# Removing ear hair...



## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Does anyone have any advice on removing ear hair or ear grooming? Scooter's ears are filling with hair again and I just cleaned yucky goop out of them with the cleaner the vet gave us. I'm going to call them tomorrow to see if they should check but I'd like to know what to do at home. He's been running around the house rubbing his face on the carpet and I think it was because his ears were icky. I feel bad but we're still new at this and don't really know what to watch for. We clean his ears about once a week but I guess we didn't realize they were getting so gross.

Help?!?!?


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## Jennifer Clevenger (Jun 26, 2008)

Grab the hair and give it a little twist so that it stays together then pluck it out with tweezers. You can also get hemastats and clamp down then pull. If you do it on a regular basis they usually get used to it.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

You can even do small clumps with your forefinger and thumb.

When you clean his ears once a week, are you noticing a lot of debris building up that fast? Some dogs do produce a lot more wax, but a week seems to be on the really fast side.


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## Krimmyk (Dec 7, 2006)

Jennifer Clevenger said:


> Grab the hair and give it a little twist so that it stays together then pluck it out with tweezers. You can also get hemastats and clamp down then pull. If you do it on a regular basis they usually get used to it.


I pay my groomer to do it. Just the thought of doing it myself makes me want to uke: Adn lets face it, Dh is No help either. He is worse about it then I am. 15 buck and he gets bathes, butt trimmed, nails and that.

I give props to those who can do it.


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## Lilly's mom (Aug 10, 2007)

*I use pro ear powder and tweezers or hemostats I have both. A little at a time and Lilly barely notices I do it while I watch TV and she will sit up when she has had enough shake her head and turn around for me to do the other ear. *

*Here is the link for the powder:* http://grooming.petedge.com/Top-Per...tegoryId=190&categoryId=213&subCategoryId=219


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## swtxsweetie (May 16, 2008)

Momo used to struggle a lot when I pluck his ear hairs as directed by the breeder (just use your thumb and index finger). Then, I started giving him a water-soaked-kibble/small treat for every time that I pull at his ears. Now, he doesn't care. I just give him the treat after 4 or 5 pulls or when I feel like he's getting restless.

I also use this solution of rubbing alcohol, gentian violet and boric acid in his ears after every bath.

Hope his ears check out fine at the vet!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Ann, I just use tweezers and I do it at night when he is sleepy and I brush him. Every few nights I check and pull what little I can get instead of waiting for it to build up. He doesn't even seem to notice I'm doing it now.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*little and a lot*

Riki has very little...Daisy is darker and has a ton. She hates it, even with treats. I do use the powder. I try to do it a little at a time so it isn't so awful...and then again, isn't it better to do it at once and get it over with. She doesn't seem to have a big tolerance for pain.

Do black dogs have more ear hair? Or just my girl? Reminds me, better take a look at it right now! Wish there was a way to do it without any pain.

Sometimes I think I should have someone groom them...I hate for them to associate me with hurting them even if just a little. Ah but the money I save...


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Rikidaisy said:


> Do black dogs have more ear hair?


Benji (black and white) has very little hair in his ear and he is the cleanest. Lizzie (cream)has tons of hair in hers and produces a lot of wax. I have to clean her once a week. Benji's ears stay clean for 2 -3 weeks or more (I check his ears every week though).


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

We check often and I clean them at least once a week but lately they seem gunky. It's dark reddish stuff that sticks in the little valleys in his ears. He'll sit while I rub them with the cotton balls and cleaner but then he runs around rubbing his face on the floor like he's had a bath. I called the vet and he's going in at 3pm today. My DH will remove the hair if I can tell him how to do it. Last night he suggested using his nose/ear hair trimmer, needless to say he was joking! ound:


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

When we're sitting on the bed with the dogs and watching TV, I'll grab one of the dogs and pull the hair. My vet showed me that if you pull the hair from the ear canal that there's no pain involved, but pull hair from outside of it and it hurts so I try my best to stick to the ear canal hair. 
My dogs can't stand the click of hemostats so I use fingers to pull the hair.
Your vet can give you a good ear cleaner to squirt in the ear and there's always blue ear powder (you can google it) you can make yourself...but a word of caution, it stains but works really well.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Jax has TONS of hair in his ears. He had ear mites & constant ear infections when i 1st got him 1 year ago that took about 6 months(and $$) to get rid of.

I keep his hair trimmed (i just pull the hair out-he doesnt mind) & put a ear solution, that i make, in his ears about 1-2 times a week & he hasnt had an infection in several months.
The solution i make has alcohol, vinager, boric acid & betadyne solution in it. Its also a good drying solution for the ears after a bath.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I wondered if the problem could be from bathing him at home. We hold his ears down while rinsing so we don't get water in his ears and dry them afterward but I don't know if we're doing it properly. I'll ask today at the vet. When we got him he had a yeast infection in his ears but it doesn't look like that this time. Can't wait for 3:00 to get here!


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Scooter's Family said:


> I wondered if the problem could be from bathing him at home. We hold his ears down while rinsing so we don't get water in his ears and dry them afterward but I don't know if we're doing it properly. QUOTE]
> 
> My groomer told me to put cotton balls in the ears at bath time so that no water can get in. Also, you need to hold the ears down to make sure the cotton stays dry when you bathe the head. I found the cotton balls are very effective in keeping the ears dry.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

What is your secret to keeping the cotton balls in place? I tried cotton balls but they always came out.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

LuvMyHavanese said:


> What is your secret to keeping the cotton balls in place? I tried cotton balls but they always came out.


Hi Shannon,

I pull the cotton ball into an elongated shape (maybe twice as long as it is wide) and then put it into the dog's ear. It seems to stay in better that way.


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Jane said:


> Hi Shannon,
> 
> I pull the cotton ball into an elongated shape (maybe twice as long as it is wide) and then put it into the dog's ear. It seems to stay in better that way.


I do exactly as Jane does and they stay in place.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Thanks for the info! I will try it, though i have been pretty lucky so far.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Just came back from the vet and he has a bacterial infection in his left ear. :ear: And he weighed 7.2 pounds! He's 4 1/2 months old so now I wonder how big he's gonna get. Back to the subject...sorry...we have medicine to put in his ear and the vet showed my DH how to remove the hair. He just laid down quietly while she was pulling hair and didn't fuss at all. 
So, all is well!!!


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