Bronxie Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 Elle (a cocker spaniel) has always had ear problems since she was a pup. For the past 3 days I've been having to clean her right ear everyday because she always has wax buildup in it. And it smells. My mom and I never see her scratching her ear or anything. Can this be an ear infection? And if so, is there anything I can do to help before I take her to the vet? :cry: Quote
Angelboddy Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 I know in Shih Tzus that they grow hair in there ears, and if you do not pluck all the hair out of their ears then they can get an infection and wax can build up to where it stinks. I'm not sure about cocker spanials. But does she have a lot of hair in her ears? I would go to the vet first and get his opinion about her ears. Good luck and please let us know how it goes. Quote
Bronxie Posted June 14, 2003 Author Posted June 14, 2003 Yeah she has hair in the inner sides of her ears. I would never pluck them though. :oops: I'd feel too bad. :cry: Quote
Angelboddy Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 I'm talking about the inner ear part, like by the canals. not on the inner sides. It does not hurt the dogs. My vet showed me how to do it with tweasers on my Shih Tzus. They do not even flinch when being done. They actually enjoy getting the hair out of their ears. Quote
Kiger Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 I would see a vet if it smells funky. They will put a powder in her ear that makes the hair easy to pull out. It doesn't really bother them too much. I used to be a vet tech and cleaned many a dog ear. Also, if she goes to a groomer they may have inadvertently gotten hair down her ear. My vet found a ton of packed hair way down the ear canal of my schnauzer. Quote
imported_Cassie Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 This is a common problem for dogs with floppy ears , moisture builds up and air can't get in which is a perfect breeding ground for wax build ups and yeast or bacterial infections...I have seen so many problems with Cockers and ear problems. I usually make it my weekly grooming routine to clean my dogs ears...you can even use white vinegar and water to clean with. I like to use a cotton ball and pour ear cleaner on it then clean the wax out of the ear. I also noticed a difference with my dogs when I switched them to the barf diet...there is not as much wax build up as before.... Here is a web site for you to review http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1591&articleid=273 Quote
Bronxie Posted June 14, 2003 Author Posted June 14, 2003 Thanks everyone. She's my first pup so I worry a lot but I am sometimes ignorant to certain things. :oops: Quote
Sparks mom Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 I have little rounded end scissors that I use to cut the hair out of Sparks ears...He just sleeps with his head in my lap will I work on his ears. My vet gave me some meds...that I put in every week or so... all of my Goldens had ear problems because of the way their ears hang, and the hair in the ears. Quote
courtnek Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 My golden as well. If it smells bad, it's probably infected and you should go see the vet before it gets painful. It's not uncommon to find ear infections with floppy-eared dogs....especially when the ears are very long. Good luck! :D Quote
gooeydog Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 This isn't exactly proven scientifically, but I think too that weather can play a big part in dogs getting ear infections. Goo and Haley both get them a lot anyway (both have allergies and really sensitive skin anyway), but I notice that a lot of the time, their ears get bad when it's wet (rainy) or really humid outside. I guess it's the moist environment the humid/wet air creates. Haley's had a few ear infections since she's been here (most during the first couple months, before her diabetes was under control), but Goo hadn't had any since last spring. Just in the past two weeks we've had tons of rain, Haley had an ear infection that took a week to get rid of, and the day after her last cleaning/medicine application, I came into my room to find Goo picking at her ears. Grabbed the flashlight to peek inside, and sure enough, lots of smelly gunk in there. Hers is just clearing up now. I check all the dogs' ears at least once a week, so it doesn't take long to go from a clean ear to an infected one. We get panalog (I think the brand name changed, not sure what to) from the vets, and it helps to work the junk out, but Goo had a few infections years ago where she needed antibiotics also. See what the vet says, but it does sound like an ear infection. Quote
courtnek Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 Gooey, does Haley take shots or pills? Just curious, I'm a diabetic too.... Quote
gooeydog Posted June 14, 2003 Posted June 14, 2003 Courtnek, I just sent a PM about it, with a couple questions for you, too. Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted June 15, 2003 Posted June 15, 2003 SMALL EARS ARE JUST AS BAD AS FLOPPY EARS. I HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON MY DOGS EARS THE S/PEI ARE PRONE TO EAR INFECTIONS :( Quote
Sanvean Posted June 16, 2003 Posted June 16, 2003 Don't feel bad about plucking the hair from her ears. I do it to Macy and she doesn't appear to be in pain at all. She's very good -- and it definitely helps her ears stay cleaner. Quote
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