Perforated Eardrum

[Shatnerfan]

How would a dog be likely to suffer a perforated eardrum and what would be the recommended treatment? Prescribed antibiotics seem to have little effect on the infection caused.

[j2buttonsw]

The eardrum or tympanum is a membrane which converts the sound waves to physical movements required for hearing. Most eardrum perforations are due to excess pressure caused, for example, by a very loud bang or being clipped around the ear etc. The membrane will quickly heal itself, rather like skin will, but it often leaves a scar which affects hearing. How did your dog perforate it's ear? If it was not through trauma it may be through severe infection. If this was the case and the antibiotics are not working, ask your vet for antibiotics of a different type (I am sure they will be happy to charge you for medicine) since the infection cause may be immune to the antibiotic (as so many microbes are these days). Your dog may have perforated it's ear through trauma and the vet has given you antibiotics to prevent inner-ear infection or to battle an ear inection it has subsequently picked up. You should see a marked improvement with effective antibiotics after a couple of days. Speak with your local vet and get a second opinion if you are not happy: after all you are one paying.