Gundog Training Forum

vicky payne wrote:Lift the ear flap; is there lots of black/brown wax? Yes; go and get some ear mite treatment from your vet (I favour a dose of advocate and a bottle of ear cleaner myself). No; Have a sniff! Does it smell yeasty or yukky? Yes; ask your vet to have a look down the ear canal for signs of infection. No; is the ear flap red or spotty? Yes; something has irritated him- he'd be a bit young for food intolerance but parasites and household chemicals could be a problem. No....he probably just enjoys scratching his ears! have you put a collar on him? Puppies hate collars and they induce mucho scratching...but they must learn to live with them!

Yorkshirelass wrote:You can buy Otodex over the counter. That sorted out my spaniel

DesO'Neile wrote:It can be difficult to see wax, especially if your dog is black or liver. Rub your wee finger round the outer ear and if it comes away looking as if you rubbed it in marmite that's the wax. I haven't had any split ears, common in pointers when you don't know what you are at, since I started using Thornit Ear Canker Powder. The nice bit about Thornit is that you just put it in the outer ear. The mites take it deep inside as they move about the inner ear and commit Hari Kari. Great stuff. Does exactly what it says on the tin.
Dogs don't really do things like pick their noses but if they have something annoying them and you let it become a habit they will continue with it even after you have cured the original outbreak.
If when you lift the ear flap you can actually see the wax on the inside you have been very remiss.