Ear plucking

Question
I have a standard poodle that has always had the hair plucked out of its ears. i switched vets and my new vet said the hair should not be plucked. what is the groomers opinion?

Answer
Excellent question!  There are many Grooming processes that Veterinarian's have a mixed view of.  Ear plucking is one of those processes.

I always feel that you should defer to your Vet's opinion and I have asked Client's in the past to check with their Vet first if they are uncertain as to whether or not have something done. So I'm glad your Vet expressed his opinion to you.

I think you need to question your Vet further about what they object to about ear plucking.  I am happy to always defer to the customer's wishes after they receive full knowledge of the various options.

I have one poodle that doesn't  have ear hair plucked because it always leads to inflammation that turns into an infection.  I look and smell inside the ear for any signs of wax, redness or odor and send the dog back to the owner without plucking.  I do trim excess hair from the outer edge of the ear canal to allow a little bit more air circulation.  Whether it helps, I really don't know.  But I like knowing I tried to help keep the dog from developing problems.

I worked for a Vet that felt "if it's not broke, don't fix it".  He felt strongly that if a poodle remained fairly ear infection free, then why risk causing a problem.  But if the poodle began to develop ear infections then he asked the customer to have the ear plucked.  In his opinion ear plucking allows for better drainage, cleaning and administering medication in an infected ear.  Most Veterinarians begin  treatment on an infected ear by  plucking the ear hair.  Too much ear hair, coupled with medication can form a plug in the ear which makes treatment impossible. This Vet also felt that if the dog showed signs of reaccuring ear problems then the ears needed to be plucked every time it got groomed.  That way the condition of the ear canal could be checked more thoroughly by everyone involved in the dog's care.

There really isn't a correct answer.  If an owner doesn't have a particular opinion on this, I go ahead and pluck the ear.  I especially like to pluck the ear hair while the dog is young to get him used to the sensation.  I follow up ear plucking with a good cleaning and report back to the owner what the condition of the ears is.

Ear plucking looks like it hurts.  But the hair that should be plucked is located a little further down the ear than the other hair.  In reality, the inner ear, where the hair is attached, has fewer nerve ending so the process is fairly pain free.  I imagine that it does feel funny to have someone plucking stuff out of your ear and I think that is why a lot of dogs react to the process.  I personally feel that by plucking the hair out of the ears on a drop-eared dog (which a poodle is) will aid in providing better air circulation to allow the inner ear to remain dry.

So the decision is yours to make.  But please consult with your Vet (and even your former Vet)along with your Groomer to make an informed and educated decision.

I hope this answered your question on this "hairy" topic!