All About Pets: Dog’s Ear Canals Need Cleaning
Dog ears are very different from human ears. For starters, the ear cartilage can be very floppy in some breeds, such as cocker spaniels, labradors and hound dogs. In floppy-eared dogs, there is no air or light going into the ear canal. If any moisture gets in there then, being dark, stuffy and moist are the perfect recipe for yeast infections! Your groomer can spot an ear infection and your veterinarian can prescribe you an ointment to clear the infection. Yeast infections are very itchy, and your baby will be shaking those ears a lot, scratching them or rubbing them in the carpet. I think the yeasty ears smell very foul, they produce a nasty brown discharge and they make the ear canal very swollen. Imagine how uncomfortable that is!
I see many labrador retrievers with ear problems and the common cause is they swim in lakes. Of course, the dirty water stays in the canal and if the owner doesn’t rinse it with an ear cleaner then it will create a nasty yeast infection.
Infections may also develop when dogs have allergies or an excessive amount of ear wax is present. Most dogs with allergies have red skin and are very itchy. Your groomer may tell you to take your pet to the vet if that’s the case.
Sometimes the pet owners cause the ear infections by using hydrogen peroxide to clean the ears. Don’t do it! Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t evaporate easily and stays in the ear canal just breeding yeast. Also it is very abrasive to the tender skin in the ear canal
Another thing pet owners use is alcohol. It is not nice to burn that ear canal so do not use it either! Ask your groomer for safe ear cleaners you can get over the counter or your veterinarian if the ear has a specific infection.
Dog ears also have a different canal than us. The dogs canals are L-shaped and ours is just horizontal, the horizontal part of the dog’s ear is very deep. Good groomers know how deep to go when cleaning, whereas owners could do more harm than good when they use Q-tips to clean ears.
Some breeds have very hairy ear canals. The groomer will use a special powder and then pluck those hairs safely and painlessly. This is very important so your dog can actually hear you. I’ve seen some poodles, bichons and cockers with these issues, and the owners are so happy. They seem to really feel much better after having the ears plucked.
I have heard of some ignorant owners damaging the ears using Nair or wax to pull hairs. Do not hurt your dog by using people products on them!
Please ask your groomer for safe tips on keeping the ear canals healthy!
[ Tiffany Santos, a certified pet groomer, is a groomer at Orchid Springs Animal Hospital in Winter Haven. Email her at postmaster@osahvets.com. ]
Article source: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130803/COLUMNISTS/130809787?Title=All-About-Pets-Dog-s-Ear-Canals-Need-Cleaning
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