Issues: Cleaning Floppy Ears

[Yana Shulman]

Our 5 month old puppy Louis has adorable, big floppy doodle ears. We are very conscious to clean them every few days but still there is an excessive build up of wax and he is always shaking his head after we clean his ears (up to several hours). We have tried cleaning with liquid provided by the vet, water and vinegar combination...nothing seems to ultimately help ! There is no infection or anything to treat, just looking for a consistent remedy to avoid wax buildup and any future problems. Can anyone let us know what they use/how they clean doodle ears. Thanks a lot :) 

[F, Calla & Luca]

We have had many discussions on ear cleaning in the past and I suggest you search through them. I use Malacetic Otic and only clean the dogs ears every 3 weeks or so. I do not pluck hair but I keep the hair near the ear canal and beneath the ears trimmed.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Yana,

I've had two doodles: One with very easy ears to care for and clean, the other very difficult, hairy, and sensitive. Always a fine line to know when enough is enough or too much.

My advice is to go to the vet and ask them to show you how to care for the particular ears your doodle has.  When I felt it was out of hand, I paid good money to have my vet take care of them just because I needed some extra help. It just depends on the dog.  For me, it was money well spent and I'm sure my dog agrees.

F. is correct, you will find a lot of discussions on caring for ears on DK.  Many have different techniques, most are good, but really depends on how your dog responds to ear treatment.

If you still are having trouble with wax build up, go to the vet sooner rather than later.  Once the ear gets infected, it can take a very long long time to get them completely cleared.  If it were me, and I was starting over, I would just go to the vet.  A good groomer can also show you how to care for the type of ears your dog has.

[Vanessa Mueller]

I agree with Andrea.  Zymox works very well.  I also when bathing Bailey wipe out his ears with a damp cloth, then dry.  Nothing smaller than an elbow in the ear.  Bailey had a problem with his left ear when he was younger, it has seemed to resolve with the use of Zymox and wiping out his ears weekly.  Hope this helps. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I also use Malacetic Otic.  I use it once every weekend.  I also use Mal-A-Ket Wipes (by DermaPet) once during the middle of the week.

[Ginny Nightingale]

All that has been said is so helpful, but I am going to add something here that can't necessarily be proven but has been my experience--one of my LDs and two of her sons have ear issues--My dog gets wax that looks like brown coffee grounds and has a distinct pungent odor. However, the vet does not find much of anything when she is tested. They suspect yeast but do not really detect it. So, two things I have found-1.) If I treat her with a antibiotic/antifungal called Mometamax (from the vet) it clears up but only if 2.) she is on a fish based food. If she is on a chicken based food, it comes back. If she is pregnant she gets fussy and we have to feed her boiled chicken and then her ears act up again! The owners of both of her sons have had the exact same experience. So, I think it is genetic and I think it is an allergy. Now, is that the case with your dog? Don't know--but thought I should tell you just in case. You can find more info in the Food group about food allergies. 

By the way, when cleaning the ears, put the cleaner in, rub the ear canal from the outside of the head and then let the pup shake it out. Do not wipe it out until later and then just clean the outer part of the ear --not the ear canal. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have had extensive experience with one of my doodles ears. Not allergy related but related to the ears getting wet. Swimming is the biggest culprit and we have spent the better part of a year keeping him out of the water to completely clear up a nasty chronic infection when he was about a year old.
I have had many, many ,many vet visits regarding his ears and I find the best medicine for maintenance has been zymox or Epi-optic. Both can be purchased without a prescription. Many people on this site swear by a powder that I can't remember the name of at the moment, but you will read about it in your search. I do use the powder occasionally when his ears do not need any solutions in them however during the summer, we had to treat everyday. It seemed like a lot, but if I let it go to every other day of swimming, he would get an infection and we were back on antibiotics and a cleaning and drying solution 2 times a day. The Epi-optic is effective but not irritating for daily use.
I do pluck his ear hair as well and use the powder for that especially. But that has taken years to figure out how to do just enough to not make matters worse.
So I feel it's an art, and your vet can help you learn how to maintain clean ears. Right now we have the pool fence up and there will be no dog swimming for many months so I'm looking forward to giving the poor guy a break again this winter. Good luck with this and there is RNs of info on here about ears.