Thread: Dogs!

While most dogs like to have their ears, neck, belly and other parts rubbed Travis LOVES to have the base of his ears rubbed. I'll be dink'n around here on the computer and he'll come over and lay his head on my thigh and wait for me to rub the base of his ears.

Well yesterday he was scratching his ears and shaking his head more than usual but I didn't pay that much attention to it, however by last night when he'd start to scratch his ears he'd yelp. So the first time I just told him to stop and he did but shortly later he started again and again his scratching was causing him pain.

So I called him over and the inside of his left ear was pretty red and I thought it might be from excessive scratching but when I rubbed the base of the ear I could hear what sounded like a liquid. I got my 18V Makita flashlight and tried to see what it was but couldn't.

It was too late to call the Vet for advice but Pet Co was still open so we drove out and I picked up a bottle of ZYMOX Ear Solution. I followed the directions and rubbed it in thoroughly and then gently put a handkerchief inside to remove any excess.

Travis didn't fuss a bit. However once I had the excess out he shook and shook his head and then started to scratch his ear. I told him to stop and he did. As far as I know he didn't scratch at his ear for the rest of the night.

His ear wasn't as red inside this morning and I reapplied the solution and again dabbed out the excess and while he did shake his head nothing like yesterday. Also he hasn't scratched at his ear all day.

So I figure we are on the mend and the $32+ was a deal instead of a vet visit PLUS the prescription meds I would have had to purchase.

I just hope that after the recommended 7 days of the over the counter liquid that the ear is fully taken care of.

For anyone else who runs into ear problems with their dogs - dilute apple cider vinegar can be helpful too. Just make sure you dilute it (50-50 with water) as it can irritate when full-strength. I understand some dogs can be sensitive to even dilute ACV, so bear that in mind and maybe test it first.

This has worked for me:
- wet cloth with dilute solution, wipe inside the ear to get excess wax/dirt/whatever out. Just remember you're trying to get stuff *out* and be sure not to jam anything further in. Depending on your dog, you might be able to get into the folds etc with a q-tip.
- try to get the solution to wet down into inaccessible areas. Not a lot, just enough to loosen anything in there
- do that a couple times to make sure you've gotten all you can out
- stand back and/or duck for cover. There will be much shaking of the head and likely all kinds of crap being thrown about.

Anyway, not a replacement for the vet for anything serious, but it has worked really well for our dogs in the past with minor irritation.

Hope Travis is ear-trouble-free!

Stuff works great Roy. Best OTC I’ve found for puppy ear wax problems. I import it even. Lol.

I use the cortisone boosted one for if it’s a bad flare up, for the week. And the non cort for monthly touch ups.
Buddy is prone to them due to ear shape and hair type I believe.
Hope Travis responds as well as Bud does.

The ZYMOX Ear Solution that I purchased has the 5% Hydrocortisone in it. It does really to seem to have immediately started to take care of the problem. Travis hasn't scratched at that ear yet today.

We've been buddies for around 6 months and this is the first time there's been a problem. After this is taken care of I will pay more attention to his ears, but I'm thinking this is just 'One of those things' that just happen.

When I was a kid there were a variety of 'Home Cures' for earaches. My grandfather's was to blow warm tobacco smoke into our ears, my mother and grandmother would warm mineral oil and have us lay on our sides and then pour the oil in and keep repeating the procedure.

I'll be 68 this August and for the life of me I can't remember if any of the cures worked.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

While most dogs like to have their ears, neck, belly and other parts rubbed Travis LOVES to have the base of his ears rubbed. I'll be dink'n around here on the computer and he'll come over and lay his head on my thigh and wait for me to rub the base of his ears.

Well yesterday he was scratching his ears and shaking his head more than usual but I didn't pay that much attention to it, however by last night when he'd start to scratch his ears he'd yelp. So the first time I just told him to stop and he did but shortly later he started again and again his scratching was causing him pain.

So I called him over and the inside of his left ear was pretty red and I thought it might be from excessive scratching but when I rubbed the base of the ear I could hear what sounded like a liquid. I got my 18V Makita flashlight and tried to see what it was but couldn't.

It was too late to call the Vet for advice but Pet Co was still open so we drove out and I picked up a bottle of ZYMOX Ear Solution. I followed the directions and rubbed it in thoroughly and then gently put a handkerchief inside to remove any excess.

Travis didn't fuss a bit. However once I had the excess out he shook and shook his head and then started to scratch his ear. I told him to stop and he did. As far as I know he didn't scratch at his ear for the rest of the night.

His ear wasn't as red inside this morning and I reapplied the solution and again dabbed out the excess and while he did shake his head nothing like yesterday. Also he hasn't scratched at his ear all day.

So I figure we are on the mend and the $32+ was a deal instead of a vet visit PLUS the prescription meds I would have had to purchase.

I just hope that after the recommended 7 days of the over the counter liquid that the ear is fully taken care of.

I have always had Dobermans, 65 years, and since thier ears are docked, it's important to keep them clean, I use regular dog ear cleaner,and it works fine, the trick is to remember to clean them at least once every two weeks or so. Glad everything worked out for you.

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

I have always had Dobermans, 65 years, and since thier ears are docked, it's important to keep them clean, I use regular dog ear cleaner,and it works fine, the trick is to remember to clean them at least once every two weeks or so. Glad everything worked out for you.

My thanks to ALL for the support and advice. :

I don't know if this has (worked out) or not yet--we'll see in a few days.

Of all of the dogs that I've had and that the family had when I was growing up. This is the first time that I can remember any dog having a problem with an ear bothering them.

Oh well, there's always a first time.

Thanks again

We have golden retrievers - water dogs with floppy ears that don't air dry - bad engineering. They are prone to ear problems in the summer as water, especially lake water, gets in and the bacteria start to act. Salt water from the ocean never causes a problem.

We pay special attention to their ears at the end of each day with cotton swabs soaked in ear cleaning solution and use some of the stuff recommended above when they start to scratch. By keeping on top of it, we’ve avoided the vet bills and expensive meds.

The dogs HATE the ear cleaning solution and shake their heads like crazy after it’s in, but the payoff is worth the temporary discomfort. Besides it smells like peaches which is a lot better than the rest of the dog smells after being in the lake all day.

13 years and 3 months old. The older he gets the more stubborn he is becoming. Was having some liverwurst for breakfast that's why the intense stare.

Originally Posted by alex1921

13 years and 3 months old. The older he gets the more stubborn he is becoming. Was having some liverwurst for breakfast that's why the intense stare.

From George Carlin at Carnegie Hall on how we say a dog's facial expression looks almost human. George says it's because they have 'Eyebrows' or at least pieces of S**t that they pass off as eyebrows then shows what he means---

Our little pack

Thick as thieves