This ear had an 8 month history of relapsing otitis externa. One of the main reasons for the relapsing nature of the otitis in this particular dog for this was the failure to thoroughly remove all debris from the ear canal. Debris at the bottom of the horizontal ear canal can act as a focus of infection if it is not removed. It is not always easy to see the full extent of this with a hand held otoscope. Visualisation with a video otoscope allows us to see the full extent of the problem. See the large amount of hairs and inspissated debris removed from the horizontal ear canal right next to the ear drum.
The same ear after thorough flushing to remove the debris. See the slight ulceration and thickening of the skin of the horizontal ear canal. The ear drum is also thickened , particularly the pars flaccida which is the loose part of the ear drum at the top. There appears to be a small hole in the pars tensa at around 3 o clock as shown by the air bubble that appears – the air is coming from the middle ear cavity.
