Dog ear wax

amiek07

We haven't dealt with this before, so I know this sounds kind of silly.

We noticed Charlyze has black stuff in her ear, I am guessing is ear wax from what I can gather online.  She does shake her head and rub her head, but she always has done this.  

 Should we make a vet appointment?  She is a floppy ear dog, and I worry it may be deeper than we see.

 Any advice would be great! 

KatelynS07

What kind of food is she eating?

amiek07

KatelynS07:

What kind of food is she eating?

She eats Halo Spot's Stew.  I know it's not the best, but she has trouble with rice and she is quite picky, so it is what she will eat and does good on.  

KatelynS07

I would check with your vet and have them look at her ears. I would also try switching to a grain free food. That can help with ear build up.

amiek07

KatelynS07:

I would check with your vet and have them look at her ears. I would also try switching to a grain free food. That can help with ear build up.

I'll make a vet appointment.  We thought about trying grain free since she has such a problem with rice (very runny poo) and most contain it.  We were lucky to find the Halo, which was a good food and no rice.  I will start researching it for her! 

KatelynS07

amiek07:

KatelynS07:

I would check with your vet and have them look at her ears. I would also try switching to a grain free food. That can help with ear build up.

I'll make a vet appointment.  We thought about trying grain free since she has such a problem with rice (very runny poo) and most contain it.  We were lucky to find the Halo, which was a good food and no rice.  I will start researching it for her! 

Good luck! You can always post on here with your food requirements and you'll probably get a good variety of grain free food recommendations. 

aggiebug

dog ear "wax" is not normal.

 

This probably means she has a yeast infection in her ears.  I would suggest getting her to the vet so you can get on some meds to clear it up.  

 Food allergies can cause ear problems.  Her floppy ears can also contribute.  I also suggest having the hair on her ears trimmed closer to the skin and make sure the hair in the ear canal is pulled not trimmed.  This will help prevent moisture from wicking into the ear canal which sets up a perfect environment for yeast growth

Briannasteve

I am actually a dog trainer and i have two shar pei that have the same problem that your dog is experiencing. Its a yeast infection and can happen from their ears getting wet but can also happen because dogs that have long or tight ears are more prone to these infections. Its really easy to treat and really easy to maintain. You need to wash your dog's ears out everyday with a saline flush and your vet will likely give you an anti-fungus drop to go inside your puppies ears that will go in every other day, for usually 10 days. once its clear you want to maintain cleaning your puppies ears every week or so. Also, avoid getting water in the ears. If you give a bath, put something in the ear or simply stay away from its head. Also if your dog plays in the water a lot, make sure you dry them out very well and clean them out. Hope this helps, good luck at vet! 

TheLinkBride

After you get the current issue taken care of, I would consider looking for a grain free food, trimming the hair in the ears, and since moisture can be an issue, I would regularly clean the ears. I use witch hazel because the alcohol helps to have a drying effect rather than using something that is solely water based. My dogs ears are always clean but check them regularly and clean with witch hazel at least weekly just to make sure everything is in good shape.

amiek07

Thanks everyone.  We already make sure the hair is cleaned from her ears and we keep it dry.  DH said he noticed it a little after her last hair cut, so I think something didn't get dried, it was a new groomer.  

I will also look into get the witch hazel. 

jdbmjm

TheLinkBride:

After you get the current issue taken care of, I would consider looking for a grain free food, trimming the hair in the ears, and since moisture can be an issue, I would regularly clean the ears. I use witch hazel because the alcohol helps to have a drying effect rather than using something that is solely water based. My dogs ears are always clean but check them regularly and clean with witch hazel at least weekly just to make sure everything is in good shape.

Do you rinse/ flush with witch hazel, just like a saline solution?  I will have to look into this. One of my pups is super prone to ear infections and buildup which has to be dealt with weekly. She is also on a grain free food, but alas, floppy ears and the inability to stay out of the water has its price

TheLinkBride

jdbmjm:

TheLinkBride:

After you get the current issue taken care of, I would consider looking for a grain free food, trimming the hair in the ears, and since moisture can be an issue, I would regularly clean the ears. I use witch hazel because the alcohol helps to have a drying effect rather than using something that is solely water based. My dogs ears are always clean but check them regularly and clean with witch hazel at least weekly just to make sure everything is in good shape.

Do you rinse/ flush with witch hazel, just like a saline solution?  I will have to look into this. One of my pups is super prone to ear infections and buildup which has to be dealt with weekly. She is also on a grain free food, but alas, floppy ears and the inability to stay out of the water has its price

Yes, you can do either do a flush and then wipe out or if your dog doesn't do well with that, I wet a cotton round with witch hazel and then wipe from the inside of the ear out.  If you have a lot of gunk, you can do the flush with it and then wipe.