Ear disease is often seen in animals, especially dogs but also cats and horses. Ear problems present with symptoms like itch around the ears, shaking of the head, pain when touching the ear region, discharge from the ear canal, hearing loss, headtilt and others. In cases where ear problems are present the veterinarian will make a thorough clinical investigation, including a cytological examination of the secretion from the ear canal. The microscopic examination will reveal if there is an active infection or bacterial or yeast overgrowth.

Subsequently the ear canal is cleaned thoroughly, and the status of the tympanic membrane is noted. This may require sedation or generell anesthesia. Bacteria and yeasts are secondary causes of otitis and every effort should therefore be made to determine the primary reason for the ear problem. The list of possible primary causes can be long (ectoparasites, foreign bodies, allergies, infections, endocrinopathies, metabolic disease, immune mediated disease, tumours etc). Usually it will take two or more visits to determine the underlying problem and to make a long-term treatment plan.

The treatment of the ear problem will always include an ear cleaner. It is especially important to remove excessive amounts of ear wax and secretion from the ear canal in order to help the natural cleaning process. Choose the cleaner according to the nature of the ear wax and the cytological findings. The cleaner should be effective and non-irritating. Some bacteria and Malassezia can produce biofilm which needs to be removed for successful treatment. Nextmune offers a large range of well documented ear products

Allergy a common cause for recurrent ear infections

The most common underlying cause for recurrent ear infections is allergy (both food induced allergy and/or atopy). Nextmune is the global #1 in allergy diagnostics and treatment with a complete offer from the latest technology in allergy testing, Next+ and NextEQ, to the only licensed immunotherapy in Europe, Artuvetrin® Therapy.

To help find the best elimination diet use the Next+ Food Reactivity Test. Once the clinical diagnosis of atopic dermatitis is made run a Next+ (dogs, cats) or NextEQ serum test or an intradermal test, Artuvetrin® Skin Test. The Next + serum test will also show if there is an allergic response towards flea saliva and NextEQ serum test will uncover any allergic response to insects.

Identifying the responsible allergens is a fundamental step to implement environmental control measures and to pick the correct allergens for an allergen specific immunotherapy, Artuvetrin® Therapy. Artuvetrin® Therapy is the only licensed immunotherapy in Europe and the best option for long-term treatment of atopic dermatitis.