Ear problem in my dog

Question
Hi
My beagle has had ear infection problems before.  We recently left him with friends while on vacation and when we came back, I found one of his ears had two problems: 1. it was very red and irritated, and 2. it had grey areas inside as well.

Our vet had prescribed OtiCalm in the past for an ear infection.  We still had some so I have been applying that and the redness has mostly cleared up in a couple weeks.  However, the grayness on and around some of the ridges in his ear didn't change at all.  It doesn't seem to hurt him, even when I touch or press on it.  Do you know what this is and is it something I should be taking him to the vet or getting some medication for?

Thanks.  Chris

Answer
Chris,

I would recommend taking him to the vet to have it checked.  Without seeing it, I can not say for sure what it is.  The Oticalm is more of an ear cleaner and not a medication.  It sounds as if he may need some antibiotic/steroid ointment to help with the inflammation.  

If your dog has repeat ear infections, I would be concerned about an underlying food allergy.  I would highly recommend that you switch his food to a fish-based diet such as Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish or Verus Fish & Potato.  Our one beagle has food allergies and she definitely has less problems with her ears while on the fish diet.

Good luck,
Dr. Fry