Therapeutic Efficacy of Allium sativum and Calendula officinalis against Secondary Otitis in Dogs

Secondary otitis is a common inflammatory ear condition in dogs associated with bacterial and fungal infections. The increasing concern regarding antimicrobial resistance has encouraged the exploration of herbal alternatives with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Allium sativum and Calendula officinalis infused oils against secondary otitis in dogs. Eighteen dogs with cytologically confirmed secondary otitis were randomly divided into three treatment groups (n=6 each). Six apparently healthy dogs were kept as the control group. Group G1 received Calendula officinalis infused oil, Group G2 received Allium sativum infused oil, and Group G3 received a combination of both infused oils topically 4-5 drops twice daily for 14 days. Clinical index score, yeast count, and bacterial load were evaluated on days 0, 7, and 14. Significant improvement in clinical and cytological parameters was observed in all treatment groups. The combination therapy (G3) showed the highest therapeutic efficacy with 92.11 % reduction in clinical score and 87.22 % reduction in yeast count by day 14 post-treatment, along with restoration of bacterial count to normal levels in all treated dogs. Group G1 showed better response than Group G2. The findings indicated that combined topical administration of both infused oils is an effective herbal therapy for secondary otitis in dogs.