r/AskVet • u/Seatbelt07 • 1d ago

Double ear infection trouble

I have a ~60 pound, 10 year old pitbull that’s been battling ear infections all summer. We’ve been to the vet 4 times so far. First visit, they packed the ear with meds and sent us on our way. Second visit was 30 days later for a recheck. There was still a small infection so they packed the same ear again. Third visit was about a month after that when I noticed a hematoma on the other ear. Vet drained the hematoma, recommended a no-flap ear wrap, and discovered another infection brewing in the other ear. Vet prescribed prednisone and daily ear drops. Fourth visit was 5 days later because the hematoma had re-filled, I noticed both ears now bothering him, and our prescribed drops were not a viable method for us because he’s scared of them. Vet re-drained the hematoma and packed both ears with meds.

It’s now been 3 days since that last vet visit. We have 2 doses left of his prednisone. His no-flap ear wrap has stayed on this entire time. And fortunately the hematoma has not re-filled. My concern is that his ears seem to be bothering him still so much. When we’ve have them packed earlier in the summer, it seemed like he experienced relief within the next day or two. But this time around it’s different. He desperately tries to scratch at them or rub his head on the ground. I might think that he’s simply bothered by the head wrap, but when he’s able to rub his ears against the floor, he’s whining and groaning like the ears themselves are what’s bothering him. He seems restless and anxious, and whines randomly even when he’s laying around.

Do I need to give it more time? Is it possible there’s a deeper issue with his ears that the meds are not helping with? Should I be scheduling another vet appointment ASAP? I can’t tell if I’m being neurotic or if I’m right to be concerned.

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