To pluck or not to pluck that is the question

[Lori Ann Padgett]

when we got Harper she had trouble with ear infections. Both ears were extremely itchy and she was miserable! Her first visit I took her to the vet and she looked inside her ears but neither of them were red or looked like she had an infection. When she went in the following week for her shots another vet said the same thing but she actually saw an infection and swabbed Harpers ears! They said it would be a good idea to pluck them. She actually stopped itching and her ears stopped bothering her. This was about a month + ago. Now that the hairs grown back she has another ear infecting. I was thinking on having her ears plucked again but I keep reading its not a good thing to do! To pluck or not to pluck that is the question!

[Dori Shults]

I have found that eliminating grain from their diet helps a lot!!! If you can keep the hair clipped short and combed out of the ear that will help too. Otherwise if there is a lot of hair you will have to pluck it.

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

I have quite a bit of experience with this as I have one doodle with problematic ears and one with ears that are as pristine as they come. The treatment is as individual as they are. I have had vets tell me to pluck and some have said not to pluck. some have told me hair build up will cause ear infections and others have said that plucking will cause ear infections. I have been instructed many times in the proper technique of pulling ear hair and have gone with what works best for he and I and do it slowly, gradually and sparingly. He has had infections when I've plucked, when I've not plucked and when I've taken lots of hair out or taken very little hair out. I have poured thousands of dollars worth of cleaning and drying solutions down his ear canals and with vet bills combined. After all this, I have found that if the ears are hairy and get wet even once, we are headed towards an infection. Morale of the story is you have to do what works best for you and your doodle and get to know the signs of infection early and how to treat it. Hairy ears that get black gunk and smell, need to be treated.