether the eardrum is intact — which decides what can safely go into the ear at all.
Yeast, bacteria and mites are told apart under our own microscope, so the plan is built on what is actually in the ear.
Treating only the infection is why it returns. Allergy, moisture and the shape of the ear are part of the same appointment, not a later one.
The examination is a published price. Anything the ear needs beyond it is quoted to you before it starts.
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I highly recommend this veterinary clinic! They truly care about pets as if they were their own babies. Every time my cats have been sick, the team has always followed up to check on their recovery & see if they needed anything else. That level of care & compassion means so much to me 🤍
I had a wonderful experience at Petbook Veterinary Clinic in Al Quoz with my 9-month-old male Turkish Angora cat, Meiko. A special thank you to Dr. Emad and Miss Charrie for their excellent care, kindness, patience, and professionalism.
I had all three of my cats vaccinated at this clinic, and I couldn't be happier with the service. The veterinarians and staff were very professional, gentle, and caring with my cats, making the entire experience smooth and stress-free.
The consultation is AED 120 — the examination the whole plan is written from. What the ear needs after it, including any lab work, ear medication and follow-up cleaning, is not on a fixed list, because what a canal needs depends on what is growing in it — message us on WhatsApp for a same-day quote before anything starts. Where the repeat cause turns out to be hair and trapped water rather than infection, grooming becomes part of the answer rather than an extra: dog grooming starts at AED 145 and is priced by weight. Everything else the clinic publishes sits on our vet prices page.
The examination the whole plan is written from.
120 AED
Priced by weight. Ears are cleaned and dried as part of the groom.
From 145 AED
A first infection and a fourth are different appointments, even when the ear looks the same. The order below is what stops the second kind repeating.
How many episodes, how long since the last one, which ear, and what was used at home.
We look at how far the inflammation runs, how narrow the canal has become, and whether the eardrum is intact.
The swab is read under the microscope in our in-house lab.
Cleaning and medication are chosen from what the swab showed and from the state of the eardrum, and we show you how to use them before you leave.
Allergic skin disease, water sitting in the canal, thick hair at the opening, a canal narrow by breed, or a foreign body.
A canal can still be infected when the outside looks better, so we look again before treatment stops. It is easy to skip once the ear looks normal.
Real photographs from our clinic in Al Quoz 3 — the waiting area, the consulting room and the entrance.
A dog who swims regularly and is towel-dried on the body but not around the ears starts from a canal that has not dried. The canal in a dog is L-shaped, so water travels down and stays there, and the flap closes over the top of it. The head shaking starts afterwards. Drying the ears after swimming and bathing removes the moisture yeast needs — ask us what routine care suits your dog's ears.
Dubai reads as a dry city, and for skin that is broadly true. Ear canals are different — warm, enclosed and, near the coast, rarely dry for long.
Humidity along the coast stays high for months, and a warm, closed canal holds that moisture. Yeast needs no injury — only a damp surface and time.
Where there is a pool in the compound, swimming is a habit rather than a summer. Water that runs into a vertical canal does not simply drain out again.
A heavy flap over the canal keeps air out and warmth in — cocker spaniels, retrievers, beagles and French bulldogs among them. Erect-eared dogs get them too.
Poodles, shih tzus and doodle crosses grow hair into the canal itself, which traps wax and blocks airflow. Grooming intervals stretch in the hottest months, exactly when the ear can least afford it.
Dust, ornamental grasses and year-round indoor life mean the allergic dog rarely gets a break, and the ears can flare before the skin does.
Sand and construction dust settle in the flap after a walk, and the day swings between hot outdoor air and cold dry rooms. Neither starts an infection — both keep an irritated canal irritated.
None of this makes an ear infection inevitable. It does mean the moisture, the hair or the allergy behind it has to be part of the plan.
An ear that is left alone can get worse, and each episode can thicken and narrow the canal. A dog scratching one ear this morning is not an emergency; a dog who has been shaking his head for weeks should not keep being watched.
Ear disease that reaches the middle or inner ear stops being a skin problem. These signs mean the ear should be seen the same day — call us rather than waiting for the next free slot.
Head shaking, scratching at one ear, rubbing the side of the face along furniture, and a smell you can notice without leaning in. Look at the inside of the flap: it is usually redder than the other ear, often with a brown or waxy discharge. Some dogs go quiet and hold the head slightly to one side rather than making a fuss, and in a dog with heavy drop ears the first thing an owner notices is the smell. Pain when the ear is touched, a head tilt or unsteadiness means it should be seen the same day rather than watched.
The infection itself is usually yeast or bacteria multiplying in the canal, but something let them. Moisture is one enabler — water from swimming or bathing that stayed in an L-shaped canal. Then there is allergic skin disease, which can show in the ears before the skin; hair growing inside the canal in breeds like poodles and shih tzus; a naturally narrow canal; ear mites, mainly in puppies and rescues; and occasionally something physically stuck in the ear. This is why we read a swab and then look for the cause — the second part is what decides whether it returns.
Sometimes, and that is exactly what makes ears deceptive. A mild yeast flare after a swim can settle once the canal dries out, and cleaning with a topical treatment is one of the ways an ear is managed. What we would not advise is waiting to find out: an untreated canal thickens with every episode, and a dog who improves without being examined has still had no one look at the eardrum. Whether oral antibiotics are needed at all is decided by the examination and the swab, not by the look of the ear and not by a page.
That depends on what is in the ear and what is behind it. An ear can feel better long before the canal has settled, so the end point is decided at the recheck rather than by the calendar — a canal can still be inflamed when the outside looks normal. Thickened canals, an allergic dog, or an infection that has been running for months all take longer. The number that matters more is how often it comes back: repeated episodes in a year are a pattern, and treating each one as a fresh event is the reason the pattern continues.
You cannot reliably, and the attempt can make an ear worse than it started. Olive oil, coconut oil, vinegar mixes and hydrogen peroxide all get recommended online; oils trap debris in a canal that already has too much of it, and anything acidic or drying is painful on ulcerated skin. Cotton buds pack material deeper rather than removing it. The real risk is the eardrum: if it has ruptured — which you cannot see from outside — fluid put into the canal can reach the middle ear. What you can safely do at home is dry the ears after swimming and bathing, wipe only the part of the flap you can see, and book the ear in. Our consultation is <strong>AED 120</strong>, and what the ear needs after the examination is quoted to you before it starts.
Tell us what your pet needs — we confirm on WhatsApp right away. Emergencies are answered 24/7 on +971 54 888 3686.
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