# Thoughts on pulling ear hair



## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

What are the thoughts on pulling ear hair? My groomer suggests it. What do you guys think? Do I let her or not?

Thanks


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

It is HIGHLY recommended because the hair can actually grow back into the ear & also traps dirt/wax etc...and can cause infections. It is painless(hard to imagine, i know) & easy to do. Do a little at a time & just make sure you only pull the hair IN the ear canal or it will hurt!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Hi Leslie,

I have heard that it can help, but also that it can irritate the inside of the ear and cause problems. Some say humidity stays around longer the more hair there is in the ears, so plucking them can 'air them out'. 

I dunno..... I feel like there is no REAL reason to pluck them, but Ricky did have quite a lot of them at one point, so my groomer convinced me to have some hairs pulled. I've told her to remove less than half of them and most times not to touch them at all. They're doing fine and I check the dogs' ears every time I groom them, almost every day. I've also pulled some here and there, but again, I leave in more than I remove.

Not sure if there's any 'science' on this......


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

I guess i like to err on the side of caution & since it doesnt hurt them i just pluck the hairs after i groomed them. I never heard of doing that before until i read my Havanese owners manual & it said to do that. :ear:


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## Sunnygirl (Jun 1, 2007)

My vet advised against pulling the ear hair and said it can cause more problems than it helps. Most everyone else recommends pulling the ear hair. I haven't decided yet.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Isnt it funny how you can get different but firm opinions from Vets? I dont know if thats funny or scary because i see that happens often on a whole lot of topics......My vet recommended pulling the hair from the ears! :suspicious:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

My vet encouraged us to pull the ear hair. I haven't yet, but I really do think it is time. 

*sigh*

How often does this need to be done? Does all the hair in the canal need to be taken out of just some? (I'm sure he answered this, but I'm having a blonde moment)

Kara


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## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

I've checked capote's ears and he really doesn't have any growing down there...as of yet..?


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

*What Havanese Owners Manual?*



LuvMyHavanese said:


> I guess i like to err on the side of caution & since it doesnt hurt them i just pluck the hairs after i groomed them. I never heard of doing that before until i read my Havanese owners manual & it said to do that. :ear:


I knew I was missing something. *What Havanese Owners Manual*?

:brick:


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

The Havanese, by Diane Klumb (am i still allowed to say her name here)LOL


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## kgiese (Apr 18, 2007)

Hank gets ear infections, and my vet told me to pull the hair out. My groomer says absolutely not! I have a bottle of cleaner that I got from my vet and use it once or twice a week. He said that it cleans the ears, and dries up any water that gets in the ear canal during bathing, etc. It seems to keep him from having ear infections.

Karen


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Shannon, I do have that book. Sure we can say her name she has been alot of the recent history of the Havanese, book and all.:focus:


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My vet said not to pull the ear hair. He said he has seen too many ears get inflamed due to pulling hair. Fortunately, mine do not have a lot of hair in their ears, so they are easy to keep clean.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

irnfit said:


> My vet said not to pull the ear hair. He said he has seen too many ears get inflamed due to pulling hair.


Yup, that's what mine said too. Pulling can aggravate things in there and it's not necessary. My groomer wanted to pull them all out! lol So, being a Libra and wanting to keep things in balance, I chose to remove about half (or less)! eace: LOL

Pulling them is painless. Sammy tends to get some gunk once in a while and as I comb the long hairs coming out of his ears, with my very fine tooth comb, some come right out. You can grab onto a few with your fingers and pull them out. It might tickle and make the pup shake his head like mad, but it doesn't hurt. I've never heard them yelp from it. :biggrin1:


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

SMARTY said:


> Shannon, I do have that book. Sure we can say her name she has been alot of the recent history of the Havanese, book and all.:focus:


I know, i was just teasing!:biggrin1: I dont know what i would have done in the beginning without her book! I still refer to it.:focus:

I do pull most but there are still some left in there. I dont go crazy making sure i get every one. They get ear gunk in there also so i try to keep it really clean.


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## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

I don't pluck Sam's ears, but he has very little hair in the canal to begin with. The book "The Joyous Havanese" by Kathryn Braund says not to pluck.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Hi,
I don't pull the hair from my guys. I just cut the hairs every 2-4 weeks. I also use an ear cleaner and q tip and clean them daily. I don't go deep into the canal. I have not had any ear infections yet, and the oldest one is almost 3. I just bought ear pluckers, but hesistant to use them after reading all the responses.

Linda


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Wow! Who knew this was so controversial! lol...

My vet made it sound like it HAD to be done w/ long hair dogs, especially!

Kara


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## EMarie (Apr 11, 2007)

As a former vet tech and now a groomer, I have seen ear infections made worse by excess hair and then I have seen it when the hair is not pulled properly cause inflamation. The theory behind the ear hair pulling is that the hair it allows air to get into the ear canal. I always recommend it but have it done by someone who knows what they are doing. I normally clip the hair on the inside flap and only pull the hair in the cannal. I have never had a dog come down with an infection. I also have one havanese that needs the hair pulled and the other one does not. Go figure.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

I clip the hair (with a curved blunt-tipped scissor and my hubby holding the dog's head still) from the ear canal when it gets murky in there  and clean regularly with Otirinse that I got from the vet.

I tried plucking the hairs but it made Lincoln CRAZY. When he's napping, I'll flip up his ear to let more air circulate into the canal. Scout has the ears that stick out more, so they naturally flap open when he running around 

Luckily, they haven't had or been prone to ear infections so far....

Jane


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## dotndani (Mar 19, 2007)

Well the groomer said that Duncan's ears were really smelly and she pulled lots of hair out and cleaned his ears. Later hubby and I put his cleaning drops in and hubby cleaned out a bunch of dirt. My vet says it doesn't need to be pulled,but the groomer stringly suggested it.


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

I Agree with you Jane. I would prefer to trim the hairs with a pair of blunt tipped scissors. I have a pair I bought for trimming Radar's feet. I would be conerned about ingrown hairs in the ear canal. If you pull them out I would think that perhaps some hairs may grown in a little funny and perhaps cause more problems.


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

I forgot to mention...is there a smell that can come from the ears which you can detect which may indicate that the ears need cleaning.


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## Rita (Jan 1, 2007)

I think it depends on the dog too. Some dogs may have more fur in their ears then others. The groomer plucked Houston's ear hair the first visit because there was a ton. She told me just to keep it trimmed myself. Last time we went (6 weeks after) she didn't need to do it.

I didn't ask the vet. HMMM. They recommended the groomer because she was a former vet tech. I guess I will have to ask the vet.


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

My vet said no, my groomer said yes. I went with no. However, Gryff has been shaking his head like mad. I checked his ears and one of them was more gunky than the other. I think I will try to pluck some out. I use Epi-Otic cleaner that I got from the vet once a week or so, but that doesn't seem to be helping with the shaking much. He's still on anti-biotics from his neutering, so I figure if he has any kind of ear infection, it will be taken care of. I don't think so though, I think he's shaking his head because the hair in there might be bothering him.


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## chrisdisser (Aug 3, 2006)

*Ear hair*

I have one dog, Trooper, with an excess of ear hair. He got a couple infections from swimming and with all that hair there was no way to get water - moisture out. I keep his hair in his ears down by using hemostats. My other dogs have almost no hair in the ear canal so pulling isn't much of an issue. After 4 years of hair pulling I can tell you that that has never caused an infection.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

> My vet said no, my groomer said yes. I went with no. However, Gryff has been shaking his head like mad. I checked his ears and one of them was more gunky than the other. I think I will try to pluck some out. I use Epi-Otic cleaner that I got from the vet once a week or so, but that doesn't seem to be helping with the shaking much. He's still on anti-biotics from his neutering, so I figure if he has any kind of ear infection, it will be taken care of. I don't think so though, I think he's shaking his head because the hair in there might be bothering him.


Keep a close eye on that. Someone here on the forum recently found a bunch of gunk in their dog's ear and it turned out to be ear mites...not an infection! SO if he keeps acting like his ear is bothering him, have them check for mites. I think they are too small to see w/ the naked eye? But I'm not sure. I think the thread is titled "ear mites", or something like that?

I hope its nothing!

Kara


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

My cat had ear mites once and you could definitely see them. I will keep an eye on it though.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Okay! That's good to know, because I found some dirt/gunk in Gucci's ears once and worried she had mites, but she didn't. I imagine they are pretty awful and bother the bejeebers out of them! Your poor kitty 

Kara


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

I was looking at Stogies ears yesterday. Like many here, my vet said NOT to pull it and my groomer said to pull. So yikes! But Stogies ears were really hairy. I need to start cleaning them good, but dont know what to use. Any suggestions?


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## dschles (Jan 23, 2007)

ivyagogo said:


> My vet said no, my groomer said yes. I went with no. However, Gryff has been shaking his head like mad. I checked his ears and one of them was more gunky than the other. I think I will try to pluck some out. I use Epi-Otic cleaner that I got from the vet once a week or so, but that doesn't seem to be helping with the shaking much. He's still on anti-biotics from his neutering, so I figure if he has any kind of ear infection, it will be taken care of. I don't think so though, I think he's shaking his head because the hair in there might be bothering him.


I think you should call your vet to see if the antibiotics from neutering would cure an ear infection. We have always treated ear infections with a topical applied directly in the ear.

Are the antibiotics from the neutering a preventative approach? We were not given antibiotics after Scout was neutered.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Quincy's are hairy,and so far,I'm going to leave them.As a puppy the vet tech pulled them during his neuter.It has not been done since.The vet gave me OtiRinse to squirt in his ear canal after baths.I squeeze it in and massage the ear till you hear a squish-squish sound.This cleanses the ear and dries the excess moisture out.He has never had any ear troubles.I'm going to leave well enough alone for now and leave it.Of course if he had ear infections etc.I would want to keep it free of hair.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

LuvMyHavanese said:


> The Havanese, by Diane Klumb (am i still allowed to say her name here)LOL


This is a good book-----it must of been written before her confusion on the HS.She had it right back then---the havanese was referred to as a Havana Silk in HER days back then!ound:

It really is a great guide.....eace:


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

havashadow said:


> What are the thoughts on pulling ear hair? My groomer suggests it. What do you guys think? Do I let her or not?
> 
> Thanks


Yes. Tori doesn't have much hair in her ears but I'd let them pull it to get air in there. If you pull the hair from the ear canal, there's no pain. If you pull from the wrong place, you'll hear a yelp.


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## SHOWDOWN (Dec 17, 2006)

I STRONGLEY SUGGEST PULLING THE HAIR OUT!


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

CapotesMom said:


> I've checked capote's ears and he really doesn't have any growing down there...as of yet..?


Some have hardly any ear hair, others have a lot. 
I didn't use to pull it out, then ran into trouble with a yeast infection and got a lecture from my vet. :director: :kev:


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

I only recently pulled Rufus' ear hair. He didn't have much as a pup but last time he had a bath he was getting pretty furry and he had gunk in the ear hairs...ewww. I pulled it with hemostats after his bath. It didn't bother him one bit. I use the NaturVet Ear Wash. It has Tea Tree Oil...smells good!  

Same news here as the rest of you. My vet said not to bother, my groomer said... gee, I don't have a groomer LOL I AM the groomer, so I guess I decided yes!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I'm glad I pulled Gucci's ear hair out. It wasn't alot of hair, but fairly moderate amount and a big glub of GUNK came out that I could not see from just looking at her ear! UGHH! Gross. I can't imagine if I wouldn't have pulled and left that crap in her ear. 

She was fine, didnt' flinch or anything.

Kara


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

I use the OtiRinse ear cleaner too. It has a great smell!

I saturate a cotton ball with it and then put the cotton ball in their ear - then massage and squish it around so the cleaner oozes out of it. I think because the liquid is so cold, my dogs kind of freak out if I try to drizzle in there directly 

Then I wipe all around the ear flap with the cotton ball.

Hmm, I should do that today - it has been awhile!


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

Oreo has TONS of hair and I find when I let in grow in abundance the starts digging at his ears.. So I let the groomer pluck the hair... I have the ear cleaner that I use regularly and I am finding he doesn't dig at his ears anymore. I guess we all have to find what works... My vet also claims to NOT pluck vs. the groomer saying yes....Its hard to really say what is good vs. not


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

On Pepper's first visit to the groomer, they pulled the ear hair out. He hasn't had any problems. I was kind of glad they did it because he had so much we could've easily made braids out of each side.

We use Veterinarian's Best Natural Care ear cleaner and drying creme. No alcohol, so it doesn't sting.

Wanda


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

That's odd that so many vets are against it.

My vet TOLD me to pull it, they said to leave a little bit of hair, but not to let it get "very hairy", whatever that can be interpreted as! lol

Gucci hasn't been to the groomer yet, so who knows.

Kara


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Bugsy has hardly any hair and it's so easy to pull out that I don't even need the powder and he could care less when I do it. My Poos on the other had have tons of hair and it needs to be pulled. I use powder to pull their hair out, as otherwise the hair just slips out of my fingers.


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

I pulled the hair out of the ear that has been bothering him. It is really dirty in there. I used the cleaner the vet gave me and a couple of cotton balls and tried to clean it out. I would really like to use a Q-Tip, but I won't. There is no way I could have cleaned it as well as I just did with all that hair in there. I'll get to the other ear later. Oh, and he didn't even flinch.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

I'm trying to remember something you can make at home to clean and dry the ears. Is it half water, half hydrogen peroxide (3%)?


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

I have also read in Kathryn Braund's book - The Joyous Havanese, that you can mix 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water, or 1/2 alchohol and 1/2 water to use as a cleaner. But I have never made this personally, but I use the cleanser my vet gave me...


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

Javi's breeder gave me instructions on plucking hair from his ears when I picked him up . . . I have been doing it for 4 years and he has never had an ear infection . . . I actually think he likes having it done. Phoebe does not have as much hair in her ears so I don't do it as often. My vet also recommending pulling the hair. .


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I'm on the fence about it. I heard you should do it to cut down on infection. I also heard if you pull the hair, that opens the ear up to more infection. My vet does it, but I don't. I just trim the hair and clean the ears daily.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

My vet didnt really reccomend it either but Jax's ear is so FULL of hair & he scratches a lot. You literally cant see in his ear there is so much hair. He did have an infection when i 1st got him so i will have him checked again this week when he gets neutered. I have started to pull his hair a little.
But i clean his ears with a cleaner/drying solution made with Boric & Acetic acids.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

That Javi - loving having someone pull on his ears - too cute!! Arlene, I guess I dont have to worry about watering my Hostas this week huh?? My guys would not leave them alone last night - they knew that Javi was busy!!ound:


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## kgiese (Apr 18, 2007)

Hank is just getting over a major ear infection.  It seems he gets one almost every time he's bathed. I've been to 3 vets. The one in NM when we first got him said to pull the hair out of his ears. I've been to 2 vets in Houston and they both told me the same thing, but my groomer is adamant about not taking the hair out of their ears and says it's not water that's causing it, but a bacteria. (She also said she's checked with her vet and a couple of others that say no too) I've taken Hank to 3 different groomers here (trying to find a good one), and none of them pull the hair out of his ears. --Anyway, I have some ear cleaner (looks like water) that my vet gave me that dries out the ear canal so he won't get an infection. I just had him groomed last Thursday and I came home and put it in his ears immediately, and again last night hoping he won't get another flare up. I think some dogs are just more prone to ear infections than others. --When he starts shaking his head I know he's got an ear ache.

Karen
Hank's Mom


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I don't do it. I just kind of think if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it! My mom always says with her dogs (GR's), once they get an ear infection, they will keep getting them. I think some dogs are just more prone to them just like some kids are.

Amanda


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

Laurie -

I think I may have to plant Hostas since my boy likes them so much . . . I guess I have a hav with a Hosta fetish!

Arlene


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

ama0722 said:


> I don't do it. I just kind of think if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it! My mom always says with her dogs (GR's), once they get an ear infection, they will keep getting them. I think some dogs are just more prone to them just like some kids are.
> 
> Amanda


this is my thoughts exactly........


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## jimandjudy4321 (Aug 13, 2007)

I've been wondering if I should pull the hair from Annie's ears like I used to with our poodle years ago...whats the last word on that....do or not? She does have a lot of ear hair....using cornstarch dusted inside the ear helps pull the hair, which is how I did it with my poodle.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Jim and Judy, there is no official "last word" on this topic. It depends on the dog, the amount of hair in the ear, your climate and if the dog is prone to infections. 

Some vets say to pull it and others say not to pull it. Some breeders say to pull it and others say to leave it alone. Many groomers remove it, but that's their job.

I like to take the moderate approach and pull some out when I see a lot of hair in there (with my fingers), or if I have a dog that seems to get "dirty" ears easily, but I am not compulsive about keeping the ear canals hair-free. Just keep an eye on Annie's ears and take note if you smell anything odd coming from her ears. You are probably well aware of that if you were conscious of your poodle's ears.


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## Lynn (Jan 2, 2007)

Missy was itching one ear alot, so I checked it out and she has alot of hair in her ears. The hair looked like it had a build up of dirt or something on it. I read though this thread and decided not to pull the hair out for fear of irritating the ear. I took her to the vet and she took a swab and said she had a yeast infection and showed me how to pull the hair out of ears, so the area could get air. The vet pulled all the hair out of Missy's ears and really, Missy did not act like it hurt her....she was eating a cookie and the hair came out pretty easy. I also got some medicine for her ears, once a day for 5 days...then once a week to keep infection away.

I will keep a eye on it to see if it gets irritated and let you know....but it really doesn't look like it will and Missy did not wake up this AM itching her ear. I also think she might hear better....that is hard to tell though, she is at the stage where she only hears and response to what she wants to.

It was really surprised by all the hair in her ears.....Casper has none. I am wondering if the dogs with the dark coats have hairy ears and the dogs with the cream/white coats don't?


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I don't know, Lynn..maybe it just varies from dog to dog, Gucci doesn't have much hair in her ears. I've only plucked out a little bit, twice. Bummer on the yeast infection  What did that look like? Gunk? Its funny you should mention that, though..Gucci has been itching her ear alot lately and last night I started to worry. I checked her for mats, because sometimes she will itch at mats, but didn't see one, so IDK?

Kara


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## Lynn (Jan 2, 2007)

Kara,

Gucci was on antibotics....could be a yeast infection. I am sure that was what caused Missy's infection.

It looked like gunk, waxy, dirty brown....I don't know if that is what the actual yeast looked liked though it just could have been a few things together. 

Missy would wake up every morning itching her ears...one more than the other. Itching seemed worst in the morning.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I just gave Gucci her morning brush out and didnt' see any gunk, but I am watching her closely. You're right...she was on antibiotics and the yeast may be a possibility. If she keeps it up this weekend, we'll be going to the vet on Monday.

Kara


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2008)

My Vet gave me an ear flush called T8 Keto..it's an antibacterial/antifungal ear wash.

Gabe has never had any ear infections. Sophie has had a few, but they were mostly related to bathing..which the flush and ear ointment clear up


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

The vet we have for Tori highly recommended pulling the ear hair. He feels it is just a "breeding ground" for possible issues. Like Missy, Tori didn't seem bothered at all when it was done. She had A LOT of hair, so I'm sure we dodged a bullet by doing it preventively.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Lynn said:


> It was really surprised by all the hair in her ears.....Casper has none. I am wondering if the dogs with the dark coats have hairy ears and the dogs with the cream/white coats don't?


 Tinky (white) and all her pups seem to get a pretty good amount of hair in their ears. Good guess though.


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2008)

Kimberly...

Do you pull the hair or leave it?


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

If the dogs have a lot of hair, I pull some out. I'm not meticulous about it though because getting obsessive about it can irritate the ears. Some of my dogs don't have much hair at all, so I just leave it. I probably only pull ear hair every six months or so.


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