Ear infection?

[Margie Payne]

Bear had his first puppy cut yesterday. I'm not going to go into detail about the cut, the fact that his nose was buzzed, no, I'm going to focus on the ears. I noticed more ear wax in his ears after his appt. I figure that's from pulling the hair out? Less there so now the wax is moving out? Not all of his hair in his ears is gone. He wasn't a fan (I thought they couldn't really feel it?) so they couldn't get it all. Anyway, I'm noticing that his ears seem pink inside and he's been shaking his head. Also, he seems "off" less energy and less of an appetite. Can I do anything to help him besides the vet? I have some tea tree oil dog ear cleaner that goes into his ears but its a cleaner, not a medication. Any suggestions?

[Vivian & Mojo]

Castor oil is a oil folk remedy for humans and dogs.

[Julie and Charlie]

He's cute!!!I don't think wax can be made that fast in the ears- it was probably there before the plucking procedure and you're just able to notice it now without the hair? Unless he seems really uncomfortable, I would give it a day or two, and I really wouldn't touch them or bother them unless is a flip up and check. Sometimes I think removing the hair is irritating, especially if the person accidentally bumps the tweezers or forceps against the ear.

But if it continues, gets redder, if it smells different than usual, or if you see some sort of drainage, then I would be concerned.

[Jennifer and Luci]

Yikes, I'm not really sure as Luci's ear hairs have never been pulled.  Sounds likt it's irritated from the pulling, poor thing.  There's a lot of debate on whether this should be done or not, I only know my vet and groomer advise against it so we don't have it done.  Never had a problem due to ear hair though.

No, no no I'd not be a happy camper if there was nose shaving going on either.

Edited to add...just saw the picture  he is adorable!  My groomer actually shaves right across between the eyes too and I hate it for about 2 days, then it grows back in.  Keeps it from being in her eyes within a week so I don't worry about ;)  and yes, Luci had one ear infection which was found by the groomer due to the drainage under her ear so that sounds about right.

[Missy]

lets just focus on how adorable he is!!! nose buzz and all!!

when Teddy had his ears plucked at the vet, I too noticed him uncomfortable that evening. I just rubbed his ears a bit and he seemed to like that. I think he was just raw from all that plucking!  He seemed to be better the next morning.

hope he feels better soon. (and I do every now and then pluck a few hairs in the ear, and he doesn't yelp, so I think it is more of a nuisance than painful)

[Julie and Charlie]

There is a difference between irritation from too much "futzing" with the ear and an infection. I think what we are trying to do here is help Margie figure out what to do next.

[Margie Payne]

Thanks so much for everyone's thoughts! I'm still not sure if its infected to irritated. If he has a bad night then I'll take him in the morning to the vet. This is just making me wonder how to take care if them better in general. Should I pluck the ear hair or not? What solution should I use for general care (after groomer, swimming, baths, etc). I'd love to keep hearing what you guys are using for general care. He's only 9 weeks old and this is my first pup ever! I'm learning everything as a newbie! Thanks again!!

[Bill Burkhart]

I had the same exact thing with Lucy a while ago. She's an eight month old mini doodle. I've been taking her to the groomer regularly. The last time, from when I brought her home, she began shaking her head. I called the groomer that same evening. She said it could be from plucking her ear hair. By the next morning, it was a full blown ear infection. Of course, it was also a Saturday, which only meant waiting until Monday to get to the vet. It was a long weekend. Two days later, everything was fine. But it freaked me out, watching the poor little pup shaking her head, digging, etc. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Missy]

hope he is feeling better. I asked the vet for ear cleaner-as there were too many to choose from at Walmart. We use it twice a week and then after every bath or swimming event we have. We too are learning as we go, and we are at the 4 month mark today!!

I was told by the vet that the hairs trap moisture and should be plucked.  It will be interesting to hear from experienced doodles on this topic. Until then, I pull a little each day so as its not a big hair loss at one time!

 

[Linda And Loo]

He is adorable! I would take him in to get his ears checked. If he has an infection he needs to have an antibiotic! I think he has a cute haircut! With a short beard they don't drip as much water on the floor after a drink. Remember their hair grows fast!

[Michele & Kallie]

My vet told me that he does not ever recommend routine ear hair pulling anymore He used to do it regularly, but.said animal dermatologists have found that pulling ear hairs can cause irritations and infections more than helping the ears. He only pulls ear hairs if there is a problem.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Ah, so aptly named! He looks like a little teddy Bear! As others have mentioned, the nose 'buzz' will grow fast and you'll be glad it was cut short in a couple weeks. If his ears are still bothering him today I would look into a vet appt. I often wonder if one of my doods has an eye infection, because one eye might look a little glassy, but I always wait a day to see if it looks better (or worse) before making an appt. Lucy use to have chronic ear infections her first 1-1/2 yrs. I used vet prescribed drops and cleaners but as soon as she finished the drops it would come right back. She hasn't had ONE ear infection since I started using a specific ear powder (she's 3-1/2 now). If you or anyone else is interested in learning more about it, leave me a comment on my page. There have been no scientific studies on it proving it's effectiveness but in Lucy's case it's been a miracle cure (I use it on Oscar as well, and he's never had an ear infection).

[Julie and Charlie]

PS- I just read that Teddy is 9 weeks old. Unless your groomer is you or your very close friend/neighbor with only their own dogs on the premises, I would really caution you against bringing a not-fully-vaccinated puppy at a grooming salon. Way too many potential illnesses to pick up.