I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Question

"pulling the hair out" or "plucking the hair out", but to me, when the vet did this, he held my dog's head down, flipped the ear, grabbed onto the hair inside of his ears with his thumb and index finger, and was ripping/pulling it out in a fast jerking motion. Now is this how it is supposed to be done, because yes, my dog had an ear infection at the time, but I think it would still hurt!

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Answer 1

Yes, this is a common practice to help prevent ear infections in floppy eared dogs. It isn't usually tramatic or all that painful, actually. You can even make it a "fun" activiy, if you always treat your dog to something special afterwards, that way, after you do this a few times, he'll figure out that if he puts up with a few minutes of discomfort, you'll take him running/play for a while/give him a special treat, etc.

However, if you're that upset by hair plucking, you can just do your best to keep his ears clean and healthy by using a cleaning fluid and cotton balls, or even shave/clip some of the hair inside his ears.

Answer 2

There is alot of talk between vets and groomers whether or not we should even pluck the hair out of the ears.
Some feel the hair is there for a reason, some feel the hair traps in the moisture and causes infection, some feel that plucking the hair irritates the ear canal and causes infection.

I do know that if done properly, it should not bother the dog. What I do is use ear powder and pluck out what hair will come out with ease. If the hair does not want to come out, I am not going to "rip" it out. Because yes, I believe that does hurt the dogs.
I have seen some groomers and vets, take a pair of hemostats, clamp down on the ear hair, twist it and pull as hard as they can..dog screaming the whole time. These are the people who should not be working with dogs.
Some dogs do not get excessive ear hair., But breeds like Poodles, Schnauzers, Bichons should have the ear hair at least thinned out once a month when they are groomed. I myself do not get every hair out of the ear (I feel it is there for a reason) I also am only going to pull out what will come out.

Answer 3

Not if you do it right, it doesn't hurt. The hair on the inside of the ear is barely attached and comes out with a quick jerk. If you try this with the hair along the edge of the ear, yes it will hurt and not come out easily.

Keeping the ear canal free of hair is good for your dog (esp dogs with long, hanging ears - like cocker sp, etc). It allows fresh air down in there and decreases the chances of infection from the damp warm air.

I've been grooming dogs for over 20 years. If you're not sure how to do it without hurting your dog, let the vet or your groomer handle it. If you do it wrong and hurt the dog, she won't be happy to let you (or someone else) try it again the next time.

Answer 4

Here's my take on it as a groomer.

You should try to avoid "ripping", unless the hair is very tough or the dog is really making it difficult (ie biting or throwing his head around). Tearing out huge hunks of hair does hurt, and irritates the inside of the ears, making them more prone to infection.

Here's how I prefer to do it. I hold the dog's beard or cheek hair in one hand, flip up the ear with the other. Apply a good ear powder (one that makes the hair tacky so you get a better grip). Grab A FEW hairs at a time and pull them out quickly. I can take up to 15 minutes per ear if a dog has REALLY hairy ears, but most only take a minute or so. Add more powder if needed. If you're doing it at home you have the advantage that you don't have to do it all at once, you can do a bit at a time.

Sometimes if the hair is VERY hard to pull I'll use hemostats to grip it, but I prefer not to as it's less safe and you end up pulling larger hunks of hair.

Some dogs are fine with this, some really object (which is why I have a good grip on their face, out of range of their teeth). But by doing it gently like this and telling them they were good while they stayed still, I've managed to do some dogs that wouldn't let others pluck their ears at all.

EDIT: If the hair is very difficult to pull out, or if the dog has sensitive ears that get irritated or infected easily, talk to your vet about getting hydrocortisone drops to put in the ears after you pluck them.

Answer 5

Actually, using a quick, jerking motion is the right way to pluck hair. And it doesn't hurt, not unless you take too much hair at a time. If you keep plucking hair out of your dog's ears (and you do not have to take it all out, just enough so air can circulate easily), he's not nearly as likely to get those painful ear infections!

Answer 6

Not every dog has hair that grows in the ears......ie gsd, beagles, daschunds.....though many do, poodles, llasa apso, maltese, bichon frese ect......its easier to grasp the hair to be removed using a pair of forceps or sprinkling a bit of drying powder on finger tips and then getting the hairs (if there is infection or wax present the hair can be difficult to grasp). Groomers routinely remove ear hair and many times let the owners know that they think an ear infection is present. It is not cruel, it is just what needs to be done.

Answer 7

yes, this is how its done. I have Schnauzers, and I have always pulled the hair out. This helps to prevent infection. Some vets use forceps, others use their fingers. Although it might have caused mild discomfort at the time, your dog will be fine, and no worse for wear.

Answer 8

I have done it many times. The dogs never flinch or fuss... except for the dogs who already have an ear infection.. then their ears just hurt to be touched anyways.

If it hurt, the dogs would react.

Answer 9

i do this while i groom my dogs. if u want to can put a little rubbing achol inside first then sneak attack the ear when they are not looking.grab the hairs and give a good yank. it helps with keeping infection out of their ears and a build up of wax.they don't like it but with floppy ears it helps to keep them clean.

Answer 10

Groomers often do this. There are some ear powders/solutions that can help remove hair painlessly, but are not as effective. The hair inside the ear can cause many problems.