There are multiple reasons for itchy ears in dogs: inflammation, ear mites, food allergies, mange, external parasites, or foreign bodies. In some cases, itchiness is caused by ear margin seborrhea. Take your dog to the vet if it scratches often and has a foul smell, foreign bodies, or ticks in its ears.
It’s common for dogs to itch. Especially if they’ve been out, playing in the grass. But extreme itching is a cause for concern.
When dogs have itchy ears, they scratch intensely, shake and rub their heads against the carpet or various objects, yelp, and have watery eyes.
If the problem is left untreated, it can become chronic. Dogs can even lose their hearing temporarily or permanently.
In this article, you will learn why dogs have itchy ears, what you can do, and more.
Symptoms of Itchy Ears in Dogs
In addition to scratching, itching, and head shaking, you may also notice the following symptoms when your pet suffers from an ear condition:
- Hair loss around the ears
- Redness and swelling
- Pain
- Foul-smelling discharge
- Excessive production of cerumen (ear wax)
- Scabs and lesions
- Bleeding
- Crusts or scales on the ear margins

Why Does My Dog Have Itchy Ears?
Itchy ears in dogs have many causes. The most common are ear mites, inflammation, external parasites, food allergies, and ear margin seborrhea. In rare cases, abnormal growths appear on the flaps or inside the ear, causing itchiness.
It is common to see dogs scratching their ears. This behavior only becomes a problem when it’s excessive. Itchiness in the ears can be painful to dogs, causing them to self-mutilate.
Here are the most common causes of itchy ears in dogs:
- Ear mites
- Ear inflammation
- External parasites: ticks and fleas
- Mange
- Food allergies
- Ear margin seborrhea
- Foreign bodies
If your dog scratches enough to harm its skin, an infection may develop due to the germs under its nails.
Other times, when dogs scratch and shake their heads continuously they can cause an othematoma (ear hematoma).
1. Ear Mites

Ear mite infection is one of the main reasons why dogs have itchy ears, caused by the Otodectes cynotis mite. These mites can be transmitted through direct contact with other animals or from the environment.
In rare cases, they can also be transmitted to humans (only if the person was in close contact with an infested animal).[1]
Ear mites are usually found deep in the external ear canal. In massive infestations, they can migrate on other parts of the body, especially the neck, rump, and tail.[2]
These microscopic mites invade the skin of healthy dogs and feed on wax and dead cells.
Some dogs are more prone to infestations:
- Puppies and young dogs
- Adult dogs with poor care and hygiene
- Dogs with long and floppy ears, like Poodle and Cocker
- Dogs with flea infestations, viral or bacterial infections
This condition is usually bilateral, and the symptoms include:
- Frequent head shaking and scratching.
- Abundant presence of gray-black ear wax.
- Repulsive smell coming from the ears.
- Red and inflamed ear wall.
- Narrowing auditory canal due to the thickening of the tissue.
- Hair loss.
If left untreated, ear mites can lead to ear infections and hearing loss due to eardrum perforation.[3]
Go to the vet if you see your dog scratching its ears and/or having a foul-smelling black ear secretion.
2. Ear Inflammation

Otitis is a chronic inflammation of dogs’ ear canals and has two forms:
- External: when the external ear canal becomes inflamed
- Middle: when the inflammation occurs in the middle ear
Otitis often occurs when a change in the ear canal leads to excessive wax production. As a result, the skin in the ear gradually produces excess fibrous tissue, leading to the narrowing of the ear canal.
Otitis externa can be caused by:
- Bacterial infections
- Hair in the external auditory canal
- Aggressive ear cleaning
- Dirt or foreign bodies in the ear canal
Infection of the auditory canal can also be caused by other infections in the body or tick infestations.
Otitis externa causes pain, itching, and redness. When it becomes chronic, it can cause eardrum rupture (and deafness)[4] and otitis media. It is recommended to take your dog to the vet as soon as you notice it has an ear problem and not wait for it to get worse.
3. External Parasites

External parasites such as fleas and ticks can cause itchy ears in dogs.
While parasites rarely infest the ears, you may see fleas on your dog’s ears in case of massive infestations.
When it comes to ticks, there are cases where they enter the ear and attach themselves deep into the auditory canal. Dogs with ticks in their ears often shake their heads and paw at their ears, hoping to remove the parasite.
It is recommended to use anti-parasitic products regularly and check your dog for ticks every time you return from a walk to prevent external parasites.
4. Mange

Mange or scabies is an extremely itchy medical condition that affects the whole body, including the ears.
It is produced by mites of the Sarcoptes scabiei species and is highly contagious. It can easily spread between animals of different species and even to humans.
Dogs with health problems or low immunity will get sick much faster. Pets diagnosed with mange must be kept isolated to reduce the risk of infecting other animals.
Symptoms of sarcoptic mange usually appear about a week after infestation and include:[5]
- Uncontrollable scratching and self-mutilation
- Red and inflamed skin
- Hair loss on the legs and stomach in the first phase
- Bleeding
- Small bumps
- Crusty sores on the abdomen, legs, ears, chest, and elbows
- Bad skin odor
- Thickening of the skin
- Secondary skin infections
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
If untreated, mange spreads to the entire body, and the treatment won’t be as effective.
5. Food Allergies

Food allergies can lead to ear infections and excessive itching. This type of allergy is among the most common allergies in dogs.
The triggering factor is food, which your dog (in most cases) has eaten for a long time.
The most common food allergens are:
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Beef
- Chicken meat
- Fish
- Soy
- Wheat
Symptoms of food allergies in dogs include:
- Excessive scratching
- Rubbing the face against various surfaces or objects
- Persistent licking of the paws
- Self-mutilation
- Abundant lacrimation with redness of the eyes
- Chronic inflammation of the ears
- Digestive signs: diarrhea, gas, and vomiting.
- Respiratory signs: sneezing, nasal secretions, wheezing
- Hair loss
- Skin lesions
- Redness of the perianal area and persistent scratching
The symptoms can be observed all over the body, but the most affected areas are:
- Ears
- Face
- Paws
- Abdomen
- Groin
If your dog starts to scratch 4-24 hours after meals, contact the vet because it may suffer from food allergies.
6. Ear Margin Seborrhea

Ear margin seborrhea is a medical condition of the ears for which there are no known causes. It most often affects Dachshunds, but also other breeds with long and floppy ears.[6]
Lesions initially appear on the tip of the ear, then progress to the entire ear. Other symptoms include the following:
- Grey-yellow scales
- Hair loss
- The ear margins are swollen and cracked (in severe cases)
- Itchiness in rare cases
Go to the vet if your dog shows these symptoms as the doctor must make a differential diagnosis with other diseases:
- Sarcoptic mange
- Frostbite
- Fungal infections
7. Foreign Bodies

Foreign bodies that enter the ear can cause itching:
- Splinters
- Spikes
- Thornes
- Awns
- Dirt
They can cause itching and discomfort, making dogs scratch and shake their heads excessively.
Here’s what you can do to remove the foreign object from your dog’s ear:
- First, you need to restrain your dog
- Lift the ear flat
- Use a flashlight to see inside the ear canal
- Use a pair of tweezers when you localized the foreign body
- Carefully extract it
If it is an awn, you better go with your dog to the vet. Awns tend to go deeply into the tissue when trying to remove them.