Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Probiotic ear drops may help fight dog ear infections by stopping
By Salichs, Marta et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2026·Ecuphar Veterinaria SLU (Animalcare Group) Sant Cugat Del Vallé, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Probiotic Engraftment and Suppression of Canine Otitis Externa Pathogens by Probiotic Ear Drops.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy dogs received probiotic ear drops to see if they could help prevent ear infections caused by common bacteria and yeast. After just 24 hours, the levels of beneficial bacteria in the ears increased significantly, and they continued to thrive for a week. The probiotics were effective at inhibiting the growth of harmful pathogens better than some traditional antibiotics. This suggests that using probiotic ear drops could be a promising way to manage and prevent ear infections in dogs.
People also search for: dog ear infection treatment · probiotic ear drops for dogs · how to prevent dog otitis externa
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lactobacillaceae have shown promise with their potential to outcompete pathogens and restore a healthy microbial balance in otitis externa (OE). HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the presence of viable Lactobacillaceae over time and in vitro ability to inhibit growth of common OE pathogens. ANIMALS: Fifteen healthy dogs were enrolled and randomised into five groups (n = 3 per group) to receive six probiotic ear drops containing live Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YUN-V2.0 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus YUN-S1.0. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ear swabs were taken 24, 48, 72, 96 h and 7 days post single application for culturing. For pathogen inhibition, clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis were tested against the probiotic ear drop and antimicrobial disks of florfenicol 30 μg, gentamicin 30 μg, marbofloxacin 5 μg, miconazole 10 μg, neomycin 120 μg and terbinafine 1.5 μg. RESULTS: A relatively basal low abundance of commensal and Lactobacillaceae micro-organisms was detected (1.34 × 10colony-forming units [cfu]/mL). At 24 h post-application, Lactobacillaceae increased significantly (2.3 × 10 cfu/mL; p < 0.001), and remained above 10cfu/mL at 1 week post-application (1.6 × 10cfu/mL). Lactobacilli demonstrated better growth inhibition of P. aeruginosa than gentamicin and marbofloxacin, and of S. pseudintermedius than gentamicin, neomycin and marbofloxacin. For M. pachydermatis similar growth inhibition versus miconazole and terbinafine was observed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These results suggest that probiotic strains exhibit excellent retention and can inhibit the growth of S. pseudintermedius, P. aeruginosa, and M. pachydermatis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42104600/