A pet with an ear infection usually shakes its head, scratches the ear, has a sour smell or dark discharge, and should see a vet within a day or two, sooner if the ear is painful or swollen. Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Huntersville provides ear infection treatment in Huntersville by looking down the ear canal, checking a swab under the microscope and matching the medicine to what it finds.
Most ear infections are a sign of something else, usually allergies or trapped moisture.
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How common are ear infections at Petfolk Huntersville?
Ear problems are one of the most common reasons for a sick visit, and most are in dogs. At Petfolk Huntersville, dogs make up 88% of ear-problem visits (Petfolk data, October 2025 to September 2026). Across Petfolk's Charlotte-area clinics, ear problems account for about 1 in 9 sick visits (11%) in the same window.
Floppy-eared breeds and dogs with skin allergies are the usual patients. Cats get ear trouble less often, often from ear mites in kittens or a polyp in an older cat.
Are ear infections worse in summer around Lake Norman?
Not overall. Across Petfolk's Charlotte-area clinics, ear problems made up about 11% of sick visits in both winter (December to February) and summer (June to September), with no summer peak (October 2025 to September 2026). Individual dogs still have their own triggers:
Pollen allergies. Tree pollen runs from about February into early summer, grass pollen through September and ragweed into fall (WCNC on Carolinas allergy seasons). Itchy paws and red ears often arrive together.
Swimming. Dogs that swim on Lake Norman or splash in a creek come home with damp ear canals, an easy home for yeast and bacteria.
Year-round causes. Food allergies, ear mites, polyps and grass awns cause ear problems in any month.
What does the vet do at an ear infection visit?
At Petfolk Huntersville, an ear visit follows five steps:
Look down the canal with an otoscope (a lighted scope) for redness, swelling, debris and an intact eardrum.
Take a swab and check it under the microscope (ear cytology). Yeast, rod-shaped bacteria and round bacteria each call for different medicine.
Clean the ear if it is packed with debris, so the medicine can reach the skin.
Prescribe treatment, usually ear drops or a long-acting gel; deep or painful infections may also need oral medicine.
Plan a recheck, because an ear that looks better can still have infection deep in the canal.
At Petfolk Huntersville, 81% of ear-problem visits include an ear cytology, so treatment matches the cause (October 2025 to September 2026).
Rapid and thorough assessment, and a prescription given to clear up the infection in his ears.
Les B., Google review
Why does my dog keep getting ear infections?
Repeat ear infections usually point to an allergy underneath. Treating each infection helps, but controlling the allergy is what cuts down repeat visits. The AVMA has pet-parent guides on allergies and skin and ear problems, and our allergy testing and treatment page explains how Petfolk Huntersville works through them.
How can I help my pet's ears at home?
Petfolk Huntersville suggests four habits:
Dry ears after swims and baths with a drying ear cleaner from your vet.
Skip cotton swabs deep in the canal, which push debris toward the eardrum.
Avoid peroxide, vinegar and alcohol on a sore ear; they sting inflamed skin.
Finish the full course of drops, even after the shaking stops.
When is an ear problem an emergency?
Book a same-day visit if your pet is shaking its head hard, cries when the ear is touched or has a swollen ear flap (a blood blister called an aural hematoma). Go to a 24-hour emergency hospital if your pet suddenly tilts its head, walks in circles, falls over or has fast flicking eye movements; those can be signs of a problem deep in the inner ear or the brain.
If your pet's ears are bothering her, a veterinarian in Huntersville can look inside them at Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Huntersville, 14227 Boren St, Suite 100, Huntersville, NC 28078.
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Ear infection questions, answered
Our clinic on Boren St