Ear Canal Anatomy

Although you may not think of the ear as being similar to skin, the ear canal is just a specialized type of skin that covers the soft cartilage that gives the ear its shape. Most disorders can affect both the ears and the skin.

The feline ear canal is 2 to 3 times longer than a human ear canal. The canine ear canal is longer still; it can be more than 5 times longer than a human ear canal. When you look into a dog or cat’s ear canal without special equipment the farthest you can normally see is only 1/3 to ½ of the ear canal. This is why regular ear examinations with an otoscope or endoscope are so important. Regular ear examination can detect problems before a severe infection occurs, before your pet’s ear is red or painful and before your pet is shaking his/her head and/or scratching at the ears.