Washing Ears

S

sarah100

New member
I have a 10 month old shih tzu/yorkie poo mix who has had constant ear problems since I got her. I know this is a breed thing what with her floppy, fur-stuffed ears and I have gone to the vet about it. When she's scratching a lot or they stink/have signs of infection (red, inflamed, smelly, dark gunk) I wash them with Epi Otic and then do the ear drops for the prescribed time (some are 10 days, some are 7) and then wash them again at the end.

One ear has been perfect for months but the other has been constantly bugging her since the vet tried to pluck it. I believe he pinched the skin and she's been scratching, causing a constant cycle of scabs that she scratches open before they fully heal (not huge scabs, just from her scratching.) It seems like this ear is always moist, I can hear it making "sticky" sounds when she scratches it, and if I massage under her ear (where the ear canal is, but through her outer skin) I can hear this sticking too.

The Epi Otic (ear wash from the vet) is alcohol-based to dry the ears out. I'm running low on it and bought a new one at the store, it is a natural no-alcohol wash. I thought maybe the alcohol one was stinging her cuts from scratching (washing them out is a huge ordeal for her.)

Anyway, we're going to the vet today for a blood test and I'm going to talk to him about the ear and have him wash it (he uses q-tips so he can get more gunk out but of course I wouldn't stick those in her ears cuz I am not a vet.) But I'm wondering what everyone else uses for regular ear cleaning? I have heard you can make your own washing solutions and am wondering what has worked best for your dogs. I hate seeing her bothered by the ear, she whimpers and moans as she scratches sometimes and I can tell she is super uncomfortable.

Bonus pictures of my pupperoni:


(pre-haircut)

UPDATE: The vet gave her an anti-inflammatory injection so she won't scratch at her ears while we give the drops another go for a week, and then he'll see her again. I would still love to hear what you use to wash your dogs' ears as this is something I will have to do on a regular basis and I want the most effective solution. Thanks!
 
@sarah100 Often a dog's ear itch is yeast based, I rinse it with apple cider vinegar with the same results as I had using vet prescribed ear cleansing solution.

If you're concerned about using a q tip on your dogs ear, be comforted in knowing that the dog ear canal is L shaped, and you won't be able to poke her actual drum with the q tip while you're cleaning normally.
Clamp the q tip between your fingers so it won't slide up or down, and gently swab. If her ears are chronically wet, use a cotton cloth to soak up and dry out the ear.
You can also tie a bandana around her head in such a way as to keep the ear from flopping down in order to allow the ear to air dry for several hours (if she'll tolerate it)

The swelling of the outer flap can be alleviated with ice packs, which will also help with some of the external itch.
 
@mimi87 Oh thanks so much, those are all really great tips especially the ice pack thing. I have tried keeping her ear open with a clip (when she had long hair I could clip it to). It didn't work though, she'd shake it off immediately even when distracted by peanut butter. I will try a bandana! How do you tie it? Oh and do you dilute the cider vinegar? And what kind of cloth do you mean? She's very small (10lbs) so I don't know how I would get a facecloth in her ear.
 
@sarah100 The bandana is a great tip. As a vet tech...I clean more nasty ears than I ever thought existed, so I've picked up some tips to clean very deep without much digging into the ear at all. Here's what I do in case you might find it helpful. You might already do it this way for all I know:

Grip the ear at the tip and pull upwards so that the ear is standing up straight. Take your cleanser ( I like epi-otic for yeast based infections, but use whatever you and your vet think is best) and point the nozzle into the ear canal and squirt, you basically want to fill up the ear canal until it is just overflowing. While still holding the tip of the ear, take your other hand so that the thumb is at the front of the ear base and the rest of your fingers behind the ear base. Then squeeze the base repeatedly for 30 seconds to one minute. It should make alot of squishy sounds and make a big mess. Basically you are manually getting the excess wax to come loose so that the cleanser can get to the crevices. Then I take a rubber ball syringe into the ear canal and suction the remaining liquid. Wrap your pointer finger with a cotton ball or stretched cotton and insert into the ear ( it is shaped like an L as pantsRdown says). Swirl your finger around in circle and wipe the sides of the ear canal as you pull your finger out. Then I let the dog shake its head to remove any remaining liquid. If you can still see wax you can gently use a q tip to get into the crevices that you can see at the base of the canal. Wipe the ear flap down as well.
Cleansing too often can cause more irritation. Once any infection is calmed down its easier to tell how often is too much for your dog. I like to do it once a week for mine, but they don't have the ear canal hair that your dogs breed mixes tend to have.

Edit : tips for drying ears :
  • similar to the bandana method, you can also use a Snood to keep cotton balls in place for a little while or pull back the snood so that the ear canal is exposed to air but the ear flaps are secured under the snood. A snood is basically an elastic fabric band to pull the ears out of the face. Owners of bassett hounds, Blood hounds, cockers, or other droopy eared dogs use them alot to keep the ears out of food dishes. You can make them out of a sweatshirt sleeve.
  • use a hairdryer on the cool and low setting to dry the ear off after cleaning.
 
@sarah100 Fold/roll the bandana into a long strip on the diagonal. Hold her ears together in one hand, above the centre of her head. Using your other hand, fold the bandana around her ears from the middle of the cloth bringing each tail down the opposite side it began on. Then tie a small knot under her chin or anchor the knot to her collar under her chin. (it stays better on my dog if I pull the tails in front of her ears to tie under her chin) Adjust the fabric so it's not blocking her ear opening.

You may want to dilute the cider for the first few sessions because if she has any open scratches in her ears, it will sting.

For cloth, just use a gauze 4x4 or a piece of cheese cloth, roll it into a tampon shape (if you're inexperienced, use your imagination ;) )and twirl it gently inside her ear.
 
@sarah100 I never had good luck with epi otic for chronic ear problems. Chlorhexiderm flush seemed a bit better (but similar product).

Does the store-bought rinse dry the ears out somehow, without alcohol? Stinging sucks, but I wouldn't want to add to the moisture problem. Might be good to bring it along to the vet and ask.

When you rinse, use a lot of the liquid (fill up the ear canal, don't just squeeze a little bit in). Like, so much that it overflows. Massage the base of the ear really well for like a minute before letting her shake it out. That squishy gunk should get flushed out every time you rinse them, so if it's building up enough for you to hear it squishing then something's off.

Are you supposed to rinse again after the drops? Not saying that's wrong, just confusing. Wouldn't that remove the drops?

If you think it's a scratch cycle problem, why not cone of shame her for a couple of weeks to let it heal?

I always heard that qtips are a risk because they can pack the gunk down into the horizontal lower part of the canal, so it's probably smart of you to leave that to the vet.

Also, have you tried a different diet? Different protein, or different carb source maybe? My vet said recurring ear problems are generally caused or exacerbated by allergies.
 
@inhissight Thanks for the great reply! I will look into Chlorhexiderm flush.

I think the new rinse says it dries them out, I will check. I wish I had brought it to the vet today but I will check with him by phone. I do use a ton of the rinse when I do her ears, I fill them up like you say but maybe I haven't massaged for long enough, I will do it for longer from now on, thanks! I rinse after a week of the drops, the day after the last day of drops.

She had to wear the cone for another reason and that's when the ears got bad, and when the one ear hasn't fully ever healed from. I believe this is from air not being able to circulate, but I wonder if now that she's had the haircut if it would be better. I will definitely try the cone again if the current thing doesn't work. Along the same lines, the vet gave her an anti-inflammatory injection today so that she won't keep scratching while I give the drops another go.

I have read about diet being a possible factor in chronic ear problems and I switched her food about a month ago from chicken to red meat -based, for the possible ear connection and because she was losing interest in her food. I haven't noticed a difference so far. Thanks again for all the info!
 
@sarah100 Keep with the diet change for at least 8 weeks before trying something else bc thats about how long it takes for any circulating antibodies against the old food to fully be cleared and for antibodies to the new food to be in a high enough concentration to cause symptoms. Red meat is actually a pretty common food allergen, as well as chicken and some grains. If you don't see a change with the new food, I would suggest a hydrolyized protien diet or a novel protein like salmon, duck, or rabbit. Also keep in mind that you need to make sure that any treats you are feeding include only the same ingredients as the diet, otherwise you wont know which food allergen is really causing symptoms.

Diets for food allergies can be really expensive in my experience..even with my discount. Currently I use Natural Balance Limited Ingredient diets for my cat with IBD. So far its been the only non perscription diet I've found that only includes one source of protein and its not nearly as expensive as the perscription diets.

If you're still having problems after diet changes, it might not be food allergy based. Getting allergy testing and cultures from her ear swabs might end up being more cost efficient than a trial and error approach if the problem goes on for too long. I assume the vet did an ear cytology and chose the right drops for the situation, but sending swabs off the lab might help if you aren't seeing results.

I'm curious..does she have any other dermatology issues?
 
@bettylpjs No other skin issues or any medical issues, just the one ear. I switched her from a puppy food to a grain-free red meat diet (Acana Ranchlands I think is the new one). She is way more excited about her food now and is eating better than before, plus her poops look fantastic now haha! Thank you for the advice! I will discuss her diet when I go to the vet in a week, after doing the ear drops for this session. Thanks!
 
@sarah100 No suggestions on ear cleaning solution but her ear hair should be plucked regularly. My poodle has his plucked at the groomer. The hair can become impacted causing ear problems. Your pup is adorable!
 
@sharklordy Thanks! I've read a ton of info on furry ears and it seems people are pretty split on plucking or not. I have heard of dogs who don't get them plucked and are fine as long as they get cleaned on the regular, and I've heard some people get them plucked and the ears are good too. The only one that was plucked is the one that has problems so I'm trying to go the no-pluck route for now, and her one ear that wasn't plucked is totally fine as long as I keep it washed. Thank you for the reply!
 
@sarah100 I hate plucking ear hair, but for some dogs it really helps. Mostly I think for a dog without food allergies, the ears can be managed with cleaning once acute infections are cared for properly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
7 month old puppy scratching his ears since day 1. Any advise?
Replies
0
Views
6
alexatara
A
K
Why is it that some dog owners crop their dog's ears or tail? Is that unethical?
Replies
15
Views
19
imagebeastmarkbeast
I
C
7 month puppy losing hair behind ears and leg has redp bumps/spots
Replies
0
Views
6
catholicatheist
C
0
Need a durable e-collar for dog with itchy ears
Replies
3
Views
12
imagebeastmarkbeast
I
A
Puppy ears?
Replies
2
Views
20
alfie13
A
B
Ears still floppy
Replies
4
Views
33
bugpowder
B
Back
Top