Ear Cleaning

[Donna K & Quincy]

What is the best solution to use to clean my doodles ears. One ear is really clean and the other has really dark gunk. My vet says it's not an ear infection and not ear mites. It has been that way since he was a pup, he is now a year old. His ear doesn't bother him and he does't mind having them cleaned.

[Denise U]

We use Nolvasan Otic, which I get from my vet. I have seen this being sold at a pet store too. I know some people squirt it in their dogs ears, but I squirt it on a Q-tip to get in the cracks of their ears. I think it works pretty well.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

We just got through treating an ear that had so much black gunk that the Vet couldn't see down to the ear drum. Gracie had been shaking her head. He says it is usually ear wax that builds up and then it causes a fungus. You will know because the ear will be sort of stinky. Your Doodle should never have stinky ears if you keep them clean. Also, when he looked into the ear he described the canal to look like the letter "L". He said all the gunk was at the turn of the L. So he gave me an RX of Gentamicin which is a white greasy ear drop that you put in once a day and massage it in then let her shake her head (do it outside). This stuff will cause the black gunk to break up and you just use a cotton ball or Q-tip and some hydrogen peroxide and clean the stuff out as it surfaces. I do it when Gracie is sleeping and she really doesn't have a problem unless the stuff is cold. I think all products that you put in their ears should be tepid. I put the bottle of whatever in a glass or pan of hot water to take the chill off. That is what startles them and makes them jerk away. I did the drops for three weeks and we went back last Friday and her ears were spotless. He could see the ear drum perfectly. For maintenance I use a product the Vet sells called Virbac. It is a Hexadene Flush Solution for Dogs, Cats and Horses. Consists of Chlorhexidine Gluconate 0.25% and Triclosan and is an Antiseptic. This should be squirted into each ear once a week for maintenance. You totally fill up the ear canal until it spills out. Then massage and let them shake!! You also do this every time they go into the water (even if they swim daily) and every time you bathe them. You can't harm them or OD on the stuff. Then you clean out the ear with cotton and hydrogen peroxide if there is any gunk (ear wax) present. There are other products that you can buy that do the same thing and probalby you can buy it at PetCo or PetSmart. My vet prefers this one because it is an Antiseptic and the others don't. Oh...and the Vet said you can't harm their ear canal by cleaning with cotton balls or those make-up remover pads. You can go down deep and because the canal is L shaped you won't ever get near the ear drum which is good to know! Good Luck!

[2loqbxc1f3777]

Its a fungus...keeping the ear cannel dry and free of hair will help and is Key no different from swimmers ear in a child, sometimes ear mites are the issue this takes care of those as well.... I clean my dogs ears with alcohol dipped q tips, them put TEP/Thronit ear powder in their ears afterwards once a month....

http://www.thornitearpowder.com/

http://www.tep-for-pets.com/

Hope this helps..

Carol
Southern Charm labradoodles

[Robin Evenson]

My vet is very persistant in that I keep Bella's ears clean, what you are describing is wax. These dogs can get ear infections. We use C1/0 by Glen Haven (bought it the vet), squirt some of that in the dogs ear and rub the ear a bit then with a slightly damp cotton boll get in the ear cannall and clean. If you see the dark stuff on the cotton boll you are getting it out. Don't use a cotton tip applicator unless you just use it on the out side areas.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I use an ear cleaner that has Tea Tree Oil. I find it works well for a maintenance cleaning. I don't have Thornit Powder, which is great, but I use a recipe from the internet. My vet gave me the link. This works well if the ear is gunky, but not red. If the ear is red, I treat with vet products first and then proceed to do maintenance with the Blue Power solution. Here is the link. http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/BLUE.HTM You have to be careful when mixing it as it will stain. After it is mixed, it isn't so bad. I have never had it stain me or my cream dogs after it's mixed. I still use caution, just in case.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

After spending much money on several prescriptions of Mometomax for Connor's ears when he was a baby, I read on a doodlekisses board about Vet's Best/Natural Care Wash & Dry ear care. When I first started using it, I used both the wash & dry, now I just use the wash once a week and I have not had any more problems with Connor's and now Simon's ears. I buy it at PetsMart and I think it's around $17 for the two-bottle set.

My vet did suggest that after I used the "Dry" part, to gently wipe Connor's ears with a soft cloth or cotton balls, to remove any excess powder. :-)

[Leslie J]

I've never had a dog with floppy ears before, so I have no experience with their proper care. I've just been cleaning them with a wipe every week or so, but maybe I should upgrade my ear cleaning process.

I've also read several references about pulling hair from the ears... doesn't this hurt? I am afraid to try this and scare Cocoa. Is there someone who can tell me more about this?

Thanks!

[Bronwen Watts]

If your dog has hair in the ear canal, then yes it helps to pull it. It will help keep the ear clean and bacteria free. It doesn't hurt, and once a dog is used to it, it is no big deal. I would suggest the next time you take your dog to the vet or groomer, ask them to show you how to do it. That way you know the best and easiest way to do it. Sometimes we pull out Tyson's ear hair ourselves, and othertimes I let the vet or groomer do it.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Connor doesn't have hair in his ears, but Simon does. It amazed me that I pulled the hair out of his ears and he didn't even flinch. He just laid his head down in my lap and let me pull it out. Mind you, Simon is only 8 months old! I remembered seeing my dad do this to the poodles we had growing up. You need to get the hair right at the base and give it a quick, yet firm, pull. Voila!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

We use Epi-Optic on Timbow and it seems to work very well. We bought it at our vet. I do clean his ears once a week though because he tends to get more build up in his left ear and if I wait to long it will become an infection.

[1jdimym3xmdag]

You are so lucky that his ear doesn't bother him. My doodle, Faith had a serious ear infection around 2 yrs. old. The best way I have found to clean her ears is with plain alcohol, cotton balls and q-tips. This is a safe and effective method and used by most groomers. Our vet showed me the technique and ever since, says that Faith's ears look and smell clean and healthy.

[c zoomer]

I'm looking for the previous advice given about ear cleaning product. I noticed that vets are recommending a last clean out with peroxide. That what was used by scuba divers in the 60's. Just took a scuba coarse and it's now not advised. I only used it twice before my ears were filling with water because there was no wax! I hope all of you who have swimming dogs will ask about it at your vets. I know I will when we go next week.