Prevalence of incidental and causative otitis in 380 client-owned dogs undergoing brain magnetic resonance imaging for signs of vestibular and non-vestibular disease.

Authors

Brandon J Durr, Amanda R Taylor, Stephen Werre

Published in

Journal of veterinary internal medicine. Volume 40. Issue 4. Jul 01, 2026.

Abstract

Middle ear abnormalities are frequently observed in brachycephalic dogs due to their anatomical variation, and the prevalence of these abnormalities may be influenced by modern breed popularity.
We hypothesized that 10% of dogs with signs of neurologic disease will have incidental otitis media (OM) and that brachycephalic breeds will have a higher occurrence of OM.
Three hundred eighty client-owned dogs that underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head for any signs of neurologic disease.
Retrospective, single-institution study. Prevalence of any kind of otitis and association with dog clinical signs were analyzed using standard multinomial formulas and Fisher's exact test. Signalment variables with P-values less than .1 but with no zero counts on bivariable analysis were included in a multivariable logistic regression model. Statistical significance was set to P < .05.
Of the dogs in this study, 60 (15.7%) had otitis of any kind. Among these, 15 (3.9%) were diagnosed with otitis of any kind as the primary cause of their clinical signs, all of which were affected by OM and all but one had otitis interna (OI). Forty-five (45/380, 11.8%) were classified with incidental otitis of any kind. The most common form of otitis was OM in 54 dogs (54/380, 14.2%). French Bulldogs were the most common breed reported (32/380, 8.4%) and 18 (56%) had evidence of 1 or more types of otitis: 5 causative and 13 incidental.
Otitis media is commonly an incidental finding in dogs undergoing MRI of the head, especially in brachycephalic breeds. French Bulldogs are more frequently affected. These findings can help guide diagnostic and treatment approaches for dogs with neurologic disease.

PMID:
42485624
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Jul 2026.

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