[Meg]

I haven't had the first problem with Gauge's ears... I haven't had to clean them one time since we have had him and he'll be a year on the 28th. He took a swim today and when I was drying off his ears I noticed that one was really yucky. The wax is dark brown and the ear itself is really red and the other ear is beautiful and pink. He isn't scratching and it doesn't have an odor. Any ideas? I feel so bad that I just noticed it

 

[Samson]

You can buy ear cleaners to do the inner ear and you can use these with cotton balls ( not buds ) to clean the outer ear.

I use a product called Sancerum as Jasper is prone to inner ear problems !

The vet suggested a possible operation to widen the ear channel but no way am I putting us both through that ! He gets infections two or three times a year, but it clears up within a week when treated.

 

[Trickster]

I swear by this stuff:

http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-528-thornit-ear-powder.aspx

For ear problems. This has saved me a lot in vet fees. Whether you can get it or something similar in the US I don't know.

 

[Samson]

Hmmm - interesting ! I'll give that a try myself Rosie - Thanks

 

[Trickster]

Hmmm - interesting ! I'll give that a try myself Rosie - Thanks
__________________

Yeah, do! one small bottle of it (it is powder) lasts forever. Sure beats paying £50 at the vets.

 

[Meg]

Thanks guys! Should I try and clean it first to see if it clears up? There used to be a recipe on the old board... I think it had witch hazel in, would that work?

 

[justine]

Thanks guys! Should I try and clean it first to see if it clears up? There used to be a recipe on the old board... I think it had witch hazel in, would that work?

I know what you are talking about. The "purple stuff." - This is Labby's site and it tells you how to make it and where to buy it. www.woodhavenlabs.com/ears.html

Toby has an ear infection right now and we have to clean it once a day and treat it with medication twice a day for a week.

It might be wise to have the vet check it out because it could possibly be ear mites. You can't see them without a microscope and if you don't get rid of them, it could get really bad and go deeper into the ear. Don't mean to scare you, but if it's the first time he's had problems, you might want to just to be sure.

It sounds like an infection so the vet would probably prescribe some drops like I have for Toby and daily ear cleanings for a couple of weeks.

 

[Meg]

I made the purple stuff, so I will try that today and hopefully it'll clear up! If not, we'll take a trip to the vet's office. I hope it isn't ear mites... are there any symptoms besides gunky ears? How much was the stuff for Toby's ears?

 

[4yelloweyedogs]

I read that if you put some of the ear wax on a piece of paper and there are mites in the ear, that you will see them on the paper..... I don't know how well that really works though.... I think if it were mites he would have been scratching and shaking his head. I've used the purple stuff from time to time when we had ear issues..... it works good.

 

[justine]

I made the purple stuff, so I will try that today and hopefully it'll clear up! If not, we'll take a trip to the vet's office. I hope it isn't ear mites... are there any symptoms besides gunky ears? How much was the stuff for Toby's ears?

A dog will display certain symptoms that will clue you in to the problem of ear mites. The primary symptoms are:

Constant scratching behind or inside the ears.
Frequent head shaking.
Dark, coffee ground-like discharge.
Ear canal inflammation.
An unusual head tilt or loss of balance.
Vomiting or a refusal to eat.
In extreme cases, sores behind the ears due to excessive scratching.


Toby was realllly itching his ears, even though I was cleaning them out 2x daily with normal ear cleaner and he was bleeding a little bit because he was scratching so much. I think it was like 10 $ for the stuff.

 

[Meg]

He's shaking his head occasionally and scratching them if I mess with them... I think I'll probably just have to take him down there. How much purple stuff do you put in there and how often? I would like to wait and see if the purple stuff will help, but I don't want to wait too long and have it lead to serious problems. The gunk is dark, but it doesn't look like coffee grounds. This sucks! Thanks for all your help though, I may post a picture later on tonight.