5-year-old golden retriever undergoes ear endoscopy
Times of India | 6 April 2026
Kolkata: A 5-year-old golden retriever underwent otoendoscopy, an advanced diagnostic procedure in veterinary healthcare, to detect an ear disease that has been affecting the dog since 2024. This was the first time the procedure has been performed in eastern India.
This cutting-edge technology allows veterinarians to visually examine deep inside the ear canal of dogs and cats using a high-resolution camera, enabling accurate diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment without the need for major surgery.
Coco, the female dog, has been suffering from an ear infection that leads to redness and extreme itching. "I visited many veterinary doctors and continued treatments as per their advice, but the problem multiplied due to long-term use of antibiotics," recalls Coco's owner, Tripti Saha. A year back, she did conventional swab sampling for Coco's ears to identify bacteria, yeast or mites causing infection, but the problem persists. Saha, a former central govt employee, spent Rs 10,000 for the otoendoscopy.
"In Coco's case, we found that she has been suffering from chronic, recurrent otitis (an infection or inflammation of the middle ear) that had not responded to conventional antibiotic therapy," said Suprodip Mondal, the veterinary endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeon who prescribed the maiden otoendoscopic examination.
"Diagnosing Coco's ear condition was extremely challenging because of the complex anatomy of the canine ear. Dogs and cats have L-shaped ear canals, consisting of a vertical canal that runs down the side of the head and a horizontal canal leading to the eardrum," said Soumi Mondal, one of the performing veterinarians of Animal Health Pathology Lab.
"Detailed otoendoscopic examination of the eardrum and middle ear revealed on Saturday that the underlying cause was due to Primary Secretory Otitis Media, a condition in which thick secretions accumulate within the middle ear. This further resulted in a whitish scarring and thickening of the eardrum," said Shamindra Nath Sarkar, virologist of AHPL.