The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: Bionic on January 25, 2013, 02:45:39 pm
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My poodle, Archie, had a problem with his right ear back in Dec. He kept scratching and scratching and apart from the obvious problems it was causing him it kept us awake all night too.
I took him to the vets and they had a tentative look, said his ear was red but there was too much hair to see anything, especially as he didn't like it being touched. The gave me some canaural to put in for 7 days and it seemed to have done the trick.
For the last couple of weeks he has had the same problem with the left ear. I have been putting the drops in and although it is helping the problem isn't really going away.
I have now made arrangements for him to go to the vets on Monday and put under anaestethic so that they can have a good look in both ears.
I understand that its common practice for poodles to have the hair stripped from inside their ears as they are prone to ear infections. He has never had this done but whilst he is under would be the perfect time.
Can anyone else advise what they do?
thanks
Sally
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hi we showed mini poodles for many years only stopped as arthritis stopped the work involved in clipping and we lost our last poodle in 2010 aged 19 yrs old
we routinely plucked the ears once a month and did ear cleaner at the same time.
I would definitely consider getting them plucked while he is under
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Sally, the hair in the canal is very soft and easily pulls out..
I nip some between index finger and thumb and pull quickly, repeatedly until the canal is clear. they don't really notice it.
The bacteria and yeasts that cause ear infections love warm damp canals with low air circulation. There's no better a place than a poodles wooly ear for this ;D . Keeing the ears plucked will reduce the problems for ear infections, and using an ear cleaner every month or so will take away excess wax that may also block small dogs ear canals.
Ask your vet to pluck them under anaesthetic while his ear is sore then you can keep on top of it afterwards :thumbsup:
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Soekl, Mammyshaz,
thankyou both for your advice. :)
Its decided, I am definitely going to get the vet to do it on Monday and once the ears are clear I think I will be able to keep them that way myself.
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Just noticed, I've repeated your advice Sokel, sorry :eyelashes:
Great minds ;)
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Certainly need plucking every month, as previously said if they're sore better when he's under, the hair pulls out quite easily but can be a little hard to grip (covered in wax), so get som ear powder, thornit or similar from your pet shop, this is talc like and helps gripping the hair, when the ears are clear of soreness you can clean them with ear cleaner, just put a couple of drops in and massage the ear canal, remember this is quite long in dogs but you can feel it under the ear, then using cotton wool wipe them out, don't use small cotton wool or push it into the ear, really bad thing to do, just wipe them out, then pluck them once a month.
If you don't want to do this your local groomer should do this as a matter of course.
I love grooming poodles, lion cut anyone?, only £40
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Alistair you could groom mine if you were nearer ;D
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It's a common problem in breeds with flap ears too - spaniels, in particular, but at the moment one of my Brittanys has sore ears. I used to put boracic powder in my Cockers' ears every Friday night after cleaning them and never had a problem. Don't think you can get it now but I believe Thornit is a good alternative.
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As they got older, some of my retrievers developed ear problems/infections. The vet told me to wipe the inner ear with a little olive oil on cotton wool ..... not too far down though ..... on a regular basis. It seemed to help.
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I love grooming poodles, lion cut anyone?, only £40
that's very cheap
I was getting £ 75 in the late 90s early 2000s to get them ready for a show
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Mates rates...
No honestly, that's for a teddy cut, mind can't remember the last time anyone asked for anything interesting
I'd charge about £60 for a show dog, if anybody round here asked, mind it's so long since I did a lion cut it'd take me about 3hrs
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So dog groomers make £20 an hour? Wonder if I could retrain at 69? :roflanim:
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No, averages out at about £15, been clipping springers this morning, 1.5hr each + 1hr chatting to the owner, so 4hrs, charged £60 for 2
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I just get a teddy cut (I think) and it costs me £28. It takes her about 2 hours.
I would like to learn to do it myself. I have a video and books but really need hands on experience.
Sally
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Well he went to the vets today for a through ear examination whilst asleep.
Good thing is that they didn't find any ear mites, but said he has a very small ear channel and their was a lot of debris in there which they checked with a microscope to make sure there wasn't anything nasty. With all that hair its a breeding ground for anything. Hair has been removed and they put in some antiseptic and some soothing lotion.
At the moment he is fast asleep. Ahhh, peace ;D
Now I just need to make sure that his ears stay clear of hair by plucking it regularly.
Sally