# Ears



## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Not a huge deal, but any advice would be appreciated...
Soro's ears are healthy as far as I'm concerned. But they still have that distinct 'ear smell,' and if I wipe them down I can always get a thin layer of greasy brown (wax?) out of them. They're not so bad, and I have to really stick my nose in there to smell it. But am I right in assuming ears are supposed to be dry and odorless? If I had to pick a word to describe his ears I'd choose 'oily.'

I clean them with an earwash solution from Petsmart, once every 3 weeks to a month. 
He has dropped/button ears, depending on his expression.
He ate Wellness Chicken for a long time and is now on Taste of the Wild Fish formula.
He gets a lot of fish oil capsules.

Not sure what other information might be relevant... But maybe the solution I'm using isn't up to par; or maybe this is normal?


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

Try cleaning them with rubbing alcohol daily for a few days... might have a yeast infection


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Thanks! 
I can try the rubbing alcohol next time instead of his usual solution. But I'm 100% sure he doesn't have an infection. The ear smell thing I described has been the norm for the last 5 years or so, and the vets have always said his ears are fine (sometimes they'll tell me to clean it if I hadn't done so for a while before that appointment).


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## Sybille (Oct 5, 2011)

Canyx said:


> Thanks!
> ... But I'm 100% sure he doesn't have an infection. The ear smell thing I described has been the norm for the last 5 years or so, and the vets have always said his ears are fine (sometimes they'll tell me to clean it if I hadn't done so for a while before that appointment).


In that case, if there is no real problem, why temper with it?


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

I'm just trying to figure out if it's possible to get his ears to an even cleaner state 

Though the AKC website states: "The skin inside your dog’s ears should be light pink and clean. There should be some yellow or brownish wax, but a large amount of wax or crust is abnormal" So maybe this is the norm, in which you'd be correct in saying there really is nothing to fix...


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## RoughCollie (Mar 7, 2011)

Aidan has had two yeast infections in his ears. Both times, the discharge/wax was brown, and he always scratches his ears a lot, which is a heads up for me.


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## jeffsrealm (Sep 21, 2011)

I have active swimming labs and clean them every 2 weeks but I know the smell your talking about and it is normal. Labs get it quite often, Good call moving away from Chicken. My oldest lab had 4-5 ear infections a year. Once I switched from chicken to Lamb, no an ear infection since for 4 years. But yes as long as they are pink in there and maybe a little wax, here and there not really an issue. 

Not sure if the salmon would have anything to do with it. I pretty much stick to lamb for everything.


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## hast (Aug 17, 2011)

My girl had a lot of ear infections when she ate kibble with grains ... then I switched her to grain free kibble and her infections went away (I wish I had know earlier, poor girl) but she still had quite a bit of brown wax ... then I changed her from one grain free food to another (she's on Orijen now) and the wax build-up is gone too.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Thanks for the input everyone!
I think I'm going to try rubbing alcohol after I finish using up his old solution. But otherwise I should count myself lucky that we haven't had an ear infection yet ::knock on wood::


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## Sybille (Oct 5, 2011)

Canyx said:


> Thanks for the input everyone!
> I think I'm going to try rubbing alcohol after I finish using up his old solution. But otherwise I should count myself lucky that we haven't had an ear infection yet ::knock on wood::


Be careful with the rubbing alcohol, it can dry out the skin and throw its balance (ph) off. If the ears are fine, really don't mess with it is my opinion.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Sybille said:


> Be careful with the rubbing alcohol, it can dry out the skin and throw its balance (ph) off. If the ears are fine, really don't mess with it is my opinion.


Hm... I just checked the ingredients on the current solution I use and the first three ingredients are water, isopropyl alcohol, and salicylic acid. I was thinking dry skin is a good thing so there is a lower chance of things growing in there?


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## Sybille (Oct 5, 2011)

Canyx said:


> Hm... I just checked the ingredients on the current solution I use and the first three ingredients are water, isopropyl alcohol, and salicylic acid. I was thinking dry skin is a good thing so there is a lower chance of things growing in there?


Dry as in no-wet, yes, dry as in no-natural oil/fat on the skin, no ;-)


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## hast (Aug 17, 2011)

My kids used to swim ... the youngest lived in the pool from age 3 and they had plenty of "swimmer's ear", where the outer ear gets an infection because "stuff" grows in the moist. I learned to mix one part rubbing alcohol (or vinegar) and three parts water and pour it down their ears as preventive maintenance, to dry out when they came up from the pool. It worked just fine ... and I have also seen that Mandy's ear cleaning has quite a bit of alcohol so I pour it in her ears after she's been swimming.


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## Fritz_Doll (Oct 17, 2011)

My dog's ears don't smell, but they do seem to be itching him. Whenever I scratch his head he turns it so that I get one of his ears. I think the itch is deeper, though. I looked and didn't see anything that would indicate parasites. He does get groomed, and the groomer supposedly cleans out his ears/"pulls" the hair (he's a mini schnauzer). I wonder if it might just be the hair that is bothering him. Any ideas?

(Sorry for hijacking your thread, canyx. I hope you don't mind..)


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## Trillian (Jan 17, 2011)

In my experience a "clearish) yellow-light brown wax is normal. Your ears build up wax, so does theirs. If is appears to be very dirty and has dark colored 'chunks' then it could be ear mites. Your dogs ears sound perfectly fine...I wouldn't worry about cleaning it any more then you are. 


Fritz: is there a specific time he's doing this, like right after he's groomed? Rubbing a dogs ears releases a pleasure endorphin (which is why the enjoy it so much.) Is there any reason you think they Don't clean the ears.


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## Fritz_Doll (Oct 17, 2011)

Fritz: is there a specific time he's doing this said:


> No, there does not seem to be a particular time. He just turns his head dramatically to get me to scratch his ears. I get the impression he means for me to scratch inside his ears. And I believe they are cleaning his ears--they never look dirty--but I wonder if the groomer isn't getting all the hair out. Could that cause it to itch?
> 
> I was out of town recently and the sitter who was watching him mentioned he was shaking his ears. She tried an ear cleaning solution that she uses for her dogs--not sure if she noticed any results since she only had him a few days.
> 
> ...


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## Trillian (Jan 17, 2011)

I would for sure take your baby to the vet. There is no way to get 100% of the hair out (from what I know) because some hair is just too far down in the canal to safely get to it. He could have an inner ear infection or even something going on with his ear drum. So keep an eye on him for sure. Be sure to ask your groomer if they seem extra dirty, dry, red or if there is a funny smell. When you get used to it you can easily tell if there is a smell of infection.

btw. Cute doggy!


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## Fritz_Doll (Oct 17, 2011)

Thanks!

He seems to be a bit better, but I'll be keeping an eye on it. Also, he has a grooming appointment this weekend, so I'll be sure to ask his groomer if she notices anything. Who knows, maybe the ear cleaning solution the sitter used helped it some...

Your dog's are adorable, too! Love the pic (of Taz?) with the ball--precious!


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## TomN (Jul 1, 2007)

A little late into the conversation but thought I'd post this anyway.

Some of you may have heard of a homemade ear wash/antiseptic called "The Purple Power ear cleanse". Used as directed it works great for yeasty ears and as a maintenance cleaner.

_*Ear Cleanse Formula Purple Stuff*

16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel which I prefer)
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution 

Mix all ingredients in the alcohol bottle & shake. (make sure you shake before every application). 

** note: It's easier to use an eyedropper or fill a small squirt bottle to fill the ear.

Treatment: Fill ear with solution & massage gently for 30 seconds and wipe with a tissue. Fill a second time and just wipe without massaging. The dog will shake the excess out. *Be careful, the Gentian Violet will stain*. I use a eye dropper to fill the ear. 
Treatment:
2 times per day for the first 2 weeks
1 time per day for the next 2 weeks
1 time per month thereafter

If you are concerned about the alcohol burning the inside of the ear (it could if the dog has been scratching its ear), then you can substitute the alcohol with witch hazel.
All ingredients are available at a pharmacy. The Boric Acid is usually in the First Aid section where you find the alcohol. The Gentian Violet will be the hardest to find and may need to be special ordered._


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