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About Dog Ear Notes
Dog Ear Notes is a small, free library about one thing: understanding and looking after your dog's ears. It is written for ordinary dog households - clear steps, no jargon, no miracle promises - and it is made by the team behind PawLine, a research-based dog and cat Q&A app. PawLine app, patent pending.
How the guides are written
Each guide starts from the questions people actually ask, then gets built from peer-reviewed open-access research and university veterinary sources, linked below. We keep wording neutral, name the source when a claim matters, and avoid invented statistics - every number on this site traces to a named source. These guides are general information, not veterinary advice - your vet knows your dog.
Sources
- Frequency and predisposing factors for canine otitis externa in the UK - O'Neill et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics 2021 (open access, CC BY 4.0): one-year prevalence of 7.3% among UK dogs under vet care; ear-carriage and breed odds ratios (pendulous 1.76x, V-shaped drop 1.84x, Basset Hound 5.87x, and more).
- Antifungal Resistance Regarding Malassezia pachydermatis - Peano et al., Journal of Fungi 2020 (open access, CC BY 4.0): Malassezia as a normal ear-canal resident that overgrows into an opportunistic pathogen when conditions shift.
- Itchy Ear Problems - Cornell Riney Canine Health Center (DogWatch): when to investigate; the "Allergies. Allergies. Allergies!" framing; mite signs and OTC-product cautions; the middle-ear emergency list; hematomas and cauliflower ear; swimming and the after-swim drying habit.
- Harvey 2022, A Review of Recent Developments in Veterinary Otology (CC BY 4.0): chronic disease, specialist assessment, obstruction and diagnostic testing.
- Moog et al. 2022, Veterinary Sciences 9(4):185 (CC BY 4.0): veterinary examination, cytology, canal changes and demonstrated cleaning in a small clinical study. The product-specific protocol is not a general treatment recommendation.
- Cornell, How to Clean Your Dog's Ears: gentle technique, product choice, pain precautions and individualized frequency.
PawLine, the app behind this site
PawLine answers dog and cat questions with research-based responses tailored to your pet's breed, age, history and situation - including ear questions about your own dog's ear shape, swimming habit and history. Free to download; see the store listing for current offers, pricing and trial terms.