# Ears



## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

Jr is shaking his head (not constantly) 
I cleaned his ears on Sunday and when I cleaned his right ear he started crying/ whining. Most likely because there was some discomfort and probably was a bit itchy. But it doesn't smell bad or seem to bother him too much. 
He's had this before and the vet gave him ear wash and drops and it went away. The vet said there was a possibility of it happening again. 
Anyways I told my mom and she wants to get him in this Saturday. I told her maybe.
I personally think he can wait a bit longer as in it's not as bad as last time. Especially with it being December (money is very tight) 
I don't know what I should do. 
As part of me feels like a bad pet owner for thinking he should wait.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Ari, the vet gave him ear wash and drops. Can you use those? Did you use them up? If he is shaking him head, his ear is bothering him. The dog has a 'L' shaped ear, so that if you 'clean' them, you can't get to the ear drum itself. Which is good. Why were you 'cleaning' his ears? I don't touch my dogs ears unless there is a problem. My five year old has never had her ears cleaned professionally. There should be a clear wax or a slight yellowish tint to the wax. If you 'wash' your dogs ears, you actually may be setting up a problem. The 'normal' flora might be disturbed. Again I'm NOT a vet, just a woman that has has dogs for 65 years!


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

I cleaned his ears because I noticed he started shaking his head a little too much (than normal) I used normal ear wash and noticed that when I cleaned his right ear her started whining and after shook his head. But I didn't notice anything "abnormal" I know last time one ear was "worse" and it might have been the right. 
I grabbed a Q Tip this morning and cleaned the right ear a bit (just the outter parts) and the same reaction, whining. More than when I did it on the left. 
But his "gunk" is like blackish brown. Definitely not yellow or clear. 
Last time he actually had blood but not this time thankfully. 
I was also thinking I'd finally get a weight on him and ask if he's "too" chunky. Which isn't really worth an exam fee but I might as well just ask if he does go. 
Its like I'm trying to talk myself into I'm overreacting lol


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Ari, IF he has blackish/brown stuff in his ear, this does warrant a vet visit. It is likely an infection or could be ear mites. Hopefully the vet will take a sample and put it under the microscope to see if he/she can see any mites. These are more likely in cats, but can occur in dogs too. You are NOT overreacting! I know how hard it is to come up with vet fees as I live on social security. I just finished paying off my vet for my dogs dental. I have awesome vet/s


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

They did the sample thing last time, which I'm sure they will do again. I also want to ask if there's a specific ear wash they recommend that could minimalize (his ear problem) because in a couple of months he's going to get allergies and that's when he got them last time. But I have a feeling I'll be told any ear wash. I can also take the opportunity to ask him about the allergy supplement I bought for him and if it's okay to give while on Benadryl. The only thing is they get you in and out very quickly and I don't want to get the vet "mad" with so many questions but I'm paying the exam fee just like everyone else lol
Yes fees suck when you don't have a endless supply of money so to speak. 
You never clean your dogs ears??


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I have not cleaned my dogs ears for a very long time. One of my longhair chi's got mauled and bitten by the neighbors 2 jack russells years ago. The vet found an infection deep in that ear that hadn't made her miserable yet. I did not charge the guy next door for the return visit to check on the ear. Almost thankful that the mauling made him check her ears.! Aside from that, no I just check them when I am petting and cuddling them. So far no need. (they are house dogs, so don't go outside)


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Ari, the other thing I would do, is write your questions down and maybe hand them to the vet and say "I get kind of forgetful when I come, so I wrote my questions down'. He/she should NOT get mad at your questions.


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

That's interesting. I don't have a "schedule" for ear cleaning but I do it once in a while. 
I plan on writing them down on my phone (notes) so I can just have them on hand but thanks for the tip.
I found the ear wash they gave him last night. I put it in his ear and he didn't whine like with the other ear wash. If anything I'm sure it felt good as it has aloe vera.It's very little but I'm hoping it'll be good since I'm catching it early and hasn't progressed.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Look on the ingredient list on the ear wash that made him cry. I'll bet it has something like alcohol, witch hazel etc that burns in it. AloeVera is very soothing. Moisture is the enemy of many ear related problems. Long eared dogs much more so than a dog with erect ears. Can you get some of the aloevera ear wash from the vet?


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Ari, with a dog that is prone to ear infections it is really important to keep the ears dry. Moisture is the enemy! When you bathe him, make sure you don't get water/shampoo into his ears. Most groomers put a couple of cotton balls in the opening. (don't stuff them down the ear canal) There are some ear powder from the vet that help with moisture. Long eared dogs are much more likely to have these kind of problems. Just for your information!


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

I looked at the ingredients of the ear wash and it contains witch hazel, boric acid and baby fragrance. I got it originally because it does contain aloe vera but it listed last so I'm guessing not much is in it. But it also has tree oil (not sure what that does though) I'm surprised to hear witch hazel burns. I've used it on Jr (outer ear) and I don't remember him crying to it. I think I'll be looking for a new ear wash for Jr for normal cleaning. 
We think (dont have real proof) that's the reason he got it in the 1st place. He doesn't get many baths though.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Ari, there are at least two ingredients that burn: tree oil, and witch hazel. Throw it out!! The outer ear is the least to be affected by these, it is the ear canal that doesn't have the 'leather' of the outer ear. Try the cotton ball method the next time you bathe him, or better yet just do the neck down so to speak! You can wipe his face with a damp washcloth.


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

The other 3 do just fine on it and so does Jr when his ears aren't "okay" So I'm not sure how I feel about throwing it away. As I still can use on the other 3. 
But I'm going to look at many ear washes and their ingredients to see if I can find a "better" one for Jr.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I got my ear wash from the vet. He gave me a big bottle, as you really have to treat an ear infection for a while to be sure it is gone. Did Junior ever get to the vet? I just went and looked at my ear sol'n. Way out of date! 2010! It is called Vet solutions with aloe vera. I can't read the ingredients, 'cause the label from the vet is over the list! Darn. I'm trying to soak the label off, and if I'm successful I'll let you know.


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

I decided not to take him. He has stopped shaking his head and I'll continue to use the bottle until it's all gone and I'm hoping all will be good. 
That's a long time! 
I searched the bottle online (not at home) and all I could fine were the active ingredients: Phytosphingosine HCl 0.01%, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Aloe Vera Gel
But I plan on looking up a bunch of different ear washes on the laptop in the next couple of days.
I wonder if next time the vet could just give me a bigger bottle if they have them.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Sounds good. Make sure that you continue the treatment, as the dogs ear is shaped kind of like an L. You can only see so far. If he is still producing the blackish wax, that means he still has that infection. You can wipe out the ear, but don't go down into the canal. My bottle has much of the same ingredients.


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

I will keep a close eye on him.


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