I have noticed over the past week that Haleys ears smell quite bad and there is brown wax (or what I assume is wax) build up. I clean them out with a clean dry tissue every few days but it the wax and smell come back after a day. Is this normal or does she have an infection? We have a vet appointment next week for her second round of jabs so I am going to bring it up then, I was just wondering if this is common? and maybe different things I can try to help clear it up?
Re: Smelly Ears I am no ear expert......they will be along soon As long as Haley isn't shaking her head I think it might wait til next week, though not sure ???
Re: Smelly Ears she isn't shaking her head at all...she doesn't seem bothered by her ears at all actually
Re: Smelly Ears It could be the start of an infection or it could just be excess wax. If she isn't shaking her head a lot or scratching her ears a lot then I think it will be fine to wait until next week. The vet will probably give you a cleaning solution that you squirt down the ear. Antibiotic ear drops if there is an infection. My old lab had quite a few ear infections and his ears would be red inside. Normally he would get quite a build up of brown wax which would smell so I would use the cleaning solution once a month to prevent infection.
Re: Smelly Ears Sounds like it could be an ear infection or ear mites. Or she might just need some proper ear cleaner rather than a tissue. Do they look red and inflamed? They could be sore. I would try to get her into the vet sooner than next week as you don't want it to get any worse if it is an infection. Left untreated they can be pretty nasty.
Re: Smelly Ears Sounds very much like a. Yeast infection. I clean Romeos ears with sancerum. It works very well
Re: Smelly Ears Thanks for your replies! Her ears are not red and I have been watching her closely to see if she shakes her head or paws at her ears more than usual and the only time I really see her shake her head is when she just gets up from a nap which is what she has always done. I am going to call the vet and see what they think (if I should bring her in sooner or if next week is ok) I feel bad for her because if it is an infection then this is the third thing she has had in her short life! at 11 weeks old she has a UTI, vaginitis, and now a possible ear infection
Re: Smelly Ears Just on my evening catch up Meg,sorry about Haley's ears,in my experience it does sound like a yeast infection ...we had similar last year.No head shaking or scratching I was just noticing a build up every couple of days of dark brown waxy ( shoe polish looking ) debris.Anti fungal drops from the vet cleared it very quickly x
Re: Smelly Ears Hi Sounds like ear mites to me. My old girl suffered with this repeatedly throughout her life but it was it usually accompanied by head shaking. The wax was dark and thick and had a very distinctive smell, apparently labs are prone to them due to the size and shape of their ears!? We used a good ear cleaner from the vets and tried to clean them regularly to keep on top of them.
Re: Smelly Ears Thank you again for your replies I called the vet and they said that because Haley doesn't seem distressed and there is no redness to the ears that it will be ok to wait until our appointment next week to get it sorted, however if we do notice redness or head shaking/tilting I should bring her in straight away. I am just waiting for a week to go by where no new ailments come up! maybe next week...
