# Dog ears



## lunar84 (Jun 3, 2010)

Hello, I've been a lurker for a bit and decided to register and ask a question that's been on my mind for awhile. I bathe/blow out/brush for a grooming salon in town. One thing I've noticed is some of the other groomers and bathers pour soothe shampoo in dogs' ears then rinse them out. If they are infected or extremely dirty they "flush them out" with a combination of soothe and water. I've heard you're not supposed to get water inside the dogs ears, but two of the three groomers that work there (one of them has been grooming for 30+ years) seem to do it all the time. And the main bather does it as well. 

Then the other day, my best friend who used to bathe there, ran into a client that told her everytime she gets her dog groomed, she has to take him to the vet, only to find out $60 later his ears are infected. I made mention of this to the manager and head bather and she said "well she comes all the time, why hasn't she ever mentioned this?" To be honest, the first thing I thought of was the pouring of the soothe in the ears. We have a lot of clients and the first available opening for any of the groomers is late July/early August. So we have almost 30-40 dogs in there daily and this is the first time I've heard any customer complain about ear infections.

I love my job and the people I work with, I'm new to this business and I don't have the knowledge they have. perhaps there is nothing wrong with them doing so. I was just wondering what others thought of this.


----------



## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

I'd be upset if I knew it was happening, and probably some of your clients would be, too. 

I asked the vet ages ago whether I should be cleaning my dog's ears, and if so, how. The vet took a look and said "no, don't bother - you will do more harm than good." I've never done it and have never had a problem. I realize that some dogs need their ears cleaned, but the clients should be asked first.


----------



## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

pretty much everything involving ears is controversial, and you will usually get many different answers depending on who you talk to. 

IMO, i think what the shop is doing is overkill. if i get in a dog whose ears are not dirty in the least, i dont do anything with them. if they are dirty, i clean them with ear cleaner and a cotton ball (only what i can see). if the ears are infected, i generally dont do anything to them at all, because a vet needs to see them and diagnose what is wrong with them. If we have a boarding dog that has an infection (after a vet visit), the most i will do is put a little cleaner in the ear, rub it, and wipe out what i can see with a cotton ball. 

Water does not give a dog an ear infection. its funny when some people are so paranoid about water in the ears, when so many breeds were bred to do work in water, and never had issues with it. if a dog is having issues after being groomed at this place, i would be more inlcined to believe that the dog already has ear problems, and those problems may get worse from how they are cleaning them. maybe the dog has a very deep infection, and when they flush out the canal, all the infection finds its way out.


----------



## infiniti (Mar 19, 2010)

Actually, too much water in the ears does cause ear infections, in humans and in animals. 

The issue is the shape of the ear canal, the operation of the Eustachian tube, the level of bacteria/yeast in the ear, the effectiveness of the immune system to fight it, and moisture levels.

"Numerous types of bacteria and the yeast, Malassezia pachydermatis, cause ear infections. The normal, healthy ear has a good defense against these organisms, but if the ear environment changes due to allergies, hormone abnormalities, or moisture, the bacteria and yeast can greatly multiply and break down these defenses." Source: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1591&aid=273

IMO, the grooming shop is doing a grave disservice to these dogs by putting water in the ears at all. I am not a groomer, but I am a logical, intelligent person. You (general "you") don't flush out a human's ears with water and/or shampoo of any kind, and you don't do it to a dog either. It completely upsets the natural balance of the body's defense response to bacteria that fights infection, therefore weakening the immunity against infection. 

If the dog's ear is especially dirty, there are topical ear cleaners for gentle use with cotton balls that can be used to wipe out the inside of the ear. The ear should never be flushed out, and most especially not by a groomer. 

As for dogs that were bred to be in the water ... they are not having water poured directly into their ears. Their ears are typically covering the canals so that it's only seepage rather than full-force water going directly into the tubes of their ears.


----------



## staffymom (Apr 16, 2010)

Actually every ear solution is meant to be used as an ear flush. Wiping just the exterior (visible) portion of the dogs ear does very little to maintain the overall health of the ear. And I am a groomer and have worked at several vet offices. I have flushed many an ear and believe it or not I am both logical AND intelligent!
As stated earlier ears are a point of contention for most groomers. Many vets admit to me that most of the time they themselves can not pin point the direct cause of most ear infections. And as anyone who has had a child that suffers from chronic ear problems could contest, sometimes they just are prone. Genetics, immunity (or lack there of), allergies, the list goes on.
So would I be flushing every dog who came in to my grooming shop? No. 
Why not? Because there is an occasional dog that will get an ear infection from the change in moisture level. But beyond that? YOU WILL be blamed for EVERY ear infection that comes and goes through your shop regardless of what caused it. I once had a cocker spaniel owner who brought her dog in with green slime running out his ear and down its neck. Her statement " I'm sure its from when he was groomed as a puppy. They must have gotten water in his ears." The dog was now 10 YEARS OLD and has cushings disease!! She was promptly sent to the vet and out of my shop.


----------



## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

The ear debate is such a long one. I've been grooming for 8years and have gotten many answers from many vets about what should be done to ears. I personally put ear cleaner on a cotton ball and wipe the ears out. I will pluck hair, but any that has to be tugged and pulled at and that doesn't come out with just my fingers and powder, I send them to the vet. 

I think that kinda stuff should be discussed with ones vet and they should determine the best treatment for the individual animal. Nothing worse than being accused of ear infections when you know you weren't necessarily the one causing it. Everyone I groom gets a run down on ear condition and it gets noted in their file.


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Alot of ear cleaners are meant to be used as a flush; especially those that are designed to cause the wax to come up and out of the ear canal;simply putting a bit on a cotton ball won't get the job done if a dog desperately needs that wax build up removed. This is not to say you pour a whole gallon in there...just a bit in each ear is enough; let the dog shake it out and clean the rest out with cotton balls; Then wash the ear well in the tub to get rid of the greasy buildup on the outer flap, that will be caused by the ear cleaner and wax that has come out. Make sure the ear canal is dried well. I only ear wash dogs that actually need it....same with plucking; if the dog needs it done, I will do it, and I make a good thorough check to make sure before sending the dog to the tub, but if it doesn't need to be done, I don't do it. 

As has been mentioned, this is one of those topics in grooming that is extremely controversial; should we do it this way, that way, or should we do it at all? Either way, if there is an ear problem likely, the groomer will be the one blamed, even if the ear problem was present already. That said, however, I have only had one or two clients in the past year that came and complained, and those weren't my clients, they were clients of another groomer in the shop I was working at, so apparently the way I do 'ear washes' is okay.


----------

