Treating canine otitis externa: a common challenge

Ear infections are among the top 10 reasons dogs are presented to vets,¹ but treating otitis externa (OE) can be a challenge.

To investigate this further Elanco Animal Health recently conducted two surveys, of vets and owners, focusing on the issue of compliance when treating OE cases.

The Challenge

With vets having to rely on owners to administer treatments at home, compliance can be an issue; in fact 9 out of 10 vets rank compliance as one of the main factors behind treatment failure.² Studies support this, having shown that up to 80% of owners administer the incorrect dose when applying ear medications to their dog.³

While 40% of owners have administered ear treatments to their dog at home, nearly half struggled to do so, with 43% saying their dog runs away or hides.⁴ In addition, one third felt their vet did not appreciate how difficult administering treatment at home can be.⁴

To help explain the struggle of administering OE treatment at home, some real dog owners spoke of their experiences on camera.

The Solution

There is certainly room for improvement when it comes to owner compliance and treatment outcomes.

Osurnia, voted best new veterinary product at the Veterinary Marketing Association (VMA) awards, avoids the cause of these issues. It puts the control back into vets’ hands, with just two doses, one week apart – helping to improve the outcome of OE cases** by reducing the stress of the owner and dog when it comes to administration.

For more information on Osurnia, visit www.osurnia.co.uk

You can get up-to-date on the management and treatment of otitis externa at the Osurnia Roadshow. The Roadshows will be taking place across the UK in May and June 2016.

For more information, or to book, click here.

References

1. O’Neill DG, Church DB, McGreevy PD, Thomson PC, Brodbelt DC. Prevalence of Disorders Recorded in Dogs Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in England. PLoS ONE. 2014; 9(3)
2. Industry survey of 341 UK practising vets, February 2016, commissioned by Elanco Animal Health
3. Intern J Appl Res Vet Med, Vol 9, No2, 2011
4. OnePoll survey of 402 UK dog owners who had administered ear drops to their pet, February 2016, commissioned by Elanco Animal Health

 
^{* Online survey conducted on 290 small animal vets in March 2016, conducted by CM Research
** For the treatment of acute otitis externa and acute exacerbation of recurrent otitis externa associated with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis in dogs.}

^{Osurnia ear gel for dogs contains terbinafine, florfenicol and betamethasone acetate. Legal category POM-V UK, POM IE. Advice should be sought from the medicine prescriber. For information regarding the side effects, precautions, warnings and contra-indications refer to the product packaging and leaflet. Further information is available from the product SPC. For further information call Elanco Animal Health on +44 (0)1256 353131 or write to Elanco Animal Health, Lilly House, Priestley Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 9NL. Use medicines responsibly www.noah.co.uk/responsible. Osurnia® is a registered trademark owned by Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana, USA. 2015 UKCACOSU00076}