The ears of dogs and cats are structural different from human ears. One of the most helpful things to know is the anatomy of your pet’s ear. Understanding the anatomy will help you better understand how problems effect the ear and why certain treatments may have been prescribed.
The outer ear is called the pinna and is commonly referred to as the ear flap. The pinna leads to the vertical ear canal. Humans do not have a vertical ear canal but in dogs and cats this canal goes straight down then makes a turn toward the nose and becomes the horizontal ear canal. The ear drum is located at the end of the horizontal ear canal. Behind the ear drum there is a middle ear and bubble-like structure surrounded by bone called the tympanic bulla. The bulla is another ear structure not as pronounced in the human ear.