What I learned about Doodle Ears

[tojak]

Everyone else may know this but I didnt ....and thought it was worth sharing ...

On a visit to our vet for a "well dog visit" Nezzie ear canals showed a fungus ...My vet who has a large number of doodles in his practice over the past year says this is common in doodles and labradors. Apparently dogs have 3 times the size of a eustachian tube that humans do ..In hot moist weather they will get fungus easily ...He gave me Malacetic otic to put daily in their ears or after swimming...Smells like vinegar...Said should do it after a bath and swimming ...You lay the dog on their side put in the drops and rub under the ear on the neck...then take a tissue and clean out the ear....lots of debris....kind of gross...

Thought everyone who lives in the hot humid climates might want to be aware of this....

[lauren46]

You can also use a mixture of 1/2 water 1/2 vinegar

[Maureen]

GREAT INFO!
you can also add a drop of alcohol..but if there are any lesions in the ear that would sting like a bugger so I don't recommend it unless you are doing "maintenance" care, not first aid.

[lovemydoodle]

Good Info!! A week after we got Leno he had an ear infection. I took him to the vet and he had a yeast infection in both ears. And she said labs are well known for getting ear infections like that because of the floppy ears that hang over and trap moisture and other stuff in. She gave him drops called Tresaderm, they seemed to work good. My mom's Chesapeake Bay retriever got them so bad he had to have tranquilizers (not sure if spelled right) before getting the drops put in his ear, from the pain! They are known for a being a water dog, and he always got them after swimming...poor guy!

[Maureen]

I have learned that if a floppy-eared dog eats a food with CORN in it or in the first several ingredients, the sugars in the corn can induce yeasty ear infections. PLUS poodles have hair in their ears, which can trap gunk trying to get out.

So we pull the hair in our doodle/poodle ears, and we have gone to a food with little/no corn in the ingredients, and have had ZERO problems in our Lab, and very few problems in our poodles.

hope this helps!

[2doodsmom]

My Old English Sheepdog had a propensity to get yeast infections in his ears. I was told to powder them with ear powder (pet store has several kinds) and then pull the hair out. If I did this at least once a week he didn't get infected. At one point I started using the powder for athlete's foot in his ears and it would clear up a very early infection, but the vet cautioned me from using that regularly because he was afraid it might create a resistant strain of yeast in his ears. For the doods we use a vinegar/water solution (1:3) after they swim and so far so good.

[madcity_mike]

Everyone has been talking about the vinegar solution but I was curious how to apply it? Q-tips, dropper? cloth? Thanks! Mike

[lauren46]

mix the vinegar and water then just pour it in til the canal is full. rub your dogs ear around. Then let the dog shake and clean the rest out with a cotton ball.

[tojak]

When you put the drops in ...make sure you move back quickly or you will smell like vinegar when they shake their heads....

[lauren46]

lol, thats true.