# Ear Plucking



## CaroleG (Aug 13, 2016)

Hi Friends!
I have my one year old Hav groomed once a month, and I do the grooming in-between. He is healthy and doing great. Just went to the Vet for one year annual exam, and Vet said that my dog has alot of hair in his ears that should be plucked. (He has never thus far had an ear infection) The Vet did not pluck the hair, but suggested that either I or the groomer do it. 

So, I did a research on Havanese Forum, and saw posts from 2010. I am asking all of you, where do you stand on this?


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

My two have very hairy ears. The groomer occasionally plucks the hair. I've watched and it doesn't seem to bother them at all.


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## abi (May 21, 2014)

I plucked mine since they were young. They don't seem to suffer any issue from it.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Mario has relatively hairless ears. Nino's are hairier. I pluck Nino's, but not to the point of being hairless as the hair inside the ear can add a layer of defense. I give ears a nice wipe down before and after and just grab small amounts at the base and pull. I could do it with Nino sleeping if I had to.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

I noticed that Perry's are really hairy - he only sees an official groomer twice a year - but I'm freaked out about plucking... so haven't done it at all yet (just try to make sure there are no tangles). I figured it hurt - it doesn't?


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## CaroleG (Aug 13, 2016)

I read this article and now I am on the fence about this.
Let Your Veterinarian Get to the Bottom of Pet Ear Problems - Veterinary Medicine at Illinois


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> I noticed that Perry's are really hairy - he only sees an official groomer twice a year - but I'm freaked out about plucking... so haven't done it at all yet (just try to make sure there are no tangles). I figured it hurt - it doesn't?


It doesn't seem to hurt them at all. Truffles would let you know if it did! The groomer only lightly plucks a little hair around the outside of the canal with her fingers.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Dr. Becker at Mercola Pets 
. Fiction: "If I pluck the hairs out of my dog's ears, my dog will never get another ear infection."

Fact: Ear hair has a purpose, so unless it's causing a problem or is aggravating an existing infection, it's not a good idea to remove it, and especially not by plucking. Plucking itself can cause irritation and inflammation.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Our vet told us to not try to clean Shama's ears. She said to just let her know if we notice any problem. I think our groomer is plucking her ear hair, but I guess I don't know for sure. We don't do anything to the inside of Shama's ears. We only flip the occasional ear when the inside is exposed (Elaine on Seinfeld, "FIX YOUR DOG'S EAR!") and brush/comb out mats.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

When Kodi was a young dog, I plucked his ears], because I thought I should. He didn't really seem to mind it. But then I found a better vet, who said that unless there was a problem with his ears, I should leave them alone. She said that occasionally long haired breeds grow SO much hair in their ears that it blocks airflow, gets mucky and causes problems. But that for most dogs, and certainly for Kodi, that wasn't an issue. So, for 6 1/2 years I've left his ears alone and have never touched Pixel's or Panda's. 

the girls have never had ear problems, and Kodi's only ear infections have been related to allergy problems. As long as the allergies are under control, his ears are fine.

My vet says the same about anal glands. They should never EVER be expressed by a groomer, even though it is commonly offered as a service by groomers. While OCCASIONALLY a dog might have a problem that requires that they be expressed, if this is done frequently (and especially if it isn't done right) it can lead to loss of tone, and the eventual consequence that the dog can no longer express them naturally, and it becomes a chronic problem. 

IMO, leave ears and anal glands alone unless your VET tells you there is a specific reason that they need to be done.


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## CaroleG (Aug 13, 2016)

THANK YOU


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## seesawhavanese (Jun 17, 2015)

Our vet said that it wasn't necessary to pluck Mochi's ear hair, so we only just keep it clean and so far we haven't had any problems. When Mochi scratches her ears we check her ears and clean any debris or pluck any extra with my fingers. I also use ear powder to keep it dry after bathing. Mochi is almost two and so far so good.


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

Carol and all, the vet looked at both my dears' ears and suggested plucking. Maybe I would have better luck with a vet that didn't offer the service for $12, says my cynical self. The groomer was supposed to include ears with service, but when I picked them up they were still hairy down there. So, my dogs ears will stay au natural until Brazilian ears are offered up with convincing data to support the uncomfortable procedure.


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

Marni said:


> Carol and all, the vet looked at both my dears' ears and suggested plucking. Maybe I would have better luck with a vet that didn't offer the service for $12, says my cynical self. The groomer was supposed to include ears with service, but when I picked them up they were still hairy down there. So, my dogs ears will stay au natural until Brazilian ears are offered up with convincing data to support the uncomfortable procedure.




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