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Thread: Cleaning ears?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    N. Okanagan
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    14,182

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    All good info thanks
    we used an alcohol swab for now, wiped out two small gobs of sticky crap in one ear about the size of mouse turds
    Seems to have helped, will look again in a.m.

    Whats with the baby wipes and skin peeling? Must have been the glycol content maybe?
    Never say whoa in the middle of a mud hole

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    2,559

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    Quote Originally Posted by boxhitch View Post
    All good info thanks
    we used an alcohol swab for now, wiped out two small gobs of sticky crap in one ear about the size of mouse turds
    Seems to have helped, will look again in a.m.

    Whats with the baby wipes and skin peeling? Must have been the glycol content maybe?
    Not sure,i figured if theyre safe for babies they should be safe for a dog, i felt really bad after that one.

    We also use the medicated drops after cleanings,its been a big help.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    225

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    One of my dogs got a piece of wheat grass/spear grass in her ear. It worked it's way in far enough I couldn't see it, vet used a scope and long tweezers to remove it. She was shaking and tilting her head which caused us to take her in.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Williams Lake, BC Canada
    Posts
    14,170

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    Hmm description. .it sounds like typical yeast like infection..moist warm ear canal..

    Its treatable..
    Cheers
    Steven

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    875

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    Quote Originally Posted by srupp View Post
    Hmm description. .it sounds like typical yeast like infection..moist warm ear canal..

    Its treatable..
    Cheers
    Steven
    Does very much sound like a yeast infection. Box hitch, if you want to clear this up, come and get the solution I talked about in post # 3 or mix some yourself. It works wonders for that type of issue and doesn’t cause irritation and redness that alcohol swabs can. I could meet you at Fishers if you want.

    Putting a Q tip in a dogs ear, unless you really know what your doing, is unadvisable. Your call.
    "Guns kill people like spoons made Rosie O'Donel fat"

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Surrey, BC
    Posts
    13,183

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    Depends on the breed, age of the dog and what they eat.
    Some dogs require more ear maintenance than others.
    When my poodle was young and ate raw diet I had to look into his ears every day and clean them almost every day.
    When I switched him to kibble around the age of 2 all the ear wax stopped.
    When I switched him back to raw food at a later age he was not producing any wax.
    For many years now I don't have issues with his ears at all and clean them maybe every 6 months.

    Get Epi-Otic from any store and put a few drops in the dogs ears and work it in to loosen the wax.
    Then wipe with cotton.
    I would recommend learning the anatomy of a dog's ear so you can use cotton swabs and properly cleaning the ear without the danger of piercing the dog's ear drum. (this is what I do)
    1. Human over population
    2. Government burden and overreach

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    1,247

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    You can usually tell if a dog has a yeast infection in its ear. It'll have an odour and when you clean it it'll be dark. Mine had a very mild one in one ear a few months back,,,,her first. It was mild enough that there was zero odour but she would shake her head so I knew something was amiss. Cleared it up with some anti biotics from the vet that was squirted into her ear twice over a 7-8 day period in between applications.

    Considering how much my griff is in the water and in wet tall grass she doesn't usually even have any ear issues and I rarely clean them. Other owners of this breed have griffs that constantly have ear issues,,,,,allergies maybe from the food they eat??

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    9,436

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    Quote Originally Posted by labguy View Post
    It really depends on what is causing the irritation.

    Below is a recipe that's worked very well for me. Yeast infections and water in the ear canal and can be treated with this product very well.

    If it's mites, grass awns or other foreign objects then you need to see the Vet to have it scoped and removed.



    16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
    4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
    16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution

    This recipe makes a LOT of product. I have an excess supply and would be happy to give you enough if you want to try it.

    You know how to get a hold of me if you want some.

    you probably know my friend lol..... She just started to hunt test her golden ... she came home with a bunch of this.. I use it on my Lab who has allergy issues.... it works very well and is cost effective....

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    677

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    Bear in mind that dogs have a differently shaped ear canal than humans. Ours goes straight from the outside to the eardrum. Dogs on the other hand have an almost 90 degree bend in the ear canal making it impossible to reach the bottom with a Q-tip. Q-tips should not be used on dog ears as there is a good chance you will be packing debris down in to the horizontal part. Ear cleaning solutions are the best option. Since you are trying to remove wax anything water based will not work well; water and wax do not mix. Most cleaning solutions will contain alcohols to dissolve wax. Since alcohol alone can irritate and dry out ears other things are added to prevent this. Since ear cleaning solutions are cheap at your vet get yourself a bottle. Non medicated ear cleaner does not require a prescription. Home made solutions may work, but usually irritate more. The recipe mentioned here has gentian violet in it. As long as the ear drum is intact you can get away with it, but if this stuff gets past the ear drum it can cause permanent deafness. The only way to tell if the ear drum is intact is to look at it through an otoscope and a decent otoscope like your vet uses costs $900... Compare that to spending $15 on a decent bottle of ear cleaner that IS safe to use.

    To clean the ear: Grab ear and squirt a little bit down the ear canal. Massage it in well and wipe the outside of the ear with a clean gauze or some cotton wool. Repeat until the gauze stays clean; similar to cleaning your rifle . With very dirty ears you may want to put a bit in twice a day to soften up the wax before a full cleaning.

    If this does not solve the problem it is time to get your vet to check the ears out.

    The most common problems I see are yeast infections, bacterial infections, ear mites and foreign bodies; usually speargrass awns. From the outside they all look the same; the patient is bothered by the ear, shaking and scratching. There is brown to black waxy debris, redness, swelling and pain. First step in diagnosing the problem is looking in the ear with a proper otoscope. We check for foreign bodies, mites and try to visualize the ear drum. Next is taking a swab from the material and examining it under a microscope. This helps to distinguish between a yeast and a bacterial infection. With repeat offenders samples may have to be sent to a lab for culture and sensitivity testing to ensure the medication chosen will be effective. In some cases grass seeds can puncture the ear drum or be so close to it that your dog needs to be sedated for safe removal.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    875

    Re: Cleaning ears?

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    This is the best information....period.

    35rem........question.......In your opinion is gentian violet an issue for a perforated eardrum when diluted to the degree mentioned in the recipe?

    Our mutual friend Dr. D.J.P. indicated it shouldn’t be a problem.

    Appreciate your input.
    Last edited by labguy; 12-31-2019 at 05:50 AM.
    "Guns kill people like spoons made Rosie O'Donel fat"

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