Question: Does a dog shaking his head after administering ear drops indicate pain?
Answer:
It is true that if the external ear canal is inflamed to the point that the skin has been damaged, then the alcohol will sting.
Mostly when a dog shakes its head it is just clearing the liquid from its ears, a standard response for ordinary water or sea water in the external ear canal. This doesn't necessarily indicate that he dog is in pain. The rapid evaporation of the alcohol can also be uncomfortable but again not super painful. I can only suggest that most dogs will manage the discomfort and will quickly heal and no longer feel it after just a few days application.
I have used the drops myself under all sorts of conditions and the only time it was very painful was when I had actually perforated my ear drum in a surfing accident. That was seriously painful but it is not the sort of injury which dogs experience as they are not so prone to inner ear infections as humans or to high impact injury such as falling from a great height onto water and violently pressurising their ears. Some herbs sting as some taste nasty. This is a feature of herbal medicine, not all of it is sugar coated.
