Disclaimer: Ear infections need to have their root cause clearly identified. This needs to be done by a vet, and may involve swabbing for microbial cultures or testing for allergies. The following is for interest only.
Floppy eared dogs and ear infections.
Whilst any breed of dog can get an ear infection, the long ear lobes of breeds such as poodles, spaniels, doodles etc. tend to trap moisture because floppy ears reduce the airflow across their ear canals, and their wonderful non-shedding ever growing hair will stop moisture and wax from draining if it isn’t plucked out. So, they aren’t more prone to ear infections, but require maintenance to keep their ears healthy. We pluck ears every month or so to keep it easy and avoid potential developing. We clean if there is wax, or if we have to rinse out ear powder after plucking.
Here are simple preventative things to do, which we find results in ear infections being a very rare thing.
Keep hair plucked completely out of ears. (Most vets agree with this, some think they have evolved to have hair in the ears - not the case, it has been selected for). There is no advantage to keeping an ear so full of hair and restricting air movement. You will end up spending more at your vets’ though.
Keep the underside of their ear flap and about a 5cm section under the ear clipped, to let airflow through
Check your dog's ears regularly for dirt or signs of irritation such as redness or a waxy buildup.
NEVER PUT ANYTHING DEEP INTO AN EAR CANAL
If you see the following, they may be signs of an infection, and you should see your veterinarian:
Swelling, inflammation or redness
Odorous discharge
Pain when ears are touched
Black wax accompanied by pain
Coffee ground type wax which may indicate a mite infestation
Groaning, squinting, yelping or back leg kicking when you rub their ears
INFECTIONS CAN LEAD TO PERMANENT DAMAGE AND HEARING LOSS IF NOT TREATED PROMPTLY AND PROPERLY
Training Puppy to Enjoy Ear Plucking and Cleaning:
When your puppy is young, make a game of giving their ear a rub, and gently plucking a hair or two. It is best when puppy is hot from running around or playing, as the hair will come out easily. If you do this every day as part of your training schedule, you will end up with a pup who is happy to have ears plucked, and will sit quietly while it is done. Whether your groomer does the ears, or you do them yourself, this will make things easy through the dog's life. Desensitising toes, nose, inside mouth to handling are also important.
Read the following articles by vets, and especially watch the video in the first one on how to clean ears properly.
This article by Dogs First Vet is worth watching just for the video on technique for how to clean ears. Do NOT use cider vinegar or calendula as recommended on this site - cider vinegar can be very painful and an irritant and calendula can form a layer which traps moisture and exacerbates the problem. But the technique in the video is good.
CLEANING EARS:
We find that if a dog has healthy ears, no smell or excess wax, and doesn’t show any sign of problems, it is best not to wash them, just keep them clear of hair. A healthy ear has helpful bacteria living in it. If we clean, this healthy flora is damaged, so can leave the path open for bacteria or fungal problems to follow.
Ear powder - an essential purchase: We have tried several ear powders and love Miracle Ear Powder which can be purchased through us or online. This helps you grip the hair, and makes the whole process quite simple.
Ear Cleaners Lots of different ones on the market. There are several off the shelf cleaners that irritate the dog’s ears, which is why we love the following which our vet recommended and they use:
Ear Cleaner - ESSENTIAL 3% Malaseb medicated shampoo (avail online or through us) and 97% Hartmans solution (ask your vet or we have it available). Mix the two together in a clean tomato sauce bottle (squirt top) and use as required. No need to rinse after using. It also works to replace water once your dog has been swimming.
DO NOT use alcohol to clean your dog's ear, as it can cause allergic reactions, and drys out the sensitive skin inside the ear.
DO NOT use Apple Cider Vinegar. Very painful and your dog will hate you for it.
DO NOT put anything in the ear that you do not absolutely know if safe.
Give lots of treats and pats and associate ear cleaning time with a pleasant experience.
How to clean healthy ears.
Shave underside of ears, and below the ear opening (under where the flap hangs, but not so far forwards that the shaved section can be seen). This will enable air flow to go past the dog’s ear. You can ask your groomer to do this when they clip.
Use Miracle ear powder and if you have it a headlamp to completely pluck the dog’s ear. a few ears at a time, and working towards the canal. You will be best to put your dog on a table, and have a handler hold your dog if they aren’t used to this. Get all the hairs that you can see. You should be able to see the entrance to the canal clearly when you have finished.
Clean with Malaseb and Hartmans. Put cleaning solution in your dogs ears, have someone point their nose down and slightly towards the ear being cleaned. Lift ear lobe up like a doberman, then massage the base of the ear down, squelching the Malaseb and Hartmans cleaner down. Then list the nose up to the sky, and the fluid will run out. Very gently wipe out with a baby wipe. Repeat as often as needed, until the cleaner runs out or the ear clear when you lift your dog’s nose. If there is any irritation or red skin, do not rub, just let it drain out and repeat. Give your dog a treat and a big cuddle to finish on a good note.
Be careful not to clean ears too frequently, as you can upset the natural, healthy ear flora, which can lead to infections.
Ear Cleaning Stages
Top Left: Dirty ear. excess wax and hair. Normal coloured skin.
Top Right: Ear powder on and ready for plucking
Bottom Left: Plucked ready to clean
Bottom Right: Clean, plucked and lobe shaved. This ear is a normal healthy colour, not infected.
