# Ears



## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

Man I hope that she didn't use hair remover in his ears!! I had this happen to Harry one time I took him to get a groom and they use liquid hair remover to get the hair out of his ears! I was so pissed off I should have chewed them out but I just never went back there. He ended up with an ear infection and needed antibiotics. Since then I've never allowed hair pulling in the ears and he hasn't had problems with them.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

KPoos said:


> Man I hope that she didn't use hair remover in his ears!! I had this happen to Harry one time I took him to get a groom and they use liquid hair remover to get the hair out of his ears! I was so pissed off I should have chewed them out but I just never went back there. He ended up with an ear infection and needed antibiotics. Since then I've never allowed hair pulling in the ears and he hasn't had problems with them.


GASP! Some put hair remover on their ears? Wow.

Are the ears pink or red? If so it may have burned him....I would contact the groomer and ask them about it.


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

Olie said:


> GASP! Some put hair remover on their ears? Wow.
> 
> Are the ears pink or red? If so it may have burned him....I would contact the groomer and ask them about it.


YES! And Harry's were red and when we took him to the vet he knew right away because when a groomer pulls hair there is always hair left behind. They cannot get every single hair. This was slick clean and he had seen it before I guess. I wish I would have taken the vet bill to them and made them pay for it the jerks!


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## Kargonet (Jan 5, 2010)

After doing some research on what she was calling it I found it. It's called Epi-Otic but it doesn't dissolve the hair, it's just a **** cleaner outer. 

We finally got him to play a little bit and he was more like his old self. I guess maybe he's just cold. Normally he loves the cold but today (I live in Central West Texas) it's in the teens. Shouldn't have cut him so short I suppose. My fault, I didn't realize how short it would be when I told her.

Hoping he feels better tomorrow. Maybe I need to go buy him a sweater or a coat to wear until it warms up.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

I hope so too. He does look good, I think - pretty face!


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## Poodlepal (Nov 1, 2009)

Sometimes just plucking the ears can cause an ear infection. Any time you are pulling hair out you are opeinig a hair follicle for possible infection. I had a dog once that would get an ear infection if you did not pluck his ears because of all the hair, but he would always get one AFTER plucking. No win situation. Also some dogs have reactions to some ear cleaners. Look in that ear and see if it looks red or inflamed or has a smell. If so, get it to the vet pronto.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

When I got Vinnie, his breeder told me that his grandmother would always get infections any time her ears were plucked, so she stopped plucking on all her dogs and just started shaving the inside of the ears and if there is a "wick" of hair she'll pluck that, but leaves the rest alone. I told her I would give that a try when I got Vin and so far it's worked. I just keep his ears clean with a 50/50 mixture of alcohol/vinegar.


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

AgilityIG said:


> When I got Vinnie, his breeder told me that his grandmother would always get infections any time her ears were plucked, so she stopped plucking on all her dogs and just started shaving the inside of the ears and if there is a "wick" of hair she'll pluck that, but leaves the rest alone. I told her I would give that a try when I got Vin and so far it's worked. I just keep his ears clean with a 50/50 mixture of alcohol/vinegar.


That alcohol/vinegar mixture is amazing. It really cleans up the ears and is inexpensive.


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## 814 (Jul 3, 2009)

AgilityIG said:


> When I got Vinnie, his breeder told me that his grandmother would always get infections any time her ears were plucked, so she stopped plucking on all her dogs and just started shaving the inside of the ears and if there is a "wick" of hair she'll pluck that, but leaves the rest alone. I told her I would give that a try when I got Vin and so far it's worked. I just keep his ears clean with a 50/50 mixture of alcohol/vinegar.


Same here. I just shave the inside of the ears, and keep them clean. No more problems. Ginger used to get them every time her her ears were plucked, so no plucking for her.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

I have been hearing that more and more from people - their holistic vets are not recommending plucking (unless there is a problem). So far, I'm very happy with Vinnie's ears.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I have a client with a toy poodle who has had an ear infection ever since I started grooming her over a year ago. Whenever she brings her to me she'll say "Make sure to get her ear hair" the poor dogs ears are so infected there isn't even any hair to pluck. =/ I keep telling her to just take the dog to the vet, but I don't think she has..

I think I'm going to do the shaving the inside with my spoo, I've seen the inside of the ears of the line I'm getting him from and it doesn't grow in very thick to begin with.


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## Mj's Legacy (Dec 19, 2009)

Ears can be an issue for some of the poodles. Keep an eye on the ears, the color and the smell. Be mindful as to what you put into the ear, you can cause a reaction. If the ears are just irritated you my be able to get tri top to calm the ears. I work for a vet and see many dogs come in just after coming from the groomer..Be sure and talk with your doctor before putting any fluid in the ears. You could be causing more of a problem.


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## thestars (May 2, 2009)

Great cleaning and ear infection cure for many years and for many breeders has been Blue Power. I swear by it and it works better then some of the prescription drugs that are so costly. I use a half alcohol, half Witch Hazel formula.
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/Adobe/Blue%20Power%20Ear%20Treatment.pdf


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## 814 (Jul 3, 2009)

I second that. My cocker mix used to get bad earinfections and that was the only thing that cleared him up. I was taking him to the vet getting meds and then when the meds ran out the ear infections just came back, until I used Blue Power, now when he get the occaional ear infection I treat it early and it goes right away. He is also an alergy dog and switching to raw food really helped his ears, skin, breath, etc...


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

yup, generally if it ain't broke, don't fix it! I shave out a lot of dogs ears rather than plucking them, cos they've had such a bad time with getting them plucked bald before that they hate it now and it's nigh impossible to get near them otherwise! Shave 'em and pluck lightly perhaps, but no need to have them slicked out!!
I rarely pluck Paris' ears much, I just pull a little every now and again, and keep them clean. I did get the forceps down there last week though cos there was a nice long dark bit I could see, and sure enough I hooked it and gently pulled it out, it was like 2 inches long but only about 20 hairs in total. lol! Otherwise I just pluck lightly to keep 'em open, but she never grows a carpet in there anyway.


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## dazydaizee (Nov 24, 2009)

I personally don't pluck my poo mix's ears because there's not much in there and they're in good shape. A huge factor with ear infections is food. Usually hair is a very minute factor. As far as clients' dogs, I pluck enough to allow air flow in those that have been plucked in the past. There are a few I do not pluck and a few that have such huge amounts of hair in their ears that it matts.
I plucked a Lagotto Romagnolo's ears today. He's never in good shape and his ear hair & ear wax/gunk had matted into an oblong clump that filled the entire ear canal. Horrible. Obviously it was necessary to pluck. 
Overplucking can cause ear infections (inflammation from the plucking can be a perfect opening for bacteria), but lack of air flow offers a moist, warm environment for yeast & bacteria to grow. So, in my opinion, minimal plucking is usually best. And I typically shave out what I can and a good amount of the inner flap depending on the dog (breed, history of ear infections, current ear infections) to allow for more airflow. Then I'll pluck enough to allow adequate air flow into the ear canal.


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## bigredpoodle (Sep 13, 2009)

thestars said:


> Great cleaning and ear infection cure for many years and for many breeders has been Blue Power. I swear by it and it works better then some of the prescription drugs that are so costly. I use a half alcohol, half Witch Hazel formula.
> http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/Adobe/Blue%20Power%20Ear%20Treatment.pdf


The blue powder is the magic cure in our house too. We do not pluck we do shave around the ear and if there is EVER a problem we use the blue ear powder treatment....We have found this to be the end all be all....


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## riopup (Dec 14, 2009)

Is the vin/alc mix better than getting an "ear cleaner"? Do you fill the ear up and let them shake it out?? I've been using these "ear wipes" but I don't think they can really get it all since they can only go where my fingers can! Been looking for a good gentle but get the job done ear cleaner


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## dazydaizee (Nov 24, 2009)

If the ears are inflamed and sore I would imagine an alcohol based cleaner would burn.. But if you use a cleaner to pour into the ear canal it should have a drying agent (like alcohol) so that the ear doesn't retain excess moisture making the problem worse.
I would only pour a solution into the ear of a dog with an ear infection or a LOT of debris deep in the ear canal. The canal is L-shaped, so you're right, you can't reach all the way down with a wipe, however if the dog isn't having issues, you might cause more damage by pouring solution in. It can cause excess shaking and scratching which can lead to inflammation in the ear and allow bacteria and/or yeast to thrive.
Especially if your dog has yeast problems with the ears then it makes sense to use a solution with vinegar to change the pH of the canal creating a less ideal place for yeast & bacteria to thrive. But if your dog's ears are doing well and there's just some normal waxy discharge, an ear wipe or swab soaked in cleaner is a much better route.
If your dog does have chronic ear infections I would evaluate the food he's eating before anything else.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

riopup said:


> Is the vin/alc mix better than getting an "ear cleaner"? Do you fill the ear up and let them shake it out?? I've been using these "ear wipes" but I don't think they can really get it all since they can only go where my fingers can! Been looking for a good gentle but get the job done ear cleaner


I love the Vinegar/Alcohol mixture. I would not use it if Vinnie's ears were sore. The ONE time he had an infection (my fault - forgot the cotton for his ears when bathing and he got water in one ear) I treated the ear for a week and THEN cleaned it.

I don't fill the ear canal - I just soak a cotton ball and use that to clean his ears, then use a dry cotton ball to wip them out.


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## redcricket (Dec 5, 2009)

We do very minimal plucking here, and as far as cleansers, we use Zymox cleanser, and if she seems to get smelly, itchy ears we use the Zymox drops. So far that method has been working great for us!


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## giantpoodlekisses (Jan 3, 2010)

I just do my own. I use the ear powder for dogs. Just put a little in when he's in my lap and and pull the hairs with my fingers. I don't get every single hair but a pretty good bit, enough to keep things going smoothly.


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## trj602 (Nov 27, 2009)

gingersnap said:


> Same here. I just shave the inside of the ears, and keep them clean. No more problems. Ginger used to get them every time her her ears were plucked, so no plucking for her.


What do you use to shave the inside of ears? A human nose/ear hair trimmer?


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

I just use my regular clippers with a 15 blade (usually). Last time I groomed Vinnie, my big clippers were out of comission, so used my Wahl Mini Arco (it has a 30 blade) and that works really well too.


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## bigredpoodle (Sep 13, 2009)

That is how I do it as well. I use the blue ear stuff and find that it works great.. I use a regular 15 to shave the hair around the ear and in the ear itself..


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

I also use a 30 on the real 'carpet ears' that mini schnauzers grow... lol!


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

flyingduster said:


> I also use a 30 on the real 'carpet ears' that mini schnauzers grow... lol!


Thats a good name for it... LoL. 

I'm a plucker as far as client dogs go BUT I don't pluck extra full or extra dirty ears I refer to the vet for that because for the same reason already posted about causing ear infections. I've seen more hairy infected ears than I have seen plucked infected ears. In fact I've never seen a plucked ear get infected from plucking alone, but I know it can happen. I don't do my girls all that often, monthly maybe to keep junk from building up in the ear hair and I never pluck an ear bald if that makes sense. I get whats in the way of air flow only. I have clients complain about it as a matter of fact, I don't pluck enough hair. If you don't like me, go elsewhere  

Unless I am for some reason trying to flush one of my own dogs ears I NEVER put ear cleaner down into an ear. I always put it on a cotton ball or swab and clean that way. With the exception perhaps of the ear powder I don't put anything down into an ear that I cannot get back out. No way to get a liquid back out so on a cotton ball it goes. Some probably drips down the ear I suppose but that not the same thing as filling up the ear canal with it. 

Ears are one of those subjects though I notice, there are 100 different right answers  Kind of like food.


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

A quick question about Blue Power Ear Treatment. For those who use it, how do you warm it up. The article says to warm up as directed, but I didn't find the directions.


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## Mj's Legacy (Dec 19, 2009)

I have never used ear powder for treatment. I've only used cleaner (epi odic or malceb) and an ear ointment for treatment. Be sure what you are treating, even with products from the doctor it could be the wrong product for the current problem.


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