# Ear Trouble!



## suzanne101 (Jul 18, 2010)

Hi i have a 4 month old mini poodle called dougal an he had very waxy ears ever since i got him but i have been regular cleaning and pluckin myself an with groomer but in past week he has been excessivly shakin his head so i took him to the vet an he gave him drops but said there is still hair deep into ear canal an would need sedation to gove them a good flush out as its difficult to do in a normal state! i had this same op on my toy poodle tilly who is 2 now when sje was about 6 months but i cant really remember that far back as to how she was but she has not has a bit off trouble since touch wood! has anyone had same trouble or advoce etc? i hate seein my boy uncomfortable...he is booked in for 2moro morning


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

No way I would pay a vet to sedate my dog and pluck the hair out of the ears. Poodles have hair in their ears. Period. I don't think it needs to be obsessively plucked. In fact, I find the hair in the ears very useful for keeping out water when they swim.

It sounds like your dog has an ear infection. This can be treated with products like Otomax. Poodles sometimes get infections. If, however, your dog seems to have recurring ear infections or excessive/consistant goo in the ears, I would suspect that your dog has some sort of food allergy. I've found that chicken (along with poultry fat and meal) is a common allergen in Poodles.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

Even with all the ear infections Kodi has had, he has never been sedated to just pluck/clean ears. They plucked very well when he was neutered... but he was under anyway.

Right now I'm treating an ear infection and we're only treating with an antifungal and daily cleanings.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Weird question, but what do you feed?

I had to be super vigilant with ears on my mini when he was a pup, cleaning every other day, until I switched his food to Orijen. No idea if the food had an affect or if he just grew out of it, but he had mucky ears from about 4-6 months, and absolutely nothing since. I clean once a week, just for the joy of it, but never get much out.


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## suzanne101 (Jul 18, 2010)

Hi the sedation isnt to clean an pluck its to flush out the ear canals...not somethin that can be down at home or performed by anyone other than a vet! and i fed them both on james wellbeloved as it really only thing that works on my toy but i no it might not necessarily work for my mini but other then their dried food an various doggy treat they get NO human food whatsoever! the vet said he had an infection an i am applying drops twice a day as instructed to do so! but i really am torn should i jus hold out an keep cleaning or relieve him with what the vet suggested!


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## bluespoomommy (Feb 25, 2010)

if you look up some other threads regarding ear problems - you will see a lot of people mention the blue power ear treatment. swear it works! If the ear is excessively waxy it's probably mites or yeast. either way, i believe the blue power will work for mites too. add some yogurt into the diet to help counteract the yeast and remove any grains from the diet too. twice daily cleanings with blue power for at least 2 weeks will likely do the trick.

but please make sure the vet has ruled out a bacterial infection before you proceed with my suggestion! you probably don't need to put your dog under for an ear cleaning - that sounds excessive.


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## spoowhisperer (Apr 26, 2010)

Blue powder solution can work in many circumstances, but you shouldn't use if your dog has any raw areas in the ear. Read up on how to use it so it will be most effective if you choose this route.
My standard Ellie has had chronic ear infections much of her life. She also grows TONS of hair in her ears. The pluck or no pluck debate I feel depends on the dog. My dogs are in the water all summer, and if I don't keep her canals hair free, all that hair prevents the ears from drying out well. Some dogs just have more hair! 
I don't like the idea of sedating a dog to pluck hair. Do you have a good relationship with your vet? Do you feel you can discuss this and express your not comfortable with this and would like to try something else?


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

I agree with the above advice!

I definitely suspect a food allergy. :/


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## stephanielauger (Aug 30, 2010)

I think sedation is something to very very wary about, but I had to have it done for August because his ear infections were out of control... It is done under light aenthesia, just to make them groggy, so not as dangerous, but still scary. Now that we have them under control, we only have the hair plucked by the groomer. Changing his food to a grain free (but lower protien) also helped a lot, with his ears and also his itchy skin.


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## pudlemom (Apr 16, 2010)

I struggled with ear infection with my boy Luke for 2 1/2 half years I had him to 4 different vets numerous times, each time it was try this try that,too much hair,food allergies they just kept throwing different meds and flushes at me. 
Finally on vet number 4 that actually listen to me explaining every thing that I had been thru meds,flushes,food that was this free and that free she said why don't we send out a culture and grow it and see what exactly we are dealing with hallelujah someone listen to me. 3 days later I had the results it was a bacteria infection along with yeast. It took a month to clear up with antibiotics,drops and daily cleanings but we have been infection free for 2 month now after a 2 1/2 year battle. 
I joke now and call it my million dollar ear but it was not so funny for poor Luke that had to suffer for so long because not one of the other vets really listened to me it was a very frustrating for me but I am so glad that it is over now and should it come back I know what to treat it with.

I would not let them put my dog out in less I knew for sure what you are dealing with first,IMO it is not necessary you might ask them to culture your baby's ear first to see what it is. I have had very yucky ears with Luke and was always able to clean them out myself with out putting him under to do it, this it just my opinion but I have have been dealing with this ear thing for quite sometime good luck I wish your baby a speed recovery.


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## suzanne101 (Jul 18, 2010)

Hi jus thought i would update u all....i think it was mentioned above but it wasnt sedtaion as such it was to make him groggy an easier worked with but they did establish it was ear mites and bad infection but he had a few drops also an after about 4 days he was back to himslef with sqeaky clean so im jus bein extra careful an checkin all the time....also changed his diet to b on safe side to a special diet of 'burns' dried food an he is munchin it like a trooper! success


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

I ALMOST had a dog put to sleep....I was so at my wits end and so BROKE. Literally thousands of dollars in my black poodles ears.

This was what everyone told me..."You have a POODLE! Learn to deal with that. They ALL have horrible ears. After hearing it for so long, I went to yet another vet.....for an opinion on either euthanasia or a cure...a mean a CURE, not another ointment. So he was the first vet to listen to me and wanted ALL other vet records faxed to him immediately. He observed that not ONE, no other vets performed a culture. It took about 8 days till the results came back and she was prescibed the PROPER medications which she took as directed and it WORKED. Once the ears were healed from the inside, the hair didn't hurt to be plucked,....no flinching and screaming like before. Finding a vet is crucial but so it getting off cheap dog food. I have never had a single solitary ear problem since then and I have 6 poodles and 2 poo mixes.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

I am consistently struggling with my girl Anessa's ears.. She produces massive brownish discharge inspite of my cleaning it the previous day.
The amount produced is alarming to me, but yet there is no smelly odour.

My vet and I found that her ear canals are way too tiny and small and the opening does not let enough air to circulate inside the ear.

I tried now to change her food from grain to grain free using Acana for her instead of Salm Veg. (Fromm) and I am waiting to see if this workd.

But most likely I will have to have her undergo surgery to open the ear and allow more air in it.

I know of someone who did this surgery to their poodle and the problems was rectified almost immediately.

Do any of you know abaout this procedure or have ever done it to your dog?

Any info would help. Thanks


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