Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

The Miniature Schnauzer is a smallest dog in the Schnauzer breed and originated in the mid-to-late 19th Century from Germany. The Miniature Schnauzer is a cross between the Standard Schnauzer and other smaller breeds such as the Poodle. A miniature Schnauzer is a spunky, but aloof dog who does things their own way. They tend to be good guard dogs without the tendency to bite.
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Frederickdawg
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Dog #1: Tobias
is a: B/S Mini Dog
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Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Frederickdawg »

I gently moisten some cotton Q tips / cotton ear buds and clean Tobias’s ears bi weekly. There’s been no issues with discomfort or pain as I don’t go deep and he’s always allowed me to do this until recently. However since my first attempt to pluck his ear canal hairs ( which was unsuccessful) he now goes bezerk if I try and clean his ears out with Q tips. With bezerk, I’m referring to proper aggression and there is no way I’ll be able to hold him down without injury to the animal or myself. Never had this issue with other dogs.
Has anyone got any tips on how I can gain his trust and confidence back so that I can eventually restart using Q tips and then hopefully tweezers to pluck his ear canal hair? Many thanks.
Female black and silver mini born 15.1.14. Gone way too soon. RIP my sweet darling Sept 28 2021 😭 we'll never forgot Cleo. You left a hole in our hearts.

Male black and silver mini born 7.7.21, you naughty boy Tobias. :p “time for jail “. ( crate ).
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zeta1454
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Freddy

Does Tobias have an ear infection or issue with his ears as normally there should be no need to clean his ears on a regular basis and it can be detrimental to his ear health to do so especially using Qtips.

Here are a couple of sections quoted from the VCA website from an article written by vets. The full article is linked to below the quotes:

What do I need to clean my dog’s ears?
Cleaning your dog’s ears does not require any special equipment. A good quality ear cleaning solution, some cotton balls or gauze, and some treats to reward your dog are all that is needed. Do not use cotton tip applicators (Q-tips®), due to the risk of perforating the ear drum or causing trauma to the ear canal. In addition, the use of cotton tip applicators can push debris further into the ear canal.

Do all dogs need to have their ears cleaned?
No. While it is important to clean your dog’s ears when needed, over-cleaning may cause irritation in the ear canal and this can lead to infection. Some dogs that have healthy, clean ears may never need to have their ears cleaned. However, it is recommended to clean your dog’s ears if you notice discharge or an odor when examining the ear. Your veterinarian can help you decide how often your dog’s ears should be cleaned. If your dog’s ears are red, inflamed, or painful, consult with your veterinarian prior to cleaning. Your dog may have an ear infection or a ruptured ear drum.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ ... ng-in-dogs

If Tobias has become seriously agitated at any attempts to clean his ears suddenly I would suggest taking him to the vet to have his ears checked to be sure he is not in pain as aggression in dogs is frequently due to pain and it is impossible to see what is going on in the ear canal without special equipment.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Dawnspell
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Dawnspell »

Ive read loads about ear plucking in schnauzers and other breeds such as poodles. The majority I would say have found ear plucking can actually cause more ear problems than it relieves. The plucking can cause inflammation in the ear canal which can increase the chances of infection. I did ask my vet and he was of a similar opinion and if there are no ear problems then carry on doing what you are doing.

I've never plucked but always kept the inner ear leather shaved to the skin. The hair growing from out of the ear canal I pull up gently then cut as short as I can about every 2 weeks. Barney had one ear that had a lot of wax so I would use otodex ear drops every so often and use a wet wipe and clean out as far down as I could with my finger, he never had any ear infections. Jasper is two and a half and I've never put any ear drops in or cleaned his ears in any way just kept the hair short, hes not had any problems. At his 2 year vet check she said inside his ears were fine.
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Frederickdawg
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Dog #1: Tobias
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Frederickdawg »

zeta1454 wrote: 24 Nov 2021, 07:37 Hi Freddy

Does Tobias have an ear infection or issue with his ears as normally there should be no need to clean his ears on a regular basis and it can be detrimental to his ear health to do so especially using Qtips.

Here are a couple of sections quoted from the VCA website from an article written by vets. The full article is linked to below the quotes:

What do I need to clean my dog’s ears?
Cleaning your dog’s ears does not require any special equipment. A good quality ear cleaning solution, some cotton balls or gauze, and some treats to reward your dog are all that is needed. Do not use cotton tip applicators (Q-tips®), due to the risk of perforating the ear drum or causing trauma to the ear canal. In addition, the use of cotton tip applicators can push debris further into the ear canal.

Do all dogs need to have their ears cleaned?
No. While it is important to clean your dog’s ears when needed, over-cleaning may cause irritation in the ear canal and this can lead to infection. Some dogs that have healthy, clean ears may never need to have their ears cleaned. However, it is recommended to clean your dog’s ears if you notice discharge or an odor when examining the ear. Your veterinarian can help you decide how often your dog’s ears should be cleaned. If your dog’s ears are red, inflamed, or painful, consult with your veterinarian prior to cleaning. Your dog may have an ear infection or a ruptured ear drum.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ ... ng-in-dogs

If Tobias has become seriously agitated at any attempts to clean his ears suddenly I would suggest taking him to the vet to have his ears checked to be sure he is not in pain as aggression in dogs is frequently due to pain and it is impossible to see what is going on in the ear canal without special equipment.
Thanks for the information. He started getting agitated after I attempted to use the tweezers to pull out some ear hairs. I think that negative association has now made it a no go to clean his ears. Since prior using the tweezers it was all good.
You’re absolutely right about the no need to clean the ears if there’s no reason to. Point taken on board.
Female black and silver mini born 15.1.14. Gone way too soon. RIP my sweet darling Sept 28 2021 😭 we'll never forgot Cleo. You left a hole in our hearts.

Male black and silver mini born 7.7.21, you naughty boy Tobias. :p “time for jail “. ( crate ).
Frederickdawg
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Dog #1: Tobias
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Frederickdawg »

Dawnspell wrote: 24 Nov 2021, 10:56 Ive read loads about ear plucking in schnauzers and other breeds such as poodles. The majority I would say have found ear plucking can actually cause more ear problems than it relieves. The plucking can cause inflammation in the ear canal which can increase the chances of infection. I did ask my vet and he was of a similar opinion and if there are no ear problems then carry on doing what you are doing.

I've never plucked but always kept the inner ear leather shaved to the skin. The hair growing from out of the ear canal I pull up gently then cut as short as I can about every 2 weeks. Barney had one ear that had a lot of wax so I would use otodex ear drops every so often and use a wet wipe and clean out as far down as I could with my finger, he never had any ear infections. Jasper is two and a half and I've never put any ear drops in or cleaned his ears in any way just kept the hair short, hes not had any problems. At his 2 year vet check she said inside his ears were fine.
Thanks. I’ll leave it alone then. I’ve always read about it’s best to thin out the ear canal hairs slightly which helps air circulation and less chance of fungal infections etc. I used to pluck Cleo’s ears hairs out maybe a couple of times a year and also use those ear rinses whereby you fill the ear and message the gunk out.
Female black and silver mini born 15.1.14. Gone way too soon. RIP my sweet darling Sept 28 2021 😭 we'll never forgot Cleo. You left a hole in our hearts.

Male black and silver mini born 7.7.21, you naughty boy Tobias. :p “time for jail “. ( crate ).
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Schnauzerluv
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Schnauzerluv »

I've never plucked ear hair either with any of my minis (3). I just keep the hair nice and trimmed. W when Ozzy came home I noticed his ears smelled different, more waxy, but I've been trimming the ear hair and it's been fine. I've wiped the inside flap with a cotton wipe and a bit of ACV because he actually had waxy deposits, but I didn't penetrate the ear canal and it's been fine since. The last thing you want to do is push that stuff further in.

I was always advised to get to know the scent of your pets ears. As funny as that sounds, that will be a good indicator that something is wrong.
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Schnauzerluv
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Schnauzerluv »

I'm not sure what proper aggression means, but if it means warning his dissaproval, Ozzy is definitely one to do it. He is such a baby, if he gets a stick or burr stuck on his leg fur, he'll stop walking and I have to remove it. Forget a poop stuck! (Lucky me). He's spinning around growling like "what are you doing, stop that!".

I've started to teach him "mommy help". If I have to fix something, like get a burr out, fix the leash so it's not tangled, I say "mommy help" and he seems to get the idea.
Frederickdawg
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Dog #1: Tobias
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Frederickdawg »

Schnauzerluv wrote: 25 Nov 2021, 17:39 I've never plucked ear hair either with any of my minis (3). I just keep the hair nice and trimmed. W when Ozzy came home I noticed his ears smelled different, more waxy, but I've been trimming the ear hair and it's been fine. I've wiped the inside flap with a cotton wipe and a bit of ACV because he actually had waxy deposits, but I didn't penetrate the ear canal and it's been fine since. The last thing you want to do is push that stuff further in.

I was always advised to get to know the scent of your pets ears. As funny as that sounds, that will be a good indicator that something is wrong.
The advice about the scent and smells. Indeed , I am. I remember the time Cleo had some discharge from her thingy - lady part. , I explained the appearance and smell to the vet. Same goes with the smell of ears and eyes, and would you believe nasal discharge. Even when clear , it has a certain scent to it.
His ears smell just like Cleo’s did. I haven’t plucked his ears since mentioning it in my first post , which failed from the get go. Meaning I didn’t even get one pluck. 😂
Female black and silver mini born 15.1.14. Gone way too soon. RIP my sweet darling Sept 28 2021 😭 we'll never forgot Cleo. You left a hole in our hearts.

Male black and silver mini born 7.7.21, you naughty boy Tobias. :p “time for jail “. ( crate ).
Frederickdawg
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Frederickdawg »

I tried using the hair clipper to cut some his dense ear hair. He wouldn’t have any of it. Look like the tweezer incident has now made him not want anything near the opening of his ears. Before that one time when I attempted to use tweezers he would be relaxed and allow me to use clippers like a wahl to trim the hair around the ear opening.
Female black and silver mini born 15.1.14. Gone way too soon. RIP my sweet darling Sept 28 2021 😭 we'll never forgot Cleo. You left a hole in our hearts.

Male black and silver mini born 7.7.21, you naughty boy Tobias. :p “time for jail “. ( crate ).
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zeta1454
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by zeta1454 »

Frederickdawg wrote: 02 Dec 2021, 18:40 I tried using the hair clipper to cut some his dense ear hair. He wouldn’t have any of it. Look like the tweezer incident has now made him not want anything near the opening of his ears. Before that one time when I attempted to use tweezers he would be relaxed and allow me to use clippers like a wahl to trim the hair around the ear opening.
As long as there isn’t any health /pain issue with his ears, you may just have to re-start training Toby to accept you touching his ears and gradually get him used to the clippers if he does need the hair thinning out where it is most dense. It may take a while if he has been jittered by the tweezers but if you take it very gradually I am sure you will get there. Plenty of small but tasty rewards for letting you just touch an ear initially for a moment and then build up to longer and for him to let you examine his ear and when he is comfortable with that, begin again with the clippers -maybe have them on but not near his ear to start with so he doesn’t fear the sound means anything scary….and eventually see if he will let you clip a little hair.

Some dogs have no health issues with hairy ears but it is useful to be able to clipper densely growing hair on occasion so it would be good to try and get Toby more relaxed with it :)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
Frederickdawg
Member
Posts: 93
Joined: 04 Mar 2014, 03:51
First Name: Freddy
Dog #1: Tobias
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 07 Jul 2021

Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Frederickdawg »

zeta1454 wrote: 02 Dec 2021, 19:00
Frederickdawg wrote: 02 Dec 2021, 18:40 I tried using the hair clipper to cut some his dense ear hair. He wouldn’t have any of it. Look like the tweezer incident has now made him not want anything near the opening of his ears. Before that one time when I attempted to use tweezers he would be relaxed and allow me to use clippers like a wahl to trim the hair around the ear opening.
As long as there isn’t any health /pain issue with his ears, you may just have to re-start training Toby to accept you touching his ears and gradually get him used to the clippers if he does need the hair thinning out where it is most dense. It may take a while if he has been jittered by the tweezers but if you take it very gradually I am sure you will get there. Plenty of small but tasty rewards for letting you just touch an ear initially for a moment and then build up to longer and for him to let you examine his ear and when he is comfortable with that, begin again with the clippers -maybe have them on but not near his ear to start with so he doesn’t fear the sound means anything scary….and eventually see if he will let you clip a little hair.

Some dogs have no health issues with hairy ears but it is useful to be able to clipper densely growing hair on occasion so it would be good to try and get Toby more relaxed with it :)
Yes, yesterday there was little to no ear hair clipping if any at all. I mainly got him used to the clipper being around his ear when switched on. Then followed by a treat , repeated it a few times.
Female black and silver mini born 15.1.14. Gone way too soon. RIP my sweet darling Sept 28 2021 😭 we'll never forgot Cleo. You left a hole in our hearts.

Male black and silver mini born 7.7.21, you naughty boy Tobias. :p “time for jail “. ( crate ).
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Schnauzerluv
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Re: Cleaning ears suddenly have become an issue.

Post by Schnauzerluv »

Keep it up, you'll get there 😊 Just so you know you're not alone, Ozzy suddenly took an aversion to trimming his nails 😔 So I will be with you taking it 1 step at a time with reward. I also talk calmly to him, tell him how nice he is, how nice it feels...Sometimes if I'm just talking to someone else, it seems to help keep him calm.
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