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Ear Infections: These can plague Doodles and all floppy eared breeds of dogs. The ears trap moisture and should be regularly checked.

The ear canal is deep and dark and frequently the hair in the canal grows similar to the thickness and speed of that on the body. At the bottom of the canal is the ear drum, and great care must be taken to not damage the drum. The ear canal glands make wax to protect the delicate tissues.

Because infections, mites, ticks, etc., thrive in dark, moist , warm environments, the way to prevent such problems is to provide a dry and clean environment in the ears.

Some dogs seem to have very little ear hair in their canal, making ear care easier.  My dogs grow hair in the ear canal at an astonishing rate. Therefore, this hair needs to be removed on a monthly basis. I use a well lit area and place the dog on it's side on a grooming table and pull the hair out with tweezers scissors (not cutting scissor just same design) NEVER use hemostats again!

Here are a few pictures of cleaning out an infected ear using only dry cotton balls and the ear powder.

Swimming and bathing:
If your dog loves the water, make sure that after every session of swimming you dry the ears and put a cotton ball into the ear to absorb the moisture. If you keep your dog with long thick ear hair, then you must be sure that the ear hair is also dry before you
put powder into the ear. Same goes for bathing.

There are many controversies on how, if and when to pull ear hair.  After 25 years of doing all different ways, I feel that I have a ample knowledge in the matter. Owning, breeding and showing poodles, Poms, golden, and more has giving me this valuable experience.

No groomer should EVER use hemostats to twist and pull ever again! It rips out large amounts of hair at one time and does not allow the hair to release as you pull, causes sever pain and results in taking a layer of skin with it. This causes the area to swell and the pores (where the hair came out) to produce a clear liquid which  leads to all the crazy head shaking.

Plucking the hair with a good bit of ear powder helps you hold the hair and helps it to release from the ear. I like to use my fingers for some and my scissor tweezers for the rest, pulling a little at a time. I will post a video pulling ear hear on my dogs.

I use no liquid in my dog's ears, there are a lot of products out there and some may very well work. I have used 1 part witch hazel and 3 part rubbing alcohol to wipe the icky goo in the past but not any more, just a dry cotton ball and a few q-tips for the crevices. Then I place a liberal amount of the medicated powder in, tapping it down into the ear and hold head for a few minutes. Do not to allow them to shake powder out.


If done properly and according to instructions, your fur friend will never have ear infections again!!

CAUTION!!

Please get a veterinary consultation before treating any ear problems.

Your animals could have a gravely serious condition such as a RUPTURED EARDRUM or a foreign body in the ear channel.

A simple swab and culture can reveal what bacteria, yeast or ear mites might be in there.