Dirty ear???

We were doing what we call a PM (Preventative maintenance) on Malone yesterday, which included nails, teeth, ears, heartworm, frontline, and a thorough brushing, and we do this once a month. When it was time to do his ears, he totally flipped on us. Usually he is OK about it, and we put him into a settle and he stays. Not yesterday. Nope. Uh uh. He growled at us :eek: and completely flipped out. :(

It took both of us to put him into a settle, and when I looked into his one ear, it had all this GUNK in it. The other ear was completely normal and clean. The cotton balls came out just as clean as when they went in. The dirty ear took 5 or 6 cottonballs until it was clean. I just checked his ears again, and the dirty one is already got gunk in it.

Does anyone know what this means??? Is there a problem?? Should I be concerned enough to call the vets????

Any insight would really be appreciated. Thanks!!

Sounds like maybe Malone has an ear infection. Some amount of dirt/wax is normal, but this sounds excessive. Do you notice a bad smell? Does it look more red than pink? They are a few signs it may be infected.

All of our dogs have had ear infections at one time or another and they are usually cured pretty easily. I would take him to the vet's, have them to an ear swab and get him some meds :)

Sounds like Malone should see the Vet about his ear. If it
is that sensitive to touch, it must be very painful to him. It's a
very good thing that you do these p.m. checks on the dogs as
you are more likely to catch problems early on. Hope you feel
better soon Malone. :)

It sounds like Malone may have a yeast infection in his ear. Poodles frequently are plagued by these nasty infections and it is one of the reasons why plucking the hairs out of a poodle's ears is so necessary. Out of the 6 poodles that I have had, 3 have had this problem including Bella. I get an ear wash from the vet and there is also a salve that he gives me to use when it flares up. You will need to take Malone to the vet, though, to make sure just exactly what kind of infection it is. They get a culture with a cotten swab and can tell you pretty much right away what it is. Poor Malone. I can tell when Bella is starting up with one because she does a lot of shaking of her head. Let us know what the vet says, OK? ((hugs)) to Malone. Bella says it is no fun. :(

Thank you all very much for the info. I'm planning on calling tomorrow morning.

I haven't noticed any foul odor, nor is he really scratching his ears. However, both Mark & I have noticed that in the last couple of weeks he has really REALLY enjoyed us rubbing his ears, so maybe they are bothering him to a certain degree.

I will let you know what the vet says tomorrow.

Yes, it does sound like he may have an infection in the one ear.....dogs with ears that fold down have a worse tendency of getting dirty ears, as moisture, etc. gets trapped easier. I know I've cleaned out Lady's ears many times and always get at least 4 dirty cotton balls from her, and Nebo's are never dirty. If he has a tendency to get dirty ears, you may have to clean them once a week or so.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Cookiebaker
However, both Mark & I have noticed that in the last couple of weeks he has really REALLY enjoyed us rubbing his ears, I will let

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Yep, that sounds like Bella. When you rub her ear (it's always the left one) she pushes her head into your hand. I think it itches down in the canal. She doesn't scratch her ear but she does shake her head with her ears flapping loudly at 2:00 AM and with her IDs, etc. clanging in the night. Then I know something is up! Good luck tomorrow and let us know what you find out. :)

Sounds alot like Simba's ear porblem.

He used to be horrible, he still has it but just not as bad. He's had it for years. We don't do it as much as we used to but we got an ear flush from the vet that we used to have to flush it everyday.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Pam
Yep, that sounds like Bella. When you rub her ear (it's always the left one) she pushes her head into your hand.

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Simba does that as well but with his right ear.

I'd take him to the vet to get his ears washed. :) Cleaning with cotton balls/ cutips doesn't really help. It will wipe away some of the outer gunk, but push alot of it farther into the ear, making it likely that the ear will get infected.

Poor Malone,

Once he see's the vet,
I am sure he will feel so much better.

Will be thinking of Mr. Malone.

As said before dogs w/ floppy ears tend to get dirtier faster. My rott has to have her ears cleaned out a few times a month in the summer as she is always swimming & playing in the dirt, plus the humidity does not help. My husky mixes only need theirs cleaned out once a month & they are not even dirty. I check my dogs over once a week.

A few pointers for the future, especially for floppy eared dogs: Clean ears w/ a cleaner that contains a drying agent in it.
Clean the ears after bathing & swimming
When the dog is just lying down flip the ear so that the air can get to it
Sometimes in between cleanings just a dry swipe with a tissue can help

How's Malone's ear?

Quote:

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Originally posted by lv4dogs
Clean ears w/ a cleaner that contains a drying agent in it.

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Alcohol is great for drying.

I would be a little hesitant to use alcohol in the event that there might be a little infection going on in there and it would burn like crazy. I remember years ago my daughter had swimmer's ear (not the same thing as what we are talking about, but it did involve an infection inside the ear). I put a drop in her ear, with an alcohol base, and it almost sent her through the ceiling. I guess what I am trying to say, is to check with the vet first to see what really is going on down inside that ear and then treat it however he advises.

Any updates? How's Malone's ear doing?

I hope that Malone's ear is feeling better.

Oreo gets that occasionally. Our vet said that it is common with labs because of the shape. Now, we know that if her ear starts to get really itchy, it is the start of a little infection.

We have a drying ear wash to squirt in there after baths and swims. This really prevents the problem.

Hoping for good news . . .