Preventing ear infections: How to pluck your dogs ears

As I've discussed before, dog ear infections are largely preventable with the right attention and preventative treatment.

An important part of this is plucking the ears of dogs with very hairy ears.  Dogs with hairy ears include many dogs with long coats, such as Poodles, Shih-Tzus and Cocker Spaniels.  As a good general rule, if your dog needs to be clipped, their ears should be plucked at the time unless there is a good reason not to.

Good reasons include: 

• Ears aren't very hairy
• Ears stay clean and smell good without plucking
• The weather is very cold: hair in ears keeps these structures warm
• Ears are sore or infected at the moment: in this case plucking should be done under sedation or anaesthesia, or deferred until the ears have been treated.  Plucking sore or infected ears can make things worse, and should only be done on the advice of a vet.

Plucking ears is usually very easy, and dogs tolerate it surprisingly well.

I think the key is only plucking hair from inside the ear canal, never the hair outside the canal (this seems to hurt more.  It can be clipped if required).  In most cases, just using your thumb and forefinger to tightly squeeze the hair and pluck out a pinch full works well.  This may need to be repeated 2-5 times.  Don't overdo it, you can always do more tomorrow.  The ear doesn't need to be bald, just thin the hair so the ear isn't clogged up with hair and wax.

A good time to pluck your dogs ears is when they are relaxing on your lap or couch.

Check out this video for some more tips.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CD4QtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D89IZfoZF93g&ei=gHfBTJG-GYe0vwOJ-fCnCA&usg=AFQjCNHIYFiEvx4IsnJoq1AKHBbBwGOvaA&sig2=RtcbWlJRJdbMxjeTRlb6cA

Dog Vet

This poor mastiff had a niggling ear infection, which he scratched causing a hotsp

Dog Ear Infections: Ear shape article

Here is supporting article to the diagram in my recent post on ear shape as an influence on dog ear infections.

In general terms, if you can see down the ear without having to lift it up (and that also means not too much hair) then the ear will be less prone to infections.

Of course, thinks like allergies and other skin problems, swimming, dirt and grass seeds can all change this.

Dog Ear Types

By Paige

There are a variety of different ear shapes and sizes in the canine world. Here are some of the basics with brief descriptions and examples of breeds with each ear shape.

Bat Ear

Image from sarah…

Large in proportion to the head & upright.

Example of breeds with bat ears: Chihuahua & Cardigan Welsh Corgi

Blunt-Tipped or Round-Tipped Ears

Image from Stijn Hosdez

Large, upright ears with blunted or rounded tips.

Example of breeds with blunt-tipped ears: Chow Chow & French Bulldog

Button Ear

Image from Alicia Nijdam

A small semi-erect ear with a front flap that folds forward nearly to the skull obscuring most of the ear canal.

Example of breeds with button ears: Jack Russell Terrier & Fox Terrier

Candle Flame Ear

Image from huskypup

Specific ear type of the English Toy Terrier breed.

Cocked or Semi-Cropped or Semi-Prick Ear

Image from r4n

An upright prick ear that folds over slightly at the tip.

Examples of breeds with semiprick ears: Rough Collie & Pitbull

Cropped Ear

Image from sduffy

Created by surgically cropping them shortly after birth so they stand up straight. (This is cosmetic surgery)

Example of breeds often found with cropped ears: Doberman & Great Dane

Drop or Pendant Ear

Image from Contadini

Can be expressed in a variety of shapes & lengths and specifies only that the ear hang down from their junction with the side of the head.

Examples of breeds with drop ears: Basset Hound & Skye Terrier

Filbert-Shaped Ear

Dog ear infections: ear shape influence

Because dogs with lop or floppy ears are much more prone to ear infections than dogs with upright ears, its worth looking at the shape of your dogs ears when assessing their need for cleaning and attention (although all dogs ears need attention).  Its also worth considering a dogs ear shape when buying a dog, taking into account the climate you live in and their lifestyle.

This article has a great diagram of all the different dog ear shapes.

Dog Ear Shape Cheat Sheet

By Paige

*Click image for a larger view

Recently we did a post about the different ear shapes found in dog breeds, then decided to put together a cheat sheet for those who want to be able to identify ear shapes on the fly.

Feedback is always appreciated from those who know their ears. 

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Great picture, isn't it.  What shape are your dogs ears?

Dog Vet

Breeds of dog susceptable to ear infections

While any dog can get an ear infection, these problems are much more common in some breeds than others.

Common predisposing factors include floppy ears, hairy ears, skin problems such as allergies, oily or dry skin, and dogs which swim

These include:

• Dogs with long, floppy ears: eg Cocker spaniels, Bassets, Beagles, Great danes, Weimeranas
• Dogs with hairy ear canals: eg Poodles, Shih-Tzus, Briards
• Dogs with allergies like atopy: West Highland White terriers and many other terriers, bull terriers, boxers
• Dogs which swim compulsively: eg Labrador retriever, newfoundland, Irish Water Spaniel

If you are in a humid climate, or the dog will live outside in hot weather, these breeds are even more sensitive.  In some cases eg. Cocker Spaniels, several of these factors combine (long floppy ears, hairy ears, allergies, swimming, scaly skin) to cause severe problems in many individuals.  make sure you check with your vet how to prevent these problems if you have a breed which is prone to these problems (or read on at Dog Ear Infections).

Dog Ear Vet

Vet discusses symptoms, causes and treatment of ear infections in dogs

This video doesn't feature any demos, but the vet gives a good description how to use smell and examination to identify an ear infection.  He also discusses common causes of ear infection.

Dog Ear Vet

Dog ear anatomy and cleaning

This video gives great insight into the surprising shape of the dogs ear canal and explains why a vet visit is so important to rule out problems deep in the ear.  The ear cleaning demo is good too

Dog Ear Vet