Need help with a doodle ear!

[Robin & Bedford]

Last night I put some dog ear cleanser in Bedford's ear, massaged it, then he shooked his head.  We've done this at least monthly.

 

Today he is still shaking his head and lightly growling, which he's never done. 

 

I don't know much about the anatomy of dog ears but could maybe some fluid got behind a ear drum?

 

Time for a vet visit?

 

MANY thanks for your input.   -  Robin

[Michele, Biscuit & Mo]

I don't know about dog anatomy either, Robin, but sounds like either some fluid is stuck or perhaps a small infection is setting in. I'd give it another day but if Bedford is still doing the same thing tomorrow, I'd always default to a vet visit. Good luck!

[Robin & Bedford]

Will do...thank you, Michele!

[Robin & Bedford]

OK, I'm coming clean with this story.

Where do REALLY bad Doodle Mom's go?

Just got back from the vet. For some odd reason, I didn't look in Bedford's ears at home and I'm glad I didn't or I would've fell over.

Last night when I was cleaning his ears I made a huge mistake. Going on hour 3 of grooming...he was tired, I was tired...the ear powder was downstairs. I grabbed Johnson's Baby Powder instead. I know...talc!

Bedford now has bright pink ear canals with blisters from an allergic reaction. Triple ouch.

Please go easy on me, I'm still in shock at my stupidity.

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh Robin...you're NOT a bad Doodle Mom!!! Three hours of grooming???? Your a GREAT Doodle Mom!!! I just want to thank you for sharing your story so that we might not make the same mistake. I had NO idea that talc was a no-no. I'm sure Bedford's ears are already on the mend and he'll be back to himself in no time! Hugs to you both!

[Frannie & Callie]

You are not in ANY way a bad doodle mom. Here's how I know.
1 - no such thing as a bad mom here on DK! We all care about our doods enough to come and talk about them here and we all learn something
2 - 3 hours of grooming...doesn't sound like neglect to me!
3 - we have to make mistakes to learn sometimes. I make doozies frequently!

I can't make you not feel bad (I still feel guilty over an improptu butt "waxing" I gave Callie 8 months ago) but I can (once again, with feeling) tell you that YOU are not BAD.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Oh the poor baby!!!! Were you going to use the powder to pull the Poodle hair in the ears? I don't have the ear powder but often thought about powdering my fingers with baby powder before trying to pull the hair. Is it just Bedford who is having the allergic reaction or is it all Doodles or even "all dogs"? What are they doing about the blisters and what are they giving him to ease the pain? Don't blame yourself. With all the stuff we have it is easy to make a mistake. I hope Bedford is feeling better today!

[Lee Seidman]

try "thornit Ear Powder" it has been reviewed on DK many times. We use it an Lexi seldom if ever has had an ear problem. It also is an aid in removing hair from her ears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5OAkSgXpCQ

[F, Calla & Luca]

It's impossible to get fluid behind the eardrum unless the drum is perforated which is a big problem and not likely to happen unless something sharp, or with great pressure, has been inserted deep into the ear canal. The drum can also perforate from a middle ear infection. The infections common to doodles are outer ear infections. I'm surprised, though, that powder could cause such havoc. Was it talc or cornstarch? Because talc causes lung problems most powder nowadays is cornstarch.

[Robin & Bedford]

So, no water got behind his eardrum. They took a culture & thought it was a yeast infection but it ended up being an allergic reaction.

Well, Bedford's ears are some better this morning. His vet gave him a topical steroid Otomax. That should also be a pain reliever. He does continue to shake his head but hasn't growled since getting the med in his ear.

Yes, I was using the powder to help pull the hair out of his ears. I do like Nancie's suggestion that I put the powder on MY fingers vs. Bedford's ear and I'll be definitely using Thornit next time.

I did check the ingredients on the Johnson's baby powder and it DOES NOT contain talc...it's corn starch. So the whole thing is still somewhat confusing.

The only other factor is I pulled the hair out with my fingers vs. hemostats. I can imagine that it caused blisters.

Thank you for your grace everyone. Yes, I did want to share my mishap so others may avoid inadvertently causing harm.

To be continued for sure....

[Carol and Banjo]

I've never heard of pulling the hair from a dog's ears. Do you actually grab little "tufts" and pull....and doesn't this hurt?? I'd like to try it but am very hesitant...I don't want to do it wrong and cause discomfort or worse yet outright pain.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I know what you mean. I am still just starting to take a pull now and then with Gracie Doodle. Here is what I know and it comes from the Groomer not the Vet...actually, the Vet had never really given it much thought. There are certain breeds of dogs that get ear hair. A Poodle is one of them. Since we have dogs with long ears who love water they need to be able to get air into their ears and we need to keep them dry so they don't get infections. This is one reason you keep the neck hair under the ears trimmed back. There are pros and cons to hair pulling. Some say that when you pull the hair you cause irritation for a day or so and they feel that bacteria can get in and cause problems. If you leave the hair alone it becomes like a birds nest and they get bacterial or yeast infections way down in the ear canal. Some Doodles do not get the hair in their ears. Part of Gracie's grooming was getting her ear hair pulled. My groomer says that the hair is only attached right at the surface and it is not like pulling hair out of your head. She said you take small pinches and give a quick pluck. She says it doesn't hurt. The ear powder you put on your fingers so you can grip the hair better. Then when you can no longer get it with your finger tips, that is where the hemostat is used. I clean Gracie's ears all the time and for the first time did some minor plucking in one ear the other day but without powder. You do need the powder because the ear hair gets waxy and slippery. I would do it when they are really tired. I think somewhere archived in DK are discussions on this. I also Googled it and read up on the pros/cons. Basically, Gracie always has her head totally submerged in a bucket of water so it is a no brainer for me...she must have her ear hair pulled!! Since I groom her myself now, I can't keep taking her to my groomer for ears only...I need to do it myself...ewwww! It probably hurts me more than it hurts her! I also think there might be a YouTube on it.

Oh wow, I just found it and watched it. It looks like they pour the powder into the ear. I'm not so sure about that. I think I would rather put it on my fingers and then move it around in the ear. Also, It looks like the dog is taking it very well. I only saw one finch! Here is the link:

[Robin & Bedford]

Thank you, Nancie!!! That was a fantastic post & the video couldn't be better.

Bedford's ears fill up with hair probably 4 x's a year. If I was smart, I'd do a little bi-monthly. But his head/ears are also in any bucket of water he sees. So plucking the hair out...is an must for us.

I guess I am a little oversensitive to it...years ago, our Old English got a terrible infection in one of her years and it never did get cleared up after being on the heaviest meds they could treat with. If fact, I believe that when she died...that infection possibly went to her brain. This is after trying to treat it for over 2-3 years. It was that bad. So, as bad as blisters are...soggy, hairy ears are worse in my home.

But like you, I'm no longer just dumping powder in Bedford's ears...I'm going to try to put it only on my fingers. I'll let you know how it goes. Please likewise tell me how it's going for you.

Have a super Doodle-day.