Ear, Ear! Bit Grumpy today...

I am seriously like a bear with a sore head right now, and will have a moan with anyone who will listen!

I have ear ache. And it bloody hurts!

Gone is my usual laissez faire attitude, I mean, I am grumbling at everyone! My poor husband, he only has to breathe right now and it is irritating me wayyyyyy more than it should. Honestly I can't help it. My ear is buzzing, I can't hear out of it, and it is sore as hell. Trying to stay focussed on anything is really tough. Ear ache is really tough. But it has got me thinking. At least I can moan, and tell everyone how rough I am feeling, and they choose, quite rightly to stay out of my way, after the usual sympathetic mutterings.

It has got me thinking though. We often talk of dogs having ear infections.. but never ear ache as such?

Casper our 13 year old labrador is prone to ear infections, as are a lot of dogs with big droopy ears. Sometimes he gets this slightly musty smell in one of his ears, and he get a bit itchy with it shaking his head. These are the clues that a trip to a vet is needed pronto.

The thing is, when we get to the vet practice, it goes something like this.. I reel off all the symptoms that Casper has, odd smell, scratching with head shaking, maybe the ear looks a bit red too.

The vet nods, duly looks in his ears and agrees, yup, needs a clean and antibiotics. See you in a week. Oh, they always give Casper a biscuit for being a good boy. He is always a good boy. Stoic is the word they use.

Treating pain is just as important as treating the underlying ear problem..

Because right now I will take anything, if it will make this darned ear-ache go away! Thinking back to Casper, of course it is important to treat his discomfort, even if we can't see that he is feeling uncomfortable. Being stoic doesn't mean he is OK.

We know that pain has a huge impact on behaviour, this has been proven scientifically with dogs too. Consider this. If Fido has an ear infection, and he put in a situation where another dog was maybe a bit too in his face. Normally not a problem, but if this happens when you are feeling grumpy because of earache? Fido may link over-friendly dogs to negative emotions in the future. So it is important we recognise the impact that pain may have on behaviour and avoid putting our dogs in situations where they may be less tolerant than usual.

So the next time we need to visit the vet with a dog with sore ears, my first priority will be talking about how to make them feel more comfortable, what type of pain relief is most suitable for my dog? Before heading home for a quiet day and lots of snuggles on the sofa!

Casper, 13 and a half with his adorable floppy ears, who will never refuse a biscuit at the vets!