Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 6/19/2009

Question
My bulldog has been shacking his head and scratching his ears for about two weeks now and I don't know what the problem is. His ears are extremely red, dry and crusty. They do not smell and there is not an abnormal amount of wax or discharge. In fact there seems to be less ear wax than normal. Will you tell me what might be causing this and how I may treat it please?  

Answer
This sounds like an allergic ear to me.  Often the ears with get red and itchy, often dry and scaly.  Your vet needs to check deep in the ears to make sure that there is no infection or foreign bodies there.  Steroids and Omega fatty acids help these dry ears.