# do you pull the hair out of your Havs ears?



## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

i have been told 2 things regarding ears. if you pull the hair out of their ears the irritation can be a breading ground for infection. if you don't pull the hair out, it can be a breading ground for infection. what do you do?

django hates to have the hair pulled out of his ears but if the groomer doesn't do it, the inside of his ears look like he's got cotton candy in them.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Dexter's ear hair was done on his very first groom and he hardly grows hair in the ear. 

Jack's got lots thick hair! When he was younger he would not let me touch his ears, he is now getting better at letting get a hold of the hair. I still have a LOT of hair to remove from Jack's ears. 

Dexter has never had an ear infection. Jack has never had an ear infection.


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

After three grooms and some little pulling by myself no hair in Roki's ears. They are completely clean and pink! Combination od hair and earwax is a recipy for ear infections. But it seems that havs have less problems with that then other bichon breeds! Roki hated that pulling! Try to pull as quckly as possible, one pull at the time. It is much better without hair in ears!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi really doesn't mind having the hair removed from his ears, but I've stooped doing it anyway. It seems to be a mix of answers whether you should or shouldn't, which mad me decide it's up to me. If he had a lot of hair in his ears that seemed to be trapping dirt, or if he had a problem with recurring infections, I'd start doing it again. But he doesn't have a ton of hair in his ears, and the one yeast infection he's had was as a small puppy after swimming. I do put drying drops in his ears if I think he's gotten a lot of water in his ears, or if his ears have stayed wert for a while when we're at the beach. I don't bother with the drops after baths, because I blow dry him right away, and a make sure his ears are nice and dry at the same time.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Augie had a yeast infection in his ears when he was a young puppy. A whole wad of grossness was pulled out of his ears at that time - hair mixed with ??? - really yucky. The vet told me I should keep his ears clear of hair. But it seems like it has never come back like it was initially, although I do try to keep them somewhat clear, but he HATES it! I just try to keep big globs of hair from forming just inside his ear. I try to keep his ears folded down while bathing so he doesn't get water running in them and dry them well with the blow dryer after a bath. He hasn't had the opportunity to go swimming so haven't dealt with that.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Jack is tolerating the ear hair pulling so much better now that he is older. I was able to work more on the ears today. One hair at a time!

I use the ear powder, which dry the hair and also promotes relief from itching, irritation , plus eliminates odor. Just a note, if your Hav has odor coming from his ears, take him to the Vet and have the ears examined.


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## dbeech (Jun 16, 2009)

I asked my vet about this issue and he told me to leave the ears alone unless my dog had problems. He did say it was really important to keep the ears dry.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Tillie is VERY prone to ear infections/yeast infections in her ears. When she was younger, I THOUGHT the groomer was taking care of her ears. BOY, was I WRONG. She ended up with a raging, horrid infection in BOTH ears. The yelping and crying as the vet cleaned out the worst of it was heartbreaking.  poor girl. We do try to pull the DEAD HAIRS but never hair that is attached! Right now she has been really going at her right ear, so we are checking it and pulling out any lose hairs every other night or so trying to avoid an infection... my best advice would be to check thier ears often, as long as they aren't an angry red, or have a lot wax inside, leave them alone!


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## kudo2u (Mar 7, 2009)

I've never pulled hair from Tango's ears.

When Bandit first came to live with us, he had infections in both ears (along with several other issues). We took him to the vet and the groomer, and had both ears plucked. Cleared up both infections. Rather than pulling the hair, I actually just make sure it's trimmed flush (so it's not flowing out of his ears). Plus I use cleaner from the vet once a week. Keeps them clean and dry.

When I bathe them (twice a month) I do wipe the insides of their ears (not down into the canal, just where you can easily see/reach) with a soft towel. I am careful to get into all of the little folds inside their ear, but again, don't try to go too deep as you can cause damage!

But I don't have any problems with buildup, no itching, no irritation. They both seem fine with this arrangement, and my vet examins their ears twice a year with their regular checkups. No problems here!

I haven't had an issue with either of my dogs.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My vet told me no to do it unless they have a problem and they have never had a problem with their ears.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

motherslittlehelper said:


> Augie had a yeast infection in his ears when he was a young puppy. A whole wad of grossness was pulled out of his ears at that time - hair mixed with ??? - really yucky. The vet told me I should keep his ears clear of hair. But it seems like it has never come back like it was initially, although I do try to keep them somewhat clear, but he HATES it! I just try to keep big globs of hair from forming just inside his ear. I try to keep his ears folded down while bathing so he doesn't get water running in them and dry them well with the blow dryer after a bath. He hasn't had the opportunity to go swimming so haven't dealt with that.


My vet told me that it can take, literally, YEARS after an ear infection before the ear stops producing more wax build-up than before the infection. When Kodi went in for his 1 year check up, the vet knew immediately which ear had been infected when he was a little puppy, without even looking at his record. There was no sign of infection any more... he could just tell by the amount of wax produced on that side.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

kudo2u said:


> I've never pulled hair from Tango's ears.
> 
> When Bandit first came to live with us, he had infections in both ears (along with several other issues). We took him to the vet and the groomer, and had both ears plucked. Cleared up both infections. Rather than pulling the hair, I actually just make sure it's trimmed flush (so it's not flowing out of his ears). Plus I use cleaner from the vet once a week. Keeps them clean and dry.
> 
> ...


From what I've been told, some dogs, and particularly some breeds grow PROFUSE amounts of hair deep in the ear canal. THAT'S the hair that can cause problems. Kodi doesn't really have much of that. Some of the hair gets pretty long, but it's also pretty sparse.

The other dogs that the vet told me are prone to ear trouble, are water dogs, especially Labs. In that case, it's not because of hair inside the ears, but because structurally, the ears are prone to staying wet because they flop over (like Havs) but that the dogs also love being in the water, and get and stay wet for extended periods.(NOT like most Havs:biggrin1 He said he has to have many of his Lab owners use drops several times weekly to prevent chronic ear infections.

So, I think that unless you have a Havanese Dock Dog,ound: the chances of chronic ear problems are much less!


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

krandall said:


> My vet told me that it can take, literally, YEARS after an ear infection before the ear stops producing more wax build-up than before the infection. When Kodi went in for his 1 year check up, the vet knew immediately which ear had been infected when he was a little puppy, without even looking at his record. There was no sign of infection any more... he could just tell by the amount of wax produced on that side.


So, you are saying that the infected ear produces way more wax than the non-infected ear after the infection? Is this their immune response trying to keep out the bacteria/yeast by protecting the ear with wax?

At the first Hav-Fest we attended up north, I recall one breeder telling that her puppies seemed to be prone to getting ear infections as small puppies. My thought was that maybe some lines just genetically have more inner ear hair and that possibly, during the birthing process, fluid gets in there and incubates for a spell, erupting as an infection at a later date when the puppy is still small, but then they are OK afterward, after it has been treated and the ear has been cleaned out? It was weird with Augie - at one of his checkups when he was small, his ears were checked and he was OK. Less than a week later, he had the infection. It almost made me wonder if the infection hadn't been introduced at his 'well baby checkup'. And then, later, when I heard that breeder make that comment about her pups being prone to infections, it made me wonder if some lines didn't just have more hair that perhaps caused the problem.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

motherslittlehelper said:


> So, you are saying that the infected ear produces way more wax than the non-infected ear after the infection? Is this their immune response trying to keep out the bacteria/yeast by protecting the ear with wax?


The vet didn't explain why it happened, only that you could tell by the wax production that it had.



motherslittlehelper said:


> At the first Hav-Fest we attended up north, I recall one breeder telling that her puppies seemed to be prone to getting ear infections as small puppies. My thought was that maybe some lines just genetically have more inner ear hair and that possibly, during the birthing process, fluid gets in there and incubates for a spell, erupting as an infection at a later date when the puppy is still small, but then they are OK afterward, after it has been treated and the ear has been cleaned out? It was weird with Augie - at one of his checkups when he was small, his ears were checked and he was OK. Less than a week later, he had the infection. It almost made me wonder if the infection hadn't been introduced at his 'well baby checkup'. And then, later, when I heard that breeder make that comment about her pups being prone to infections, it made me wonder if some lines didn't just have more hair that perhaps caused the problem.


I'm sure it's possible that some lines have more hair in their ears than others... just like there are different types of coat in the breed in general. I'm not sure I buy that they get fluid in their ears during birth, because my understanding is that, in the beginning, their ears are closed, just like their eyes are. And they are born with such short, downy coats, it doesn't seem like there would be enough hair to be a problem.

The other possibility, I suppose, is that it has something to do with the internal structure of the ear in some lines. I know that many kids who are prone to ear infections when they are little grow out of it as they get older and the ear canal just plain gets bigger.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

I never pull out Quincy's ear hair. I figure--leave well enough alone.

We have never had any ear issues----I stopped the vet from trying to do it once because it is routine for them....ACK---LEAVE HIS HAIR ALONE! :laugh:


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Jack's hair is so thick, you could not see inside the ear. Thank goodness he never got an ear infection! The inside of the ears has opened up some as Jack has become older. 

And, it is easier to try to remove some hair because Jack has settled down and is more tolerant of me messing with his ears. 

I would rather have the inside of the ears clean and hair free, this way, I can see inside of the ear and I know without the hair, the ear will be able to dry out.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Sir Winston rubs the side of his face on the outside of his crate, but there is no odor coming from his ears. I thought about trying to pull the hair out of the ear, but decided to keep the hair shorter on the inside of his ear, but not pull the hair out. I guess time will tell, but I do know it seems to be specific to each dog.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Abby doesn't have as much hair inside her ears as our poodles did but we do still pull it out to prevent any infection. None of our dogs have ever yelped or even flinched so it seems to be a pretty pain-free process. This is the ONE thing Abby does let us do without kicking up a fuss!!!


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## Sissygirl (Aug 8, 2007)

I quit pulling Sissy's ear hair a couple of years ago. I do take the scissors and trim in and around her ears.

Here is a thread that might have some info, too.

*To pluck or not to pluck*

http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=11622


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

Stella's inner-ear hair gets plucked. Roscoe's does not because he won't allow it, lol. Stella is more prone to lots of gross ear gunk so it's important to remove her extra hair so her ears are easier to clean. Roscoe, on the other hand, just grows these yucky dreadlocks in his ear! LOL since he won't let us pluck his ear hair, or really clean his ears at all, the hair grows out and eventually starts poking out the top of the visible ear part. So, we can get his hair out about 3-4 times per year. LOL

Honestly, I think it really depends on the dog. Roscoe has very thin, flimsy ears and so a lot of air circulation gets down there. Stella, on the other hand, has very, very thick ears and gets no air flow, my theory is that this really has something to do with while she is prone to ear infection.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

My 1/2 hav 1/2 shih tzu, man, since he was a pup has had massively hairy ears. even the vet was like whoa, really hairy.

and he had all types of ear infections...

when he got fixed at 8 months, and he was under, they got into the ear canal and pulled most of the hair out.

now, he is better, seems like the hair doesn't grow back as massively as the first time.

but it's one of my favorite things to do to him is pull the hair from his ears (just want I can pluck with my fingers.) doesn't hurt them, more like a tug. and he lets me do it.


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## boo's mom (Oct 13, 2009)

*Vet had to do it*

When we got Boo, he was 11 months old. The owners never told us about his potty problems, and i couldnt get a straight answer to why they were getting rid of this adorable Havaneese.

We took him home and quickly found out that he was terrified of everything, we are pretty sure that he was verbally and physically abused, he flinched at most everything, and shook at loud noises etc.

It took several months and lots and lots of love to get him to trust us and feel safe (he lets us touch him anywhere without thinking about it , before, his touching his tail, would cause him to tuck it and run. I can just picture those boys pulling him out from under furniture...)

Anyway, as we were training him and watching him i realized he didnt hear certain sounds. which may have made the other owners impatient with him thinking he was disobediant.

We took him to the vet, I didnt know much about the breed, and thought the hair in the ears which was odd, was just part of the breed. it was at least an inch or two long, i brushed it with his other fur!

The vet wasnt able to see his eardrums at all!
Boo needed to have a baby tooth pulled, so he put him to sleep and took care of the ears at the same time so it was less traumatic.

now i pull the fuzz out every few weeks, he doesnt like it, but it only takes a second and i give him a treat.

he is now happy, well adjusted , no potty problems or hearing problems except maybe some Low pitches


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## El Bueno Habanero (Oct 20, 2009)

When I first got Fedja as a puppy I have been told to regularly check for and pull the hair out of his ears (as to not get any infections). 
After one of the sessions he developed an ear infection! Since then I'm very careful if I do it to not do a lot pulling in one session (have learned that this can actually cause ear infections). Just a few hairs at the time and that's it. He never has had an ear infection since then. Knock on wood :biggrin1:.


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