We have a 7 yr old yellow lab, best dog ever, who gets really bad ear infections. I know they're common due to the floppy droopy ears, but is there anything we can do to try to prevent them? The last one was so bad, he had gotten a secondary infection due to the scratching it and turned out allergic to the ear drops so he had to take benadaryl on top of it. Any ideas??
Also, I'm not saying I'd necessarily do it, has anyone heard of them clipping a Lab's ears for this reason?
2007-01-21 06:40:23 · 3 answers · asked by Trouble's Mama 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Okay, I'm not sure if this person just didn't read the question right. My dog doesn't HAVE an ear infection, I'm just hoping to prevent him from getting anymore. So taking him to the vet won't really help.
2007-01-21 06:55:54 · update #1
Bad ears are a problem, for sure.
In between medication use, I recommend a once to twice weekly cleaning with green tea. Yup. Like the stuff you drink (only cooled down, of course). Suirt a bit in each ear canal, squish it around by rubbing the base of his ear, and wipe up the excess with a cloth or tissue. DO NOT use Q-tips or cotton swabs in the ear canal... if it breaks, you're in real trouble.
In addition to regular cleaning, you can pay special attention to drying your pup's ears out any time they get wet. This means rain, snow, a bath, swimming (because EVERY lab loves to swim, right??). Just take a dry towel or cloth and wipe the outer ear canal as best you can.
Unfortunately, some dogs will have chronic ear infections for no particular reason, and the best you can do as an owner is learn to recognize them quickly and get the medication he needs. It'll become routine after a while.
Best of luck to you and your pooch.
2007-01-21 07:13:06 · answer #1 · answered by NorthernGirl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
clean them on a regular basis
2007-01-21 06:43:24 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
take it to the vet
2007-01-21 06:45:38 · answer #3 · answered by trez m 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋