Cleaning Ears

[Tilly]

1:50 is something like 1ml of Malaseb to 50ml of water.

After you have massaged the ears the dog will shake their head removing a lot of the liquid etc. I let them have a shake and then wipe the ear out with a moist cotton square (you can use the same solution mix).

[Leema]

Thanks so much for the link Leema. I am watching the video now, it is very helpful!

No worries husky. Hope you can give it a go once she comes back from boarding.

Well wishes for Daisy on the tablets.

[arby]

lucky you have a smaller sized dog...

Humphrey always gets the yeast ear infections...it takes 2 of us to hold him down to give the antibiotic drops when it gets real bad.

These days we limited his grain and cereal dietary intake as it can make his ears worse...also use cotton bud with methylated spirits to clean his ears, works great and evaporates quickly. It also helps to dry the ear out which helps stop the yeast from growing as it needs a damp environment.

Here's a tip, when you clean the ears if they are either light browny in colour or yellowish and they smell really sickly sweet it usually means yeast. In this case cut out grains and cereals from her diet. Also if its severe get antibiotics. If you give her oral antibiotics good idea to either give her an accidophilus supplement or some natural yoghurt to restore the good gut bacteria.

[Poodle wrangler]

1:50 is something like 1ml of Malaseb to 50ml of water.

After you have massaged the ears the dog will shake their head removing a lot of the liquid etc. I let them have a shake and then wipe the ear out with a moist cotton square (you can use the same solution mix).

YES!

I use about 5 good drops on a miniature poodle's ears- should be enough that you get that "squishing" noise when you massage the base of the ear, but no need to drown the ears.

eta: If in doubt, have them checked at the vet. You don't want to be squirting solution into a burst eardrum.

Edited October 31, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[mic-mic]

Hi everyone

Daisy my beagle has very dirty ears. Naturally being a beagle or a breed with ears that hang over this is not uncommon. However, I have been given medicated ear cleaning solution from the vet and bought stuff from my pet supplies shop to clean her ears with.... the problem being she goes psycho at the slightest hint of solution in her ear.

It has gotten so bad I can't even lift her ear up (have tried cleaning it with a cotton wool pad soaked in solution) without her running away or struggling.

This has been happening since the first time I tried to put a drop of cleaning solution in her ear, as soon as it was in she ran around the house crying and wailing (it would literally have been a couple of drops).

Is there another approach? I have tried getting her and forcing it in, getting her when she is calm and relaxed and giving her a treat for it. She won't even come near me if she sees the ear cleaning stuff - she actually chewed the bottle the other day!! As I said she won't even let me lift her ear up even if I don't have the ear cleaning bottle.

Her ears are so dirty that they are even a bit smelly I don't want them to get infected - help!

Hi you could try using aristopet ear wipes they worked for me.My dog has big floppy ears and he gets a bit grubby at times.We get our stuff from www.woofwhistlepurr.com.au they have various good quality stuff

[Erny]

Is it possible that your dog actually has a perforated ear drum/s? Did your Vet actually do a thorough investigation/examination of her ears?

If your dog has a perforated ear drum you should never put liquid down into the ear canal.

I'm not saying this is the case for Daisy, but there is a possibility that this could be a reason why she is objecting so badly to the treatment.

My girl was exceptionally sensitive to one ear more than the other (it caused her pain). I could not use normal ear cleaners with her and I refrained from pouring the liquid into her ears. I used to use cotton balls soaked (and then squeezed out to damp) in white vinegar (diluted with a small amount of water). This served well for general maintenance.

[huski]

Thanks for the tips everyone!!

Is it possible that your dog actually has a perforated ear drum/s? Did your Vet actually do a thorough investigation/examination of her ears?

If your dog has a perforated ear drum you should never put liquid down into the ear canal.

I'm not saying this is the case for Daisy, but there is a possibility that this could be a reason why she is objecting so badly to the treatment.

My girl was exceptionally sensitive to one ear more than the other (it caused her pain). I could not use normal ear cleaners with her and I refrained from pouring the liquid into her ears. I used to use cotton balls soaked (and then squeezed out to damp) in white vinegar (diluted with a small amount of water). This served well for general maintenance.

Erny, the vet had actually sedated her so he could do a really thorough clean and examination so I would assume he would have noticed if there was a bigger problem. I will definately ask him about perforated ear drums when she goes back to get her ears checked up on.

[pie]

Hi you could try using aristopet ear wipes they worked for me.My dog has big floppy ears and he gets a bit grubby at times.We get our stuff from www.woofwhistlepurr.com.au they have various good quality stuff

Plugging your own shop, very classy

Hope she feels better after having her ears cleaned out, Husky.

I hate the feeling of ear drops too

Poor Daisy

[poodlemum]

Husky - Harrison recently had a very mucky sore ear - turned out to be a yeast infection - the vet sedated him & cleaned it right out & then we treated it with Surolan (he had a perforated ear drum as well) After about a week and a half of treatment the ear was clean & the ear drum healed. Harrison hated me touching his ear when he had the infection but, now that it is clean, doesn't mind at all - I check it out every day & he is quite happy for me to do so. I'm sure your vet would have mentioned it if your dog had a perforated ear drum, but it's not the end of the world - they do heal.

[LouiseBrooks]

1:50 is something like 1ml of Malaseb to 50ml of water.

After you have massaged the ears the dog will shake their head removing a lot of the liquid etc. I let them have a shake and then wipe the ear out with a moist cotton square (you can use the same solution mix).

lucky you have a smaller sized dog...

These days we limited his grain and cereal dietary intake as it can make his ears worse...also use cotton bud with methylated spirits to clean his ears, works great and evaporates quickly. It also helps to dry the ear out which helps stop the yeast from growing as it needs a damp environment.

Here's a tip, when you clean the ears if they are either light browny in colour or yellowish and they smell really sickly sweet it usually means yeast. In this case cut out grains and cereals from her diet. Also if its severe get antibiotics. If you give her oral antibiotics good idea to either give her an accidophilus supplement or some natural yoghurt to restore the good gut bacteria.

Thanks for that Tilly this I will make up tonight.

Arby that was the colour of his wax and I was thinking he does not get cereal.

but yes he does in those dog treats so I have cut them out as well.

Thank you so much for all this great advice.

[huski]

Daisy comes home tomorrow so I can check out her ear again, fingers crossed it is nice and clean and yeast free

[poodlemum]

You would probably eed to keep an eye on Daisy's ears in future - dogs with droopy ears are more prone to yeast infections and general ear problems (same with Poodles)

[huski]

You would probably eed to keep an eye on Daisy's ears in future - dogs with droopy ears are more prone to yeast infections and general ear problems (same with Poodles)

Yeah I know, when she gets home I am going to try and desensitize her although I don't think it is going to be easy LOL.

[huski]

Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know Daisy has not been as touchy about her ears since she got home yesterday. I think it helps that the infection is gone, they must feel much less sore. I will keep an eye on it (obviously) and keep trying to desensitize her to having her ears cleaned.

[arby]

glad to see the little girl doing better. Good luck with it all...

other tips

*try not to use freezing cold solution to clean the ears

*if they're shaking their head alot and rubbing it against everything probably means irritation/infection

Its always good to know what the dogs ears are like normally. Thin or thick...earwax colour, they shouldnt have a smell do them. If any of that changes then there might be a problem you need to look at

[kermat]

Turns out Judd (who I think sounds like he is Daisy's evil twin!!) has a mild ear infection now, hubby and I noticed his ears were a little gunky and smelly so we've been cleaning them out ourselves, but a checkup at the vets yesterday said infection. So now we've got to put drops in his ears twice a day for 10 days - and he DOES NOT likey very muchy!!

Poor little guy, I hate having to hold him down while he's struggling so that we can get these drops in, I wish there was some way we could tell him its for his own good!!!