# Are these signs of an ear infection?



## Lisa1123 (Mar 7, 2010)

Help please! Maddie has stinky ears!:ear:
They smell kind of sour, and I can smell it when she's a foot away, especially if her ear gets flipped back. I've looked in her ears and don't see any wax or dirt but it's hard to tell because there's quite a bit of hair. 
She hasn't been groomed yet at only 3 months of age and I know she probably needs to have the ear hair plucked but I can't bring myself to do that! That's one of the many reasons I use a groomer! And last night she was scratching her ears quite a bit.
She's half Beagle and her ears are long like a Beagle so this might not be a Havanese question but I figure dog ears are dog ears, at least the ailments that can affect them.
Do I need to take her to a vet, get her groomed, or is there a good way to clean them? I was thinking about using a Q-tip with alcohol or peroxide and swabbing them, without going very deep. Any ideas?


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Lisa, stinky ears are definitely a sign of something wrong. I would take maddie to the vet and she can give you some help for now and for how to maintain long ears.

My Cash is all Havanese but has very big floppy ears and his ears sometimes get smelly, but when they do, I can also see red inflammation on the flap. We just went to the vet wednesday to have his ears looked at. The vet gave me a zinc liquid...but he had nothing wrong inside the ear. So I would get it checked out.

I have always stayed away from the liquids you put in their ears, but I clean their ears twice a week with these...

http://www.petedge.com/product/Heal...ional-Ear-Wipes/pc/193/c/308/sc/385/44616.uts


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lisa1123 said:


> Help please! Maddie has stinky ears!:ear:
> They smell kind of sour, and I can smell it when she's a foot away, especially if her ear gets flipped back. I've looked in her ears and don't see any wax or dirt but it's hard to tell because there's quite a bit of hair.
> She hasn't been groomed yet at only 3 months of age and I know she probably needs to have the ear hair plucked but I can't bring myself to do that! That's one of the many reasons I use a groomer! And last night she was scratching her ears quite a bit.
> She's half Beagle and her ears are long like a Beagle so this might not be a Havanese question but I figure dog ears are dog ears, at least the ailments that can affect them.
> Do I need to take her to a vet, get her groomed, or is there a good way to clean them? I was thinking about using a Q-tip with alcohol or peroxide and swabbing them, without going very deep. Any ideas?


Hi Lisa,

It sounds like a yeast infection... Kodi got one as a puppy, and the vet told me that the distinctive sour smell is a sure sign. He gave me a liquid to put in his ears, squish around, and then clean out with a cotton ball. Once the infection was cleared up, he told me to put just a tiny amount of the drops in his ears any time they got wet, whether it was at the beach, having a bath, or just out in the rain. He also said I could use the liquid just as a cleaning agent, so it can't be very strong. We've never had any more trouble, and he's a Hav with ear flaps on the longer side.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

I just took Pixie in on Friday to get her ears checked out. No infection, but the vet recommended 1/3 part white vinegar, 1/3 rubbing alcohol and 1/3 water solution. Soak up a cotton ball (just wet enough but not dripping), and swab the ear. It dissolves all of the gunk. I hope it's not an infection with Maddie.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

I would have it checked out, too. If it was ear mites there would be a rusty brown looking gunk inside the ear but since you don't see that and she is smelling funny there is probably something going on.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Beth, can you make that solution up and keep it? might be better than the wipes for regular cleaning.


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## mimismom (Feb 15, 2009)

I can't offer any help except to say that our vet recommended an ear solution for Gordo's ears since they seemed really dirty when he went in for his initial check up.


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## Lisa1123 (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks both of you! I thought a vet visit was in order but since I'm into them for about $700 this month I thought I'd get some second opinions! But when it comes to our babies money is no object, right? Off we go again!! 
I'll see what the vet says but I like the wipes at PetEdge. Seems like they would be easier to use than a liquid, especially with a squirmy puppy!


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## Lisa1123 (Mar 7, 2010)

Make that - thanks to ALL of you! I got interrupted while writing that other response and by the time I posted it there were many more replies!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lisa1123 said:


> Thanks both of you! I thought a vet visit was in order but since I'm into them for about $700 this month I thought I'd get some second opinions! But when it comes to our babies money is no object, right? Off we go again!!
> I'll see what the vet says but I like the wipes at PetEdge. Seems like they would be easier to use than a liquid, especially with a squirmy puppy!


The trouble with wipes is that if it's an infection, it's probably down deeper than you can get with the drops. Kodi was a puppy when he had the infection (I suspect because he'd been spending a lot of time at the beach) and I didn't have any trouble putting the drops in. he vet showed me how to do it once, and then we did fine on our own.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

Missy said:


> Beth, can you make that solution up and keep it? might be better than the wipes for regular cleaning.


Yes, you can store it in a clean water bottle, using 1/3 cup of each. I haven't tried it yet.


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## Lisa1123 (Mar 7, 2010)

Just a quick update on Maddie. DH took her to the vet yesterday because I had a dental appointment and it WAS a yeast infection. She has meds to take for 12 days then is to go back for another check. He also treated her for ear mites although he didn't see any yesterday. I was totally wrong about her ears not being dirty! DH says they used 10-12 swabs per ear and got out lots of black goop! YUCK! I guess it was way down in there and with all the hair I just couldn't see it. He recommended using the alchohol/vinegar mix once or twice a week to keep them clean. I think I'll order some of those wipes from Petedge too. That just seems easier since they are ready to use. 
Thanks for all your advice - you guys were dead-on and Maddie is on her way back to being sweet-smelling!


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Glad you got her checked. My vet actually smells Marble's ears when I take him in for a problem, and she said the odor was a sign of the yeast infection. I don't know why, but Marble gets these at least 3 times a year, and the vet puts him on Mometamax. The last time he got one was after he was kenneled during spring break. I'm still trying to figure that one out....


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

I'm glad Maddie is on her way to getting "all better".


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## mimismom (Feb 15, 2009)

Glad to hear that she is being treated and will no longer be smelly. 

I better do the ear cleaning on Gordo tonight... Yikes!! 10-12 swabs!?!


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