giraffez Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 My vet was telling me today that no one should be plucking the dog's ears (even groomers) because it can cause ear infection. If i don't pluck, is epi- otic ear wash sufficient? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelsophie Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) My vet was telling me today that no one should be plucking the dog's ears (even groomers) because it can cause ear infection. If i don't pluck, is epi- otic ear wash sufficient? I asked my vet about this just over a week ago as my dog has "hairy old man ears". My pup is 13 weeks and the ears had a faint odour (very faint but there). Anyway, my vet had a look see and told me to pluck out the hair showed me where and how. He had waxy stuff and recomended epioptic in his ears twice a week, massage and the wipe with cotton balls the excess and around the ear. She was more concerned about infection if regular ear routine wasnt maintained. Cheers Bec Edited June 13, 2009 by angelsophie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 Opinions are divided on plucking and the use of ear washes. I do pluck the poodles ears.. and they don't get ear infections. I don't use ear washes regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 My vet was telling me today that no one should be plucking the dog's ears (even groomers) because it can cause ear infection. If i don't pluck, is epi- otic ear wash sufficient? Epi otic i wouldnt use & your vet doesnt want you to pluck so they can get good vet bills. Schnauzers need there ears plucked & if you dont there is no point filling them with liquid.The liquid wont get down & it will build up leaving the ear moist & there is the infection. I would ask your vet what they would do if your dog gets a bad ear infection.I dare say the answer will be knock it out & pluck.Hear it all the time . We dont flush our dogs ears out.They are plucked every time we groom & flsuhed out then but we dont do unnecessary ear cleaning & dont use epi otic,it leaves the ears to moist . Discuss this with your breeder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share Posted June 13, 2009 My vet was telling me today that no one should be plucking the dog's ears (even groomers) because it can cause ear infection. If i don't pluck, is epi- otic ear wash sufficient? Epi otic i wouldnt use & your vet doesnt want you to pluck so they can get good vet bills. Schnauzers need there ears plucked & if you dont there is no point filling them with liquid.The liquid wont get down & it will build up leaving the ear moist & there is the infection. I would ask your vet what they would do if your dog gets a bad ear infection.I dare say the answer will be knock it out & pluck.Hear it all the time . We dont flush our dogs ears out.They are plucked every time we groom & flsuhed out then but we dont do unnecessary ear cleaning & dont use epi otic,it leaves the ears to moist . Discuss this with your breeder How much hair do i pluck out? I've been plucking a few out here and there in my grooming sessions with my pup and he doesn't mind it but i don't seem to see reduction in hair! the ear is hairy.... do i pluck all the hair out and is this really necessary or just the bushy stuff. Is there a photo on the net that you can show me what an ideal plucked ear looks like so i have a reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 I have always plucked as much as possible using my fingers, get a pretty clean ear and hair free. One had hairy ears further down and he was a bit harder and did have to be sedated to pluck properly from time to time (hair went all the way to the ear drum!) If not he got ear infections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcop Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I always pluck the ears keep them clean is a lot easier. use your thunb and fore finger and gently pluck hair from ear until clean or dog has had enough. You don't need to make it an unpleasant for the dog. so don't grab too much at once I find that being male helps because our fingers are fatter so we don't tend to probe to deep into the ear thus being able to get too much at a time. I have had dogs that were quite deaf because there was so much hair obstructing the ear canal once plucked and cleaned were very different dogs. Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 It would seem that some vets come by some very strange information - and I don't know where they get it from. I doubt it is from personal experience! I have been plucking my dogs ears, and they get very hairy, for just on 30 years and the ones that I have plucked have NEVER had an ear infection. I did have one that I forgot to pluck and it developed an ear infection - so that does it for me!!! Mine all stand still for their ears to be done. In winter it is just plucking, in summer it is plucking and ear wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 I always pluck the ears keep them clean is a lot easier. use your thunb and fore finger and gently pluck hair from ear until clean or dog has had enough. I've been using a twissers and its worked quite well except i don't see any less hair inside the ear (he seems to be hairy hairy ). I don't think i can pull any out by hand as its slips off - is this really possible? How often should ear plucking be done? Too often and it would cause irritation wouldn't it? It would seem that some vets come by some very strange information - and I don't know where they get it from. I doubt it is from personal experience! What the vet told me is that she has had many cases where the dog gets ear infections from plucking... she she recommended epi otic instead. But as settlvr mentioned, it could get moist inside the ear with the epi otic. I don't want to be pointing scissors inside the ear as it could hurt the dog if he suddenly shakes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 (edited) I use forceps. That way I can get inside the ear low down without hurting the dog. Certainly don't use scissors inside the ear. Edited June 14, 2009 by STITCH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 there was a thread a while back to pluck or not to pluck. There was some pretty good advice re ear care in there, from groomers, breeders and owners who had experienced issues. I pluck where applicable and use diluted malaseb as a cleanser when necessary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 We tried no plucking for our old dog who got frequent ear infections on advice from a vet.. made no difference compared to plucking he still got frequent ear infections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Yep using Forceps blunt end & pluck clean.We only pluck when we clip the ears,We use a #30/40 . Did the breeder pluck its ears when it left?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss B Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 your vet doesnt want you to pluck so they can get good vet bills. I have never known a vet to do such a thing. They'd have to be pretty sadistic to actually want pets to come back unwell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Yep using Forceps blunt end & pluck clean.We only pluck when we clip the ears,We use a #30/40 .Did the breeder pluck its ears when it left?? Breeder demonstrated how to pluck..... it escaped me on the day to ask how clear it should be. How far should i go down. my rule of thumb is as long as the hair is visible, it can be plucked. Is that correct way of doing it. By the way, when my little boy was sleeping tonight, i did try to use my fingers to pluck it out and amazingly it did come out.... i kept thinking it would slip without twissors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 your vet doesnt want you to pluck so they can get good vet bills. I have never known a vet to do such a thing. They'd have to be pretty sadistic to actually want pets to come back unwell. Why do you think they say no plucking??The only way to fix a severe ear infection on a breed like the one in question is two remove the major build up of hair,Vets wont pluck unless knocked out.You cant stick drops down ears that are so impacted with hair. We boarded a dog years ago & also groomed whilst here,We had never done this mini before,We started & something was very odd with the ear,we thought it had a stick stuck there.Straight to the vet who was also puzzled,The dog had to be knocked out.The ears had never been plucked & it ad infections.During this time the crap had set amongst the hair & ended up like a stick.It couldnt be snapped it was so hard. Big vet bill & a very happy dog these owners now also pluck after realising what was cheaper & easier for the dog. Plucking done correctly on the right dogs that need it doesnt cause ear infections. I say ask your vet if they will pluck ears & most say no.Most vets & nurses have no clue how to pluck ears unless knocked out ,just like many wont cut dogs nails because they have no clue. Our vet always said they could never do ears like we can & atleast they where honest. It takes all of 2 mins to pluck,easy peasy. We deal with it with our clients . The most resent is a labradoodle.Vet blamed previous groomer for ear infection ,we have groomed the dog twice in 15 months.They ask us not to pluck ears because there vet said dont do it BUT the vet said it must come to them twice a year to be knocked out & ears plucked Hmm. Another client with 3 schnauzers vet told them the same .All ended up with big ear issues,2/3 had to be knocked out ears plucked .They now come to us every 6 weeks to get the ears done no issues. Vets say it & are also very aware of what the outcome will be ,if they arent aware then there vet skills suck because some breeds do need there ears plucked to minimise issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I use Biogroom ear powder. Dust the hair in the ear with it andyou get good grip with your fingers. Be VERY careful if using tweezers, it only takes the dog to jerk and you can pperforate the eardrum. Pluck out all hair you can reach with your fingers that is growing from the ear canal. My dogs get it done in one session then the air can get into the ear canal. The only time ear cleaner goes into the ear is if there is a lot of wax, if the ears were overdue plucking BUT I don't clean the ears straight after plucking as this is what can sometimes upset the dogs ears and cause owners to take the dog to the vet. Like Sttrlvr I have also had experiences with dogs who haven't been plucked, an OES who had a solid ball of wax and hair blocking the ear which meant he had to be knoked out to have the ears cleaned. A shih tzu whose previous groomer hadn't plucked - nasty tempered dog!! Not surprised when I saw the state of his ears! Once he'd had them pplucked and cleaned, by the next groom he was a much nicer dog and his ears were so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) Becks. I love your new icon! So am i right to say if i can see it, i can pluck it.... as a measure of not going too far inside? I can see hair deep inside the hole and not sure whether I should pull it out. Is it better and less irritable for the dog if i do a bit at a time over several days or simply all in one go and don't need to touch it again for a while? Edited June 15, 2009 by giraffez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I'd do it all in one day but don't worry if there are a few hairs left in, the idea is to allow the air to get in there. That's Grace my youngster on the beach the other week. Bigger version of it in the breed thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) My vet was telling me today that no one should be plucking the dog's ears (even groomers) because it can cause ear infection. If i don't pluck, is epi- otic ear wash sufficient? Latest research from a top Dermatologist Vet (can't remember name), is that plucking is a no go. It aggravates the capillaries and may cause irritation or infection. A lot of vets are moving with this information, as obviously they all read the same studies and there was a lecture given in the past 12 months on this in Sydney. Think yourself lucky that you have a vet who is open to new information. I've gone with a happy medium and none of my clients dogs have suffered since some of the ear hair has grown back. I would also steer clear of Epi Otic. I know one of Oz's top groomers (MG) no longer advocates plucking along with well known vets. I think you'll find this is the way that it goes over the next few years. I would say more and more new groomers won't pluck as this is the way they will be trained. Edited June 15, 2009 by Clyde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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