Ears

[TyPlanche]

I clean their ears once a week but the male rottie always has filthy ears, whereas the female's ears are clean. I pour the liquid into the ear then rub the ear on the outside to circulate the liquid.
Every other day I clean the male's ears just with a dampened cotton wool pad, to get rid of the dirt.
He does not roll in the ground, which is what I first thought was happening.

He has had dirty ears since a pup and twice I've had to use a cream (from the vet) when he had an infection. So I ensure that I clean his ears regularly.

Any sensible suggestions or comments please?

Val
France

[cally01]

It could be food sensitivities, try an elimination diet to see if that helps clear the ears up. A really good idea is to get a complete exam done by a vet to see if it's yeast or bacteria. For different types of infections different protocols should be used.

I used Traumeel which contains Arnica, Calendula, Belladonna, Hammamelis virginiana, aconitum napellus, bellis perennis, hypericum perforatum, echinacea angustifolia, echinacea purpurea, chamomilla, millefolium, symphytum officinale, heparsulphuris calcareum. this ear treatment worked really well.

Some people swear by the blue power treatment for cleaning ears. This works for certain types of ear problems but not all. For one of our Newf's he suffered from pseudomosis (sp?) and we had to take a complete different treatment plan for him.

I would try first to make a vet appointment to find out "what" kind of ear infection your male has. I would take a good look at the diet and make changes, impliment yogurt into the diet and try to rebalance the good bacteria in the gut. I've also used astragalus with great success to moderate the immune system. One of our Newf's had terrible allergies, the astragalus moderated her immune system and put it back in check and now at 12 she has no allergies at all.

[cally01]

Just to add, here is a video showing the proper way to clean ears....just in case :)

Pet Care Clinic Online Video Series - Cleaning Ears

Here is an additional article on ear infections

Ear Infections (Otitis Externa) in Dogs

[Steelerfan]

Bonjour! I read, maybe here, that you should use cotton balls not pads. The pads often contain strands of polyester, and that can be painful.

[Nishasmom]

Your dogs ears SHOULD NOT need to be cleaned that often. I would suspect an infection. He needs to be on medicine from a vet.

Also, ear cleaners are not meant to be poured into the dogs ear. You need to dampen a cotton ball and swipe out the ear. An ear wash if used correctly can help, but you should have a vet or groomer do this unless you know the proper technique.