Finn smells bad since a week. I cleaned his cuddles and his crate bed. Still smells. Then I thought let me check his ears....I saw yesterday he has one red ear on the left side. It is red, he doesn't like me to touch it. He yells when I do. So tomorrow to the vet, she doesn't work today. I clean his ears with ear cleansing pads. He let me do this, he seems to like this or is it that he knows he gets a reward....? Is there something I can do more?
Just get him to the vet as soon as possible. He'll be fine, but I wouldn't mess with it yourself. It should clear up quickly with medication.
Oh, welcome to the stinky ears club. This is the one thing that Pongo really suffers from (he's a pretty healthy boy otherwise). I'm told it is not uncommon with some Labradors because of the shape of the ear canal. I try to keep his ears clean with cleansing pads (he doesn't mind it, I think he likes the cool pad in his ear and I'm always very gentle). But even so, every few months they will suddenly flare up - red ears and black gunk. The biggest risk is when he has been swimming. I have drops from the vet to use when this happens, and it usually clears it after about a week - but I tend to take him back for a check anyway, so she can have a good look down his ears and make sure they are properly clean again. It can get quite miserable for him if I don't get on top of it. Today I have just noticed they've suddenly gone quite bad again. I'll be digging out the drops and I predict another trip to the vet in a few days time. (Last visit was back in October.) We'll be going on a Forum Walkies on Sunday which will involve swimming so I would be being particularly careful with his ears after that anyway. I am resigned to this being a recurring problem, but it isn't too much of an issue now that I'm aware of it and I know what to do. Hope Finn is OK - let us know what the vet says! Rosie
Rolo is also in the gunky ears club. Every so often if I havent checked in a day or so they flare up... yacky smell and yacky black wax. He seems to enjoy the cleaning as he does pleasurable groans when I clean them
Snowie also loves his ears cleaned. Goes into a trance. They also need regular superficial cleaning - every day with a towel, no drops. If they get bad then I use ear cleaner. He also likes it when I rub the insides with my fingers, as if scratching, but just fingertips, no nails. I guess it feels like when I use an earbud on my own ear - I love the sensation!
Looks like Cassie too headingfor this membership -- there is water, stream or lake, on our daily walks, so most days she has a dip. She's beginning to tolerate me looking, if not cleaning yet.
Tilly needs to have her ears cleaned pretty regularly, or she gets yeast and sometimes bacteria infections. So far Cooper has not had any issues. She has more forward ears, and maybe they dry out better.
Just came back from the vet. Finn's right ear was perfectly fine and clean. His left ear was infected, red in the inner ear. From her he got some antibiotics drops, and I have to start tomorrow ear drops with corticosteroids. Once a day and back to the vet in about ten days!
