Have you ever noticed that your pet seems to "hear you coming" from blocks away? You know this because Fluffy is perched at the door as soon as you get home! Is Fluffy telepathic? Maybe...

Dogs possess incredible auditory systems; they can hear sound waves traveling at 100,000 cycles per second! And cats can hear even higher frequencies - how else could they detect the ultrasonic squeaks of mice?

In both species, the ear canals are L-shaped, helping to prevent damage to the eardrum. However, this shape unfortunately encourages trapped moisture, debris, earwax and parasites - all of which can lead to ear infections. If you suspect Fluffy has an ear infection, you may have noted the following symptoms:

• Fluffy shakes her head or holds it to one side;
• Fluffy scratched/rubs her ears and/or she is rubbing her head against furniture/carpet;
• Fluffy's ears smell bad and /or are red and tender to the touch;
• Fluffy has a yellow, brown or black discharge in one or both of her ears;

There are some "at home" remedies you can try to treat your pet's ear infections. If Fluffy's ears are filled with brownish-pink wax, she may have a yeast infection brought on by allergies. Yeast infections are easily dissipated by thoroughly cleaning Fluffy's ears, and veterinarians often recommend pouring a small amount of diluted white vinegar (also called acetic acid) into the ear canal. Delicately, massage the area (it will help loosen the dirt and debris), and gently wipe the inside of Fluffy's ear with a cotton square. Doing this once a day will help restore the "healthy" bacterial balance to Fluffy's ears, and she will be on the road to recovery!

Cats are more susceptible to ear mites. Veterinarians suggest putting 3-6 drops of oil (almond, olive, etc.) in each ear, which will smother the mites, and hopefully allow Flufffy's infection to heal. These oil treatments should continue for 3-4 weeks to ensure the mites - and their eggs - have been eradicated.

If these simple home remedies should fail (and you will know it because Fluffy will continue to have symptoms, including scratching and head-shaking), you should take Fluffy to see her veterinarian. Again, if these symptoms persist, it is important to visit your vet, because continual scratching/shaking can result in a hemtoma (localized swelling filled with blood resulting from a break in a blood vessel.) on Fluffy's ear, which then must be drained by your vet to prevent permanent damage.

Furthermore, Fluffy may have an inner ear infection, which cannot be remedied with the home treatments discussed above, and must be treated by your veterinarian. Symptoms of an inner ear infection include:

• Head tilting;
• Drooping eyes;
• Clumsiness and/or walking in circles;

Traditionally, veterinarians treat ear infections with antibiotics and antifungal drugs (which are generally, covered under veterinary pet insurance plans.) Depending on the extent of the infection, Fluffy's vet may also need to drain pus and other fluids from inside her ear, so don't let Fluffy suffer too long before consulting her vet!