ear infections

Question
I have a standard poodle (Harley), She is constantly battling ear infections.  I am the one who does her clippings.  I can not bring myself to pull the hair from her ears, due to the pain it causes, But she was just spayed and the vet did it while she was under.  Her ear infections have gotten no better.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Hello Lori,

As you know Standard Poodles are prone to ear infections due to the growth of hair inside their ear canals.  The cause of the infections however, is the moisture that the hair collects.  When you are bathing Harley make sure you are stuffing cotton inside his ears to prevent water from entering.  This will help stop the reoccurring of the infections.  Now, the hair pulling: this does not need to be painful.  A good way to pluck ear hair is by pulling back the ear tightly around the back of the head, you will need to put a small amount of ear powder in the ears to get a good grip on the dirty hair.  Using just the tips of your fingers, grasp only a few hairs at a time that are inside the canal and pull slowly.  Do this a few times to just clear out the openings.  There is no need to remove every hair when cleaning the ears.  

Now that you know the way to pluck without pain next we need to work on getting the infection to go away.  Use an ear medicine prescribed by your vet and continue for the entire course.  Get Harley on an immune system building supplement called NuVet Plus.  I have my own Standards on these and I can tell you, they work! http://spottsdogcare.blogspot.com/2009/01/treating-dogs-ear-infection-using-home...
Also I like to tell people to check your dog's diet, is there poor ingredients in the food that is causing him to be susceptible to infections?  It can be and you will want to charge to a better food.  I have a few foods on my website that I personally use and recommend to all my clients.

I sure hope this helps you and Harley. You may email me direct if you need further help.

Susan Potts CPG
www.spottsgrooming.com
info@spottsgrooming.com