What instructions to give to Groomer - ear infection after last groom :(

[gigi d]

Hi!

Graycie is due for a groom soon...after her 1st groom she got an ear infection the next day (coincidental or not?!)....anyway, when bringing her should I ask the groomer NOT to trim any hairs in her ears?  not get them wet?  I want to avoid any future ear infections if possible because the whole antibiotic treatment for it messed up her tummy and eating for weeks!  Now that she's back on track, it's time for a groom and I'm worried it'll happen again.

So, any tips for me to tell the groomer would be so appreciated...anything I should do for her ears after...like drops?

Thank you!!!

[Judith and Addie]

I am not certain of other's experience, but wherever I have taken my doodle to be groomed, they pluck the hair in her ears. They should not be putting water into them. You want them to take the hair out of her ears, and you also want them to groom her to create  channels under her ears to allow better ear flow. Both help to keep the ear infection rate down.

Let them know that she is susceptible to ear infections. If you are worried, you can ask the vet about whether you should clean your pup's ears regularly (you can do this yourself and there are videos on the web but ask your vet first). Also, ask your vet whether you should use one of the products developed for use after swimming to remove moisture.

BTW, she is a cutie!

[Laura and Angus]

I don't know your pup, but poodles often need their ears cleaned regularly and those who develop very thick hair in their ears can become more prone to ear infections without regular cleaning - this is done with a special solution and cottonballs (ask your vet to show you how to do it if you're not familiar).

That being said - with a doodle you may or may not have a pup with very "poodle-y" ears. We certainly do. I had a standard poodle for 15 years, so I'm familiar with how to clean out our pup's ears and do it maybe once a month at this point - usually when we groom/wash our pup. I've also recently been learning how to clean the hair out of our pup's ears since my fiancé and I are doing the grooming ourselves these days. If you have a dog that doesn't have very poodle-y ears - meaning they aren't really growing thick hair in there, then you may not need to have the hair removed. The groomer wouldn't trim the hair in the ear - they remove it. This is done with a special ear powder and then you use a hemostat (or some use their fingers somehow idk) to remove the hair at the root. It basically just pulls out...

I'm thinking you should talk with your vet about the infection and learn how to clean out your pup's ears with the solution/cotton balls and perhaps tell your groomer not to clean out the ears for now. Now sure what happened there, but it's likely not a coincidence ...

[Teresa Joyce]

It is very unlikely that an ear infection would show up the next day -ear infections take time to occur.  It's possible that the infection was already there and after removing the hair, it was more evident.  You can let your groomer know that you pup is susceptible to ear infection and ask them to put cotton in your pups ears  when they are bathing - that might help as well.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I groom my own dogs, and have never removed the hair inside their ears. My vet has said that often times the ears can look like they have a lot of hair in them, but if it doesn't go down into the canal, it's better to leave it alone. Removing hair can cause more irritation within the ear, and makes it a prime setup for yeast and bacteria. He said the most important thing is regular cleaning with a product like Virbac Epi Otic that has a drying agent in it, especially after bathing. 

I've always used Epi Otic after bathing them, except for this last time. What a HUGE mistake! It was horribly humid outside and BOTH of my dogs ended up with red, itchy and gunky ears the very next day. I knew it had to be yeast from the humidity, so I was able to treat them myself. I learned my lesson!

So, to answer your question, I would ask the groomer to leave the ear hair alone, and check to see if she uses a cleaner with a drying agent. If not, you'll want to buy your own anyway so that you can clean them periodically. And, next time you take Graycie to your vet, ask him/her if you even need to have the ear hair removed in the first place.