Plucking ears
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I do Summers when she is laying on the floor asleep I get son or hubby to stroke her and use an ear powder, smells like antiseptic. It stops your fingers slipping if you just put it on your fingertips. She gets fed up very quickly so i have to do it quite a lot, it isnt easy! I wipe the ear flaps with baby wipes!  |
| Are you using powder to grip? That really makes all the difference in plucking to me. |
| No, I thought the isopropyl was enough as it removes the wax? I will certainly invest in powder if it helps. It's Canker powder right? |
| I wonder if the alcohol before is making the ears burn and then you come in with plucking. My vet suggest 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 1/2 white vinegar and 1/3 warm water. Ear plucking was to be done another day.
Yeah, I also trim one dog's ear hairs way down since plucking is so disagreeable to her. I was also told to keep the bottom of the ear canal area hair free to allow for more air in under the flap. If I remember, I will do that when a clipper, but I can't tell if it really helps. |
| I use R7 ear powder, makes a HUGE different in how easy it is to pluck the hair. |
| Ear-Fresh astringent ear powder by Bio-Groom... Lisa had recommended it.
You can get a good grip on the ear hair and easily pluck it. I imagine other brands of ear powders do about the same. |
| I use ear plucking powder and Long Ear Forceps, these really help. If RU really doesn't like it i would muzzle him just to get it done after a few times he will get used to it but only take a few hairs at any one time. I did this with Rosie and she has stopped trying to bite me............................ |
SheepieBoss wrote: I wonder if the alcohol before is making the ears burn and then you come in with plucking. My vet suggest 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 1/2 white vinegar and 1/3 warm water. Ear plucking was to be done another day.
Yeah, I also trim one dog's ear hairs way down since plucking is so disagreeable to her. I was also told to keep the bottom of the ear canal area hair free to allow for more air in under the flap. If I remember, I will do that when a clipper, but I can't tell if it really helps. Sorry to post on this so late, but I have a comment and a question. I agree with SheepieBoss. I do ear cleaning as two steps. The first is the plucking. I use tweezers because I can control them better. I usually do the cleaning the next day. No pink fur and no ear infections to date! Now the question. I just learned that ear plucking is "old school" and people are now trimming instead. I am wondering what your experience has been with trimming. Thanks! |
| I think I read, on this forum in fact and I think it was from Carl, that trimming the ear hairs is NOT recommended as the loose hair can fall back into the ear and/or ear canal. I think he recommended pulling the hairs out as opposed to trimming.
Maybe Carl can step in here or maybe someone else remembers better than I do. |
Ashley wrote: I think I read, on this forum in fact and I think it was from Carl, that trimming the ear hairs is NOT recommended as the loose hair can fall back into the ear and/or ear canal. I think he recommended pulling the hairs out as opposed to trimming.
Maybe Carl can step in here or maybe someone else remembers better than I do. Okay, since I was invited I'll wade in!! First off here is a rather thorough, albeit older, thread we went through on ear cleaning a few years ago. http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=2074 Between that thread an my ear cleaning photo essay I think I have said pretty much all I can on home treatment ear care for Bobtails, and indeed all "drop eared" breeds. But yes I do indeed recommend against trimming the ear hair. I have several concerns which lead me to stay with the "old fashioned tried and true" method of plucking ear hair. 1. It is impossible to catch every cut strand of hair which means some portion of the hair clippings will remain in the ear canal and could easily work their way down to the eardrum which would trigger increased wax build up in the area of the eardrum. Additionally, if hair settles on the eardrum itself or other particularly sensitive areas it could lead to an infection. I'd rather be very conservative in my animal care and protect against such possibilities. 2. Clipping hair in the ear canal is at best risky. To do this one would either have to use small very sharp scissors or "nose and ear" hair trimmers. The use of either of these tools, in my opinion, is far too risky for such a confined space exposing your Bobtail to ear canal injuries (cuts, scratches and burns). Even the best trained dogs will "fidget" while you are cleaning their ears. Scissors sharp enough to cut way-ladden ear hair can easily cut the soft ear canal skin which has a very good blood supply. You can see where I'm going here right? Ear and nose trimmers are designed for humans who have far less hair in the ear than do Bobtails and for the most part far less wax accretions than do dogs. Theses trimmers are generally low powered and would "gum up" with the wax limiting their effectiveness and leading to "tearing" out of the hairs as they clog up and cannot effectively cut the hairs. The blades are also exposed with no safety guard so cutting of the ear canal skin remains a possibility and working at their maxmum capability they would invariably heat up (as do conventional clippers). While they wouldn't get so hot as to give a large general burn they could inflict little "point" burns. Finally such trimmers, from the dogs point of view, are very noisy and intrusive so expect a lot of fidgeting and even outright refusal to tolerate them. 3. Convenience of care versus quality of care. While I am only too happy to advocate the use of time saving tools, power tools are not always the most appropriate way to go. I think clipping ear hair with whatever tool is chosen is a case of quick care substituting for quality care. There is no question plucking ear hair is time consuming and often difficult. But, it is exactly that time and care requirement to pluck ears properly which forces you to throughly inspect the ear canal as it is being plucked and cleaned. You will see any problems such as scratches, heavy wax deposits, cysts or other infectious sites, etc that could easily be missed during a "quick" clipping. Not only will you accmplish the plucking, you will simultaneously conduct a thorugh examination and know what furhter care is required. Cleaning ears is an inherently intrusive procedure that is stressful to the dogs and can be quite distateful. It needs to be done in a deliberate and measured manner. Anything that is freed or broken from it's roots needs to come out of the ear canal, it CANNOT be allowed to stay in there loose - that is exactly the condition that has necessitated ear care in the first place. Perhaps I am a dinsosaur but sometimes the "old school" ways are still the best. I strongly submit that plucking is one of those times and I will continue to practise it myself no matter what is currently "in vogue". Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| Just wanted to update, the canker powder is really amazing. It really loosens the hairs, no wonder I was struggling before. Put this on your shopping list if you don't already have it. |
| Thank you! |
| Carl,
Didn't mean to drag you in  But glad my old timers memory served me well when I said you recommended plucking over trimming! And it makes sense to me.
I have my Vet clean ears and do nails and shave the hair between "toes". I ahve a hard time doing it and don't trust the groomers. Also, anal glands are best left to the Vet in my opinion 
Thanks Carl! |
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