Why is my dog scratching their ear and shaking their head?
Reviewed against VCA Animal Hospitals, AKC and AVMA material. Last updated 5 October 2026.
A quick shake after a swim is normal. Scratching and shaking again and again is not: five red flags move it to a vet visit within 24 to 48 hours, and one means a vet now — a head tilt, loss of balance, circling, or eyes flicking side to side. Ear problems need someone to look inside.
Below is the same urgency table the free 1-minute check uses, with the source behind each line. Nothing here is a diagnosis: the point is to tell you how fast to call, and what to say when you do.
Urgency table: ear scratching and head shaking
| What you see | How fast | Source |
|---|---|---|
| One shake after a swim or bath, ear looks and smells clean, no scratching since | Watch and log | VCA, ear infections |
| Head tilt, loss of balance, walking in circles, or eyes flicking side to side | Vet now | VCA, vestibular |
| Struggling to breathe, or gums look pale, white, blue or gray | Vet now | AVMA |
| Collapsed, can't stand up, or is unusually unresponsive | Vet now | AVMA |
| Having or just had a seizure (stiff body, paddling legs, not responding) | Vet now | VCA, seizures |
| In severe pain: crying out, or can't get comfortable | Vet now | AVMA |
| Smell, discharge, redness or swelling in the ear | Vet in 24 to 48 hours | VCA, ear infections |
| Ear flap is puffy or swollen like a small pillow | Vet in 24 to 48 hours | VCA, aural hematoma |
| Cries or pulls away when the ear is touched | Vet in 24 to 48 hours | VCA, ear infections |
| Started suddenly after a walk in long grass, with violent head shaking | Vet in 24 to 48 hours | VCA, ear infections |
| Has lasted more than 1 to 2 days | Vet in 24 to 48 hours | AKC |
What each level means
- Vet now. Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet clinic now. Don't wait to see if it passes.
- Vet in 24 to 48 hours. Book a visit within 24 to 48 hours. If your dog gets worse or a red flag appears, go now.
- Watch and log. This is not an all-clear. Watch closely and log what you see. If it lasts, gets worse or any red flag appears, call your vet.
Why ears are the one sign you cannot sort out at home
- How common it is. VCA Animal Hospitals calls otitis externa, an infection of the external ear canal, one of the most common types of infection seen in dogs, and notes many dogs shake their heads and scratch their ears trying to clear debris and fluid from the canal. AKC calls ear infections one of the most common types of infection in dogs and says they can cause a great deal of pain.
- Three different places it can be. AKC describes three types — otitis externa, media and interna — says externa is the most common and affects the external canal, and warns that media and interna can be quite serious and may lead to deafness, facial paralysis and vestibular signs. That split is why the table separates a smelly ear from a head tilt.
- Why looking inside matters. VCA says an otoscope lets the vet determine whether the eardrum is intact and whether a tumour or foreign material is present, and that microscopic examination of material from the canal is essential to choose the right medication. AKC describes staining a swab and checking for yeast or bacteria under the microscope.
- The puffy ear flap. VCA describes an aural hematoma as blood collected within the pinna, making it look very thick and spongy, and says most dogs that get one have an infection, allergy, bite wound or other inflammatory ear condition causing excessive scratching and head shaking. It also names a tick or a piece of grass lodged in the canal as possible causes.
- Balance signs, and letting it run. VCA says signs of vestibular disease usually develop suddenly, often in less than an hour. It also notes the ear canal may close when an infection becomes severe and chronic, a condition it calls hyperplasia or stenosis — the cost of the wait-and-see approach.
What to write down for your vet
These four things turn "she keeps shaking her head" into something a vet can work with. Write them on your phone before the visit.
- Which ear
- Smell, colour of any discharge (photo)
- Recent swimming, bathing or grass walks
- Tilt or balance changes
Note which ear before you go — owners often cannot remember in the room. A short video of the head shaking beats a description.
Check your dog in one minute
The free check asks what you see, applies the table above plus the four signs that are an emergency on their own, and gives you an urgency level and a list to bring to the vet. No email needed.
Questions
Is head shaking an emergency?
One ear flag is: a head tilt, loss of balance, walking in circles, or eyes flicking side to side. Five others mean a vet visit within 24 to 48 hours: smell, discharge, redness or swelling; a puffy ear flap; crying when the ear is touched; sudden violent shaking after a walk in long grass; and anything lasting more than one to two days. A single shake after a swim, with a clean ear, is watch and log.
Can I just use ear drops or a cleaner from the shop?
This page doesn't recommend products to put in an ear, and there is a reason beyond caution. VCA Animal Hospitals says an otoscope lets a vet check whether the eardrum is intact and whether a tumour or foreign material is in the canal, and that microscopic examination of the material is essential to choose the right medication. Those are both things you can't do at home.
Why is a head tilt more urgent than a smelly ear?
Because it suggests the problem isn't only in the outer ear. AKC notes that middle and inner ear infections can be quite serious and may lead to deafness, facial paralysis and vestibular signs. VCA says signs of vestibular disease usually develop suddenly, often in less than an hour. Sudden balance loss is a call-now sign, not a wait-and-see one.
My dog's ear flap is puffy like a pillow. What is that?
It is on the 24-to-48-hour row. VCA Animal Hospitals describes an aural hematoma as a collection of blood within the ear flap that makes the pinna look very thick and spongy, and says most dogs that develop one have an infection, allergy, bite wound or other inflammatory ear condition causing excessive scratching and head shaking. This page doesn't treat it; your vet does.
What this page doesn't do
- It doesn't diagnose. Yeast, bacteria, mites and vestibular disease appear here as what a vet rules in or out, not as an answer about your dog.
- It doesn't give treatment, doses, cleaners, drops or anything else to put in an ear, and it doesn't tell you to pull something out of a canal.
- No vet wrote or reviewed it. It is a published rule set with a named source per line, assembled by Guides Daily.
- It can't look in the ear. If your gut says something is wrong and the table says watch and log, call anyway.
Sources
- VCA Animal Hospitals — Ear infections in dogs (otitis externa). Accessed 5 October 2026.
- AKC — Dog ear infections. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- VCA Animal Hospitals — Vestibular disease in dogs. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- VCA Animal Hospitals — Hematoma of the ear in dogs. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- AVMA — First aid tips for pet owners. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- VCA Animal Hospitals — Seizures in dogs. Accessed 5 October 2026.
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Not veterinary advice, and not a diagnosis. In an emergency, contact your vet or an emergency animal hospital. Written and published by Guides Daily; see our editorial policy.