I took my puppy to the Vet a few weeks ago and while I was there I told him she was scratching her ears a lot and they were starting to smell bad. He examined her ears and said there was no sign of earmites and I probably just needed to clean them with the ear cleaning solution.

I bought the solution (which doesn't have the best directions, it just says "apply liberaly"). I put it in her ears and massaged it down in there. It doesn't seem like it has worked at all! She itches her ears ALL the time and whines.

I read an old post where Labman suggested Baby Oil. How much do I use and how often do I use it? Do I use Q-Tips, I read somewhere that you should NEVER use anything smaller than your elbow to clean out a puppies ears.

HELP!

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Originally Posted by LuvMyMaltipoo

I took my puppy to the Vet a few weeks ago and while I was there I told him she was scratching her ears a lot and they were starting to smell bad. He examined her ears and said there was no sign of earmites and I probably just needed to clean them with the ear cleaning solution.

I bought the solution (which doesn't have the best directions, it just says "apply liberaly"). I put it in her ears and massaged it down in there. It doesn't seem like it has worked at all!! She itches her ears ALL the time and whines.

I read an old post where Labman suggested Baby Oil. How much do I use and how often do I use it? Do I use Q-Tips, I read somewhere that you should NEVER use anything smaller than your elbow to clean out a puppies ears.

HELP!

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Does your puppy have a lot of hair in her ear? Sometimes the hair can irrate their ears and can hold moisture in too. I have a poodle so we have to remove the hair from his ears often and keep them clean. Use a cotton ball... an elbow is way to big ;)

The baby oil is for ear mites, not your problem. For a similar problem to yours, see https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...ars-92525.html You have already done the first step of seeing the vet.

If there is a lot of wax you can see, I often start with a cotton ball, and then work down inside with the Q-Tips. Sort of pulling the ear forward allows you to get in deeper.

You know AW, the Vet mentioned when he looked inside of her ear that there was a lot of hair in there... but he didn't mention that I needed to fix that when he mentioned the ear cleaning. Do I just need to get her groomed, will they do inside her ears?

Or can I do this myself? What's the least painful way?

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Originally Posted by LuvMyMaltipoo

You know AW, the Vet mentioned when he looked inside of her ear that there was a lot of hair in there... but he didn't mention that I needed to fix that when he mentioned the ear cleaning. Do I just need to get her groomed, will they do inside her ears?

Or can I do this myself? What's the least painful way?

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A professional groomer will make ear cleaning part of your dog's grooming. Between grooming appointments you should practice ear health maintenance and check your dog's ears at least once a week. Removal of excess hair every two weeks can help maintain good hygiene and save you from many ear infections. Your vet should have removed the hair and shown you how to do it as well. If you'd like to learn ask your vet to show the proper way. You can take your dog to the groomer for an ear only cleaning service. Quite frankly, since I don't like pulling hair out my dog's ear, I let my groomer do that.

Thank you very much! Also... should my puppy be a certain age before I have her groomed? There are many groomers in my neighborhood... and I want to pick one that will do everything she needs. What services do you think are necessary for your poodle? Callie is a Maltipoo and will probably be just about the same as a poodle.

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Originally Posted by LuvMyMaltipoo

Thank you very much! Also... should my puppy be a certain age before I have her groomed? There are many groomers in my neighborhood... and I want to pick one that will do everything she needs. What services do you think are necessary for your poodle? Callie is a Maltipoo and will probably be just about the same as a poodle.

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I believe after the puppy has had its second set of shots/immunizations. Maybe Labman or another poster here can confirm that though. Groomers will require your puppy (or at least should) to have had their shots before handling. If they don't ask for your dogs records - for health reasons don't take your dog there.

I find that the local Petsmart here does a really good job on him -- besides wash, cut & brush -- ears and nails trimmed.

Thank you for your help. And if anyone can confirm the immunization requirements that would be great.

My puppy has had her second shots BUT only the second set are written on her record. The person who sold her to me gave her the first set. Does that have to be documents or will it be okay if I have the shot record with only her second set on it?

Your puppy may or may not be safe if exposed to parvo or other diseases. If the mother passed immunity on, the shots will not take until it wears off. After that, one shot, 2 weeks before being exposed to parvo, is all that is needed. The usual practice is to give a series of shots hoping to hit the window between the mother's immunity wearing off and being exposed to parvo. See Canine Parvovirus, What you should know about