Ear Infections

[Lucy's Mom from GA]

I seriously need help. Lucy has had a severe infection in both ears, in one and then the other. Vet says it's from her hair, the groomer says she gets all that she can get. He recommends putting to sleep and removing more hair. I declined that decision. He has me spraying daily and cleaning with some solution and cotton pads every 3 days. Lucy runs whens she sees us coming at her with the bottles and pads. Is there anything else I can do. She is so miserable and I don't think my vet really is taking this in the right direction. Expense and etc. Is there some sort of powder, other solution I could use and is it from the hair and/or food.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I would not anesthetize her to remove hair because it's an ongoing problem and you can't keep doing that! I think you need to thoroughly clean the ears once a week after the infection is cleared with the appropriate medication depending on whether she has a yeast or bacterial infection. My favorite cleaner is no loner made but people have used others with success. I suggest searching the forum discussions. some people pluck hair and some don't. in part it depends on how much hair is in the ear canal and personal preference. Treating Lucy when you try to clean her ears or just afterward may help her realize it's not so bad, particularly when the ears are no longer inflamed and sensitive.

[Kyoko]

Charlie hated the blue solution that vet gave us. She used to run away from us as soon as she saw the bottles just like your Lucy. I did not want to fight with her and make it a bad experience for her since it is going to be on-going. I got her the herbal / natural kind, and cleaning pads instead of putting the solution into the ears to clean them out. She does not seem to mind this method / natural solutions as much. As a matter of fact, she likes her ears being wiped out with the pads. I think it is less shocking than liquid being pour down your ear all of a sudden...
I have the groomer pluck her ears since they get hairy.

[Lorraine Bromley]

If you flip up her ear and look into the ear is all the visable canal plucked? I had to do Neelys after he grew a forest over night in there. I use ear cleaner, massage the ears with it in there. It feels funny to them so make it an attention thing for them as you play with the base of her ears. Let her shake them as needed it helps move the dirt out of the deep canal. Then use a makeup remover swab and wipe it out and stick your finger in there and get as deep in with the swab as possible. After they are clean sprinkle ear powder in the ears to help keep them dry and get rid of the moisture the bacteria love so much. Then have a petting session relaxing her into your knee then focus on her head area, having all the tools set up with in reach so you don't have to move and go get something and have ot reposition her. Then go in and start to grab the canal hair that is right there all visable as soon as you flip the ear open. Just use your thumb and forefinger and grab and pull like your tweezing. Do it quickly. take a petting break and keep going until that is all gone so that you van see the whole inside of the ear. You don't need to get everyhair just the ones that aare blocking good air flow into the deep canal. Then I think he is thinking that the ear hair that is her pproblem is in the deep canal. you can't see into. There you need to be sure she doesn't move so either have her to the point she is ok with each step so far or have someone helping with positioning and comforting. Then I get a good flashlight that focuses a beam into the deep canal. This takes fliping the ear open and grasping the front outside and the other side into a position that naturally opens the canal. It is really hard to see down there, If you can see in there and there is hair that is what you will need to have removed. I was shocked as I just saw a few sprigs sticking out then started to use a tweezer to pull those out and a small nest came out with extremely loong strands covered in dark waxy dirt. The trick is that you have to see the canal opening long enough to see the hair then go back in blocking your light to get the hair by feel so that you get the hair not the skin. Check with a light until you can't see hair anymore. Some times there is more there and the dog is done with all this business. She will shake her head like crazy for awhile after each session. The first time I started in to this I spread it out over a week. Now it is a session one day maybe two if alot of deep canal hair is in there again. Then I finish with a cleaning solution. Next day check for dirt expelled from the cleaning solution wipe it out then reapply the powder to keep it dry till next week. I treat during if needed and also make a big deal and lots of treats and excitement when we're done. She thinks she won a prize after its all over anything she wants, she will get to be less concerned with it. But I bet it would take her alot longer steps to get to full relaxation to get this done. Maybe if necessary a half a graval to relax her with lots of slow positive reactions intersperced with cleaning. Until you get to the stage yoou can do it all in one sitting with out meds. Ask your groomer what she thinks. Not likely will agree with me and doing my own with tweezers though.

[StaceyW]

so is there not supposed to be any dark icky wax in there for the ear to be considered clean?

[Lorraine Bromley]

I think each animals normal colour is theirs. Neely's is dark. I get all of it out after each cleaning though. I think as lond as it doesn't smell its ok.

[Kyoko]

I wipe out as much wax as possible , too.

[Mommy2Max]

People rave about Zymox. That being said, if ear hair is the problem, it may only be a temporary solution.