Hair in my dog's ears

[chrwal]

I am wondering how to go about removing the hair from my dog's ears.

Firstly, does it have to be removed? If so, how do you do it?

Thank you.

Christi

[judkap]

Hello Chrwal:
You didn't mention the breed of your dog. However, when I purchased my Bichon puppy, I had him proessionally groomed. As he grew into an "adult", the professional groomer sculptured his "big boy" coat, and from there on you can follow their example for further trimmings.
I'm just a novice at giving advise like this, but I hope it helped.
judkap

[norshi]

I have a Miniature Schnauzer, and I take him to a groomer every 6 month. I found out that my dog had a ear infection after last grooming. It is important to trim hair inside the ear, otherwise, you may miss the problems in the ear. Our vet gave us "Mometamax" drop for 10 days. The problem solved. I also bath him every week using good soap, especially, rinse. I request the groomer to use medicated rinse every time I go. Besides this, I give him Skin Formula 3V Caps Liquid in his food every meal. It is a dietary supplement. His skin and hair coats are shine and healthy. Lastly, I am not sure if it helps, I give him 2 teaspoon of goat yogurt after every meals, too.

NKS

[chrwal]

I have a Miniature Schnauzer, and I take him to a groomer every 6 month. I found out that my dog had a ear infection after last grooming. It is important to trim hair inside the ear, otherwise, you may miss the problems in the ear. Our vet gave us "Mometamax" drop for 10 days. The problem solved. I also bath him every week using good soap, especially, rinse. I request the groomer to use medicated rinse every time I go. Besides this, I give him Skin Formula 3V Caps Liquid in his food every meal. It is a dietary supplement. His skin and hair coats are shine and healthy. Lastly, I am not sure if it helps, I give him 2 teaspoon of goat yogurt after every meals, too.

NKS

Hi there,

Thanks for the great advice.

I might have to change the groomer I use for my Poodle think as she never mentioned removing the hair from the ears.

. I might try the medicated rinse as well I think.

Thanks again.

Christi

[sharda]

I would agree, a professional dog groomer should usually advise you and remove the hair from the ears to help prevent ear infections.

warmly,

Sharda B

[marlar]

I have a terrier mix, 1 year old. Her hair is very long, about 6 inches. She gets very hot in the summer heat. How much hair should I trim off of her. I trimmed behind the ears where it wants to mat, her belley, insides of her legs and rump and the long shaggy stuff below knees and elbows. How much more should be trimmed? Mary

[susbaz]

I have a toy poodle and she lets me pull out the hairs in her ears with my fingers. If I need to get down deep I use a blunt edged tweezer, but she sits still enough for me to do it without danger. She seems to prefer my fingers to the tweezers though. I use a type of powder (R-7 Ear Powder) before I pull the hairs as it comes out much easier.

[micric]

My Vet gave me a money saving tip, for bathing my dog(Flat coat retriever x breed), use Johnsons No More Tears baby shampoo, I have been using this for six months with no problems. It has eliminated the dandruff you get with thick coats and being gentle it doesn't irritate the eyes.
Hope this helps.
Mick
North West UK

[annpre]

I've been a groomer for years and plucking the hair in the ears is something every groomer should do. Most of my clients bring their dogs in every 6 to 8 weeks so, if you only take your dog to a groomer every 6 months, you need to do it at home also. The ear powder helps you get a good grip on the hairs in the ear. Some dogs are more sensitive so you need to pull the hair out in smaller amounts. Fingers work well for this but , especially for very small dogs, you may need blunt end tweezers. For a dog that is uneasy about having this done using your fingers is safer because you avoid accidentally poking the ear with the tweezers if the dog jerks his head. Most dogs have no problem having the ear hairs plucked if they get accustomed to it by being regularly groomed as puppies. Keeping the hair out of the ears makes it much easier to keep them clean and healthy.
As for marlar's question about how much hair to trim on her terrier mix, it is totally personal preference. Do what makes you and your dog happy. I would aim for a balanced appearance. Don't leave the legs really short if you leave the body very long.