Otitis Externa Treatment Should Be A Positive Experience For Dogs, Not Just Tolerated, Say Specialist Vet And Clinical Behaviourist
7 years ago 
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Vets must take proactive steps to ensure otitis externa (OE) treatment in dogs is a positive experience to prevent behavioural problems and avoid jeopardising long-term clinical success, urge top experts.
Veterinary Referral Dermatologist Natalie Barnard and Clinical Animal Behaviourist Dr. Emily Blackwell have called for vets to think more carefully about treating otitis externa to make it a positive experience for both dog and owner.
The two specialists discussed how to prevent fears developing in dogs receiving treatment for otitis externa in a short video interview with Elanco Animal Health, makers of Osurnia®.
Emily willed vets to think differently about their approach to OE. She said: “Treatment doesn’t need to be merely ‘tolerated’; it should be a positive experience. Just one bad experience can be hard to overcome so it’s important to get it right first time.”
Natalie highlighted how critical pet behaviour is to achieve a clinical cure: “Many of our cases that are referred for surgery are because the owner can’t apply treatment. However, we still treat the majority medically, alongside behavioural therapy.
“Prioritising your diagnostics in the consult, especially ear cytology, being able to identify subtle behavioural cues and potentially taking treatment back into the practice can all help achieve first-line treatment success.”
Almost half of owners (45%) struggle to administer ear medications at home. Some 55% of those said the dog finds it stressful, while 43% said their dog hides from treatment[1]. However, vets may be in the dark when it comes to understanding the at-home treatment experience of owners.
Natalie said: “Owners often won’t admit that they struggle to apply ear treatments so it is up to us to ask the right questions and make them feel at ease in order to find out.”
Emily added: “Owners often feel guilty and think they should be able to apply the treatment. We frequently underestimate how stressful this can be; having to apply treatment once a day to a painful dog is really difficult for any owner and can seriously affect the bond with their pet.”
Natalie advises that treatment choices should be influenced by subtle behavioural cues in the consultation and in some cases vets should consider taking the burden of treatment away from the owner and into the practice in the first instance, to prevent negative experiences and unnecessary stress:
“We often find that applying a long-acting treatment in the consultation can make a big difference. It has less of an impact on the pet-owner bond and can help prevent behavioural issues that develop all too commonly.”
A recent clinical study has highlighted the beneficial impact that a vet-applied long-acting treatment can have on the quality of life[2], revealing that a vet-applied long-acting treatment* significantly improves quality of life quicker for dog and owner than an at-home treatment.
Emily stressed: “Behavioural problems can occur in any dog, even those that are seemingly ‘well-behaved’. Don’t wait until it is a difficult dog to start thinking about this.”
Natalie concluded that the vet’s role is vital: “It’s our responsibility to proactively prevent the negative association with ear handling, making ear treatment a positive and easy experience. By thinking more about how we handle our patients and what we’re dispensing, potentially using a product that can be applied in the practice and less frequently, we can make the whole experience a lot better for dogs and owners.”
Twenty-five dogs with otitis externa were treated with Osurnia® on days 0 and day 7 by the
vet, compared to a control group of 25 dogs who were given a daily treatment by their owner
at home for two weeks in addition to twice weekly cleaning.
Dr Noli added: “Compliance is an important issue here; applying treatment at home can lead to stress in owners and pets, degradation of their relationship and treatment failure, which ultimately leads to treatment failure and poorer quality of life for both owner and the dog. We have the ability as vets to help preserve this bond.”
For more tips on preventing behavioural issues associated with treating OE, watch the short video here: www.osurnia.co.uk
[1] OnePoll survey of 402 UK dog owners who had administered ear drops to their pet, February 2016, commissioned by Elanco Animal Health.
[2] Noli, C et al. Vet Derm. 2017 March (online). Osurnia provided equivalent efficacy and improved QoL to dogs with otitis externa and their owners, compared to an owner-administered topical otic therapy (Posatex – MSD). Cytology scores and pruritus improved significantly more by Day 7 in the Osurnia group.
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