[Nina&Bill]

Just curious but have you tried a grain free food as many of the PPs have suggested? Amber had only had an ear problem once in 5+ years but I've recently switched her to a grain free food to see if that will help with another issue that she's having. Finding a completely grain free food can be tough.

As for the toy sucking, Amber does this. She's a rescue & we have no idea of her history but I suspect that she was a puppy mill dog & separated from her mother at a young age as she has no clue how to act with other dogs. Amber likes to suck on stuffed toys & also fleece blankets. She doesn't destroy them, just sucks on them. It's no necessarily bad but you can try redirecting the behavior to something else. I usually use Kongs.

Blanket & flank sucking is apparantly common in dobies & border collies, not so much in rotties and I've never come across anyone else here who had a dog that does this. Amber's toys go through the wash a lot ;).

Good luck with your boy's ears!

Nina